CNU’s Language Education Center is operating the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program for Korean language education commissioned by the U.S. Department of State for the ninth consecutive year.

The CLS program is an authoritative program in which the US government selects 14 critical languages to focus on and selects scholarship students from among US undergraduate and graduate students of various majors to receive language education in the country of the corresponding language in the form of a short-term intensive course program in the respective language-speaking countries.

This year, 25 CLS Korean language scholarship students selected from all over the United States will receive intensive Korean language education in four classes for about seven weeks, starting with orientation on June 22 and ending on August 12. In addition, they have time to learn about Korean culture through various cultural classes and experiential activities such as calligraphy and taekwondo.

In addition, during the CLS program operation period, CNU students are connected as One-on-One Language Partners to help CLS students perform assignments, learn Korean, and exchange cultures for seven weeks. Roommates will also be selected to live together with CLS students in CNU dormitories and learn Korean, which will help students to adjust to college life and life in Korea. This is also an opportunity for CNU students who participate in the program to enhance their international perspective and enhance their understanding of multiculturalism.
 
Previously, CNU was selected as a local educational institution for Korean language training for the implementation of the CLS Korean language program in 2015, and since then, the director of the US State Department program and staff have shown strong enough trust to visit CNU in 2017 and 2022. In 2020, despite the pandemic situation, the program successfully transitioned to online lectures and was well-received.

Professor Jo Kyung-sun, the Director of the Language Education Center said, “Being selected as the CLS program’s commissioned education institution by the U.S. Department of State for nine consecutive years is a recognition of CNU’s Korean language education capabilities on the international stage. We will facilitate the university’s commitment to actively promote collaboration with various domestic and international institutions and universities in the future.”