한국어 학습자의 ‘한류(韓流)’에 대한 인식 비교

Korean Language Learner’s Perception of ‘Hallyu’: Comparison between Japanese and Chinese Learners

The phenomenon known as the “Korean Wave,” or “Hallyu,” describes the rising general interest in Korea that began in the latter half of the 1990s in the areas of South-East Asia, China, and Japan. This “Hallyu” phenomenon has had an enormous effect on not only the promotion of Korea’s national image but also on the creation of economical benefits. Such positive effects can also be seen in the field of Korean language education, as an examination of the factors behind the recent trend of increasing Korean language learner populations at domestic Korean language institutes will reveal the large influence of “Hallyu”. In particular, the numbers of Chinese and Japanese learners, which comprise the two largest Korean language learner populations, have been increasing the largest. However, there is currently little research available that has objectively examined how these language learners perceive the “Hallyu” phenomenon. Therefore, the current study aimed to shed light on whether there are differences regarding both the general and positive perceptions of the “Hallyu” phenomenon among 424 Chinese and Japanese students of Korean enrolled at four domestic Korean language institutes. Results indicated that while the majority of both Japanese and Chinese students are aware of the “Hallyu” phenomenon, depending on the factors of gender, age, nationality, and reason for study, the degree of having a positive perception of the “Hallyu” phenomenon was different. It was therefore concluded that the respective perceptions of the “Hallyu” phenomenon among Japanese and Chinese learners of Korean are different.