Kyung Hee Cyber University has announced the successful completion of the 'KHCU Global Buddy 9th Orientation,' which took place on March 5th, aimed at strengthening the global teaching competencies of pre-service Korean language teachers. This year's program selected 33 pre-service teachers from the university's Department of Korean Culture, who will be matched with foreign students from nine partner universities in countries including Vietnam, Paraguay, and Mexico.

The 'KHCU Global Buddy' program pairs one pre-service teacher with multiple foreign students to facilitate an exchange of Korean language and culture. This interaction allows participating students to enhance their Korean language learning through natural communication, while pre-service teachers gain valuable teaching experience in an environment similar to actual classroom settings, honing their communication skills in the process. During the orientation, Project Leader Kim Ji-hyung emphasized the importance of engagement over mere knowledge transfer, encouraging pre-service teachers to consider their role as key Korean language models for foreign students.

Professor Han Joo-yeon, who oversees the 'KHCU Global Buddy Program', noted that this year's focus is to enhance the quality of activities, aiming to actively guide pre-service teachers in various communication methods with foreign students to build their global competencies. Since 2018, Kyung Hee Cyber University has been collaborating with the Korea Foundation (KF) to run the 'KF Global e-School Project', which continues to expand its cooperative network with overseas universities, providing pre-service Korean language teachers with high-quality international exchange experiences and practical teaching opportunities.