By Zia Khan /Staff Reporter
Qatar university will this year start teaching Korean at a separate discipline.
The university is to enter into an agreement with the Korean Foundation to establish a centre for the language widely spoken across the Korean peninsula and partially in countries like China and Japan.
South Korean Ambassador to Qatar Keejong Chung told Gulf Times in an interview the signing ceremony is expected sometimes this year when the chairman of the federation visits Doha.
He did not, however, give any firm date because the schedule is still under discussion between the embassy and the university thought to be one of the best higher learning institutions in the country.
Ambassador Chung said the establishment of Korean language institute is a reflective of desire both in Doha and Seoul to redefine the relationship between the two countries currently revolving around only energy and construction sectors.
“We definitely look forward to broaden the base of our economic relations…in fact, we don’t want to keep everything restricted to the economy, one sector or the other. We want to go further to co-operate in areas like culture, education and academia,” said the envoy.
The relationship between Qatar and South Korea — a frontline American ally in the Southeast Asian region where China also seeks dominance — is largely in the energy sector wherein Seoul buying petrol and gas from this Gulf state worth billions of dollar every year.
The volume of the bilateral trade between the two countries is expected to peak at $29bn this calendar year, dramatically up from just $12bn in 2010.
Ambassador Chung said the Korean Foundation would support the initiative by providing a full time professor to supervise the establishment of the language centre.
