The ASEAN-Korea Center and Sogang University Institute for East Asian Studies are organizing the sixth installation of their “Southeast Asian Language Program,” which runs for 12 weeks beginning on Sep. 2.

The language program will cover six major Southeast Asian languages including Burmese, Khmer, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese.

The popularity of this ongoing program reflects the Korean public’s keen interest in Southeast Asian languages and culture, said the ASEAN-Korea Center.

Elementary-level Burmese, Indonesian and Thai classes will be held at the center’s ASEAN Hall located at its offices in downtown Seoul, while intermediate-level Burmese, Indonesian and Thai and beginner and intermediate-level Vietnamese, Tagalog and Khmer classes will be held at the Jeong Hasang Hall at Sogang University.

Registration is possible via email only from Aug. 23-29. Each course will register up to 25 people on a first-come, first-served basis. Later registrants will be waitlisted. Detailed information regarding registration can be found on ASEAN-Korea Center’s official website www.aseankorea.org.

The ASEAN-Korea Center is an international organization established to promote economic and cultural cooperation between Southeast Asian nations and South Korea since its establishment in March 2009.

Among its wide range of activities to raise awareness of ASEAN, the language program has been implemented since 2012 in cooperation with SIEAS as a part of its Humanities Korea program funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea.

(ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)