South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee met with a group of Polish youths at the University of Warsaw on Friday, his office said.
Around 100 Polish youths, including students of Korean studies at the university, attended the meeting as part of Yoon’s three-day official visit to the country.
The students shared their stories of how they took an interest in the Korean language and culture.
Speaking in Korean, one student talked about applying for an internship at Korea Aerospace Industries after being charmed by the traditional Korean musical instrument “gayageum.” Another student, in her fifth year of university, talked about wanting to become a professional interpreter after having started to learn Korean through director Park Chan-wook’s movies.
Yoon encouraged the students, saying he hopes to see them grow into leaders of future exchanges between South Korea and Poland.
South Korean dramas and films have become increasingly popular in Poland, leading to an increase in the number of Korean language students at the two local branches of the King Sejong Institute, according to the culture ministry.
The number of student admissions to the Korean studies department of the University of Warsaw has also grown from nine in its early days to 25 this year, with the total number of enrolled students surpassing 100, the ministry said.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the department’s establishment.
Source: Yonhap News Agency