Korean Language Learning in Malaysia: Beyond the Korean Wave

In recent years, Malaysian youths have shown growing interest in the language and culture of South Korea (hereafter, “Korea”). This trend is often attributed to the global “Korean wave” or Hallyu, whose popularity has fostered active fan communities. Functioning as cultural intermediaries, these fans provide context and explanations – especially on social media – thereby bridging Korean culture and Malaysian audiences.

Beyond the Korean wave though, this trend of growing interest in the Korean language is also shaped by state-led initiatives on the part of both the Malaysian and Korean governments in pursuit of their respective strategic goals – i.e., Malaysia’s aim of encouraging second language proficiency among youths to quip them with the skills for a globalising economy; and Korea’s public diplomacy through culture and education to enhance its soft power. These initiatives include collaboration between the two governments to enhance bilateral culture, education and tourism, which have led to increased interactions between Malaysians and Koreans, in-person (e.g., through migrant and tourist arrivals) and on digital platforms, in turn expanding Malaysian youths’ exposure to Korean culture and language. In sum, it is state-led institutionalisation of an already popular cultural interest that has fuelled greater interest in Korean culture and language learning.

Malaysia and Korea have maintained strong bilateral relations since the 1960s. Building on this foundation, in November 2024, the two governments announced a Strategic Partnership in four major areas, one of which is culture, education and tourism. They agreed to support education, language and cultural exchanges through institutions such as the Korean Education Center in Malaysia (KECM), which was established in 2020 as an initiative of the Korean Ministry of Education, and the King Sejong Institute Foundation, a Korean government initiative to spread the Korean language. Malaysia currently hosts King Sejong institutes in three cities: Bangi (2016), Melaka (2022), and Kuala Lumpur (2025). In addition to offering Korean language classes, the KECM hosts and facilitates study-in-Korea information sessions, and supports the Pre-Korea Programme, a full scholarship programme sending about 100 Malaysian students annually to top Korean universities since 2022.

The ministries of education in both countries have also advanced Korean language learning in Malaysian schools. This effort aligns with Malaysia’s Education Blueprint (2013–2025), which aimed to enable every child to learn an additional language by 2025. Consequently, Korean was included as a foreign language elective in Malaysian secondary schools from 2014. By 2021, 11 public secondary schools were offering Korean classes to about 1,500 students. Since 2020, Korea’s Ministry of Education has supported the “Local Korean Language Teacher Training Support Project” (현지한국어교원양성) in Malaysian teacher training colleges. From 2022, Malaysian Korean-language teachers were appointed in secondary schools through the one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Korean Language) teacher training programme. These developments have facilitated Malaysian students’ early exposure to the Korean language and culture.

While the Korean wave and wider digital access (for both content producers and audiences) are important facilitators of Malaysian youths’ interests in Korean language and culture, state-led initiatives are equally significant.

At the tertiary level, Malaysians have pursued higher education in Korea since the 1980s. In addition to self-funding, students are also funded by scholarships from Malaysia’s Public Service Department (JPA), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) and Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (YTN), as well as Korea’s Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) and awards from Korean conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyundai and Kia. These companies also sponsor scholarships at local Malaysian universities, offering free Korean language classes, internships, and employment opportunities in Korea after graduation.

From 2010 to 2024, the number of Malaysian international students in Korea steadily increased (Figure 1), with only a slight dip during the Covid-19 pandemic years. Over time, strong student and alumni networks have emerged. Former and current students play significant roles in promoting Korean culture and language learning among Malaysian youths. For example, some of them have taken to vlogging, while others have started Korean language tutoring services, alongside translation and social media content creation. This reflects a threefold process: state-led initiatives sustain student mobility to Korea; digital cultural ambassadors expand audience interest; and institutional scaling embeds Korean language learning more deeply, meeting both micro-level cultural interests and national-level economic and bilateral interests.

Following the abovementioned state-led efforts, waves of Korean migrants and tourists have arrived in Malaysia. In 2024, Malaysia received 553,165 tourist arrivals from Korea, making the latter its eighth top source of tourists and contributing nearly USD650 million to the Malaysian economy. As of 2023, Malaysia was host to an estimated 13,000–15,000 Korean migrants, with 10–15 per cent in Johor. These include students, expatriate workers, families, retirees, entrepreneurs, and foreign spouses of Malaysians. A number serve as Korean tutors, either independently or through multilingual and Korean language centres. Some Korean migrants identify as “new locals” keen to integrate into Malaysian society. Korean enclaves have developed in expatriate areas such as One Ampang Avenue in Kuala Lumpur.

Responding to growing demand among Malaysians for basic Korean language skills to serve the increasing flow of Korean arrivals, the KECM has developed short-term language programmes for Malaysian immigration officers and airport employees, with plans to expand to other public-sector occupations.

While the Korean wave and wider digital access (for both content producers and audiences) are important facilitators of Malaysian youths’ interests in the Korean language and culture, state-led initiatives are equally significant. In this sense, the interplay of popular culture, state policies and bilateral diplomacy has collectively shaped youth cultural orientations in Malaysia. With growing Malaysia-Korea bilateral activities in education, trade and tourism, following the Malaysia-Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement (MKFTA) signed in October 2025, nurturing Korean language competencies among Malaysia’s current and future workforce would be of strategic importance.

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