"No China, I want to learn Korean" Why American and European college students are enthusiastic
- Input
- 2025-07-21 10:37:34
- Updated
- 2025-07-21 10:37:34
Recently, the registration rate for Chinese classes in American universities has decreased by 25%
while Korean has increased by 57%.. Led by BTS and K-pop
while Korean has increased by 57%.. Led by BTS and K-pop
[Financial News] Recently, a report from a Chinese media outlet stated that while the popularity of Chinese has sharply decreased in university towns in regions such as the United States and Europe, the popularity of Korean has surged. Experts attribute this to China's economic slowdown and negative image, as well as the popularity of the Korean Wave led by K-POP.
On the 20th (local time), the Hong Kong media South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that "interest in Chinese is declining due to China's negative image, but the popularity of Korean is increasing due to the influence of K-POP."
According to a report by the Modern Language Association cited by SCMP, the registration rate for Korean classes in American universities increased by more than 57% from 2013 to 2021, while the registration rate for Chinese classes decreased by about 25%.
Not only in the United States but also in Europe, the popularity of Chinese is steadily declining. According to the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency (OHS), the number of British university students studying Chinese in 2023 decreased by about 35% compared to 2016. The popularity of Chinese, which was once globally noted, is steadily decreasing.
In this regard, experts pointed to China's negative national image as a cause. Due to China's economic downturn, business exchanges have decreased, and consequently, the demand for Chinese has decreased. There is also an analysis that China's strong COVID-19 regulations, human rights violations, and environmental pollution have had an impact.
In contrast, in the case of Korea, it is widely believed that the global popularity of K-POP, including 'Bangtan Sonyeondan' (BTS), has increased the popularity of Korean. The K-POP culture is positively received by the global youth, and the enthusiasm for learning Korean has increased.
Regarding this, Clayton Dube, former director of the USC US-China Institute, stated, "The most popular East Asian language right now is Korean," claiming that "this is 100% driven by K-POP."
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun reporter