Demand for Selko's Korean language materials growing

Selko's Korean language textbooks are displayed at the Seoul International Book Fair 2012 which was held at COEX, southern Seoul, from June 20 to 24./ Courtesy of Selko

By Kim Bo-eun

Selko, a publishing company specializing in Korean language education materials for foreigners, enjoyed successful results during the Seoul International Book Fair 2012 held at the COEX in southern Seoul from June 20 to 24.

At the exhibition, Selko, which is an abbreviation of "self-study Korean", exhibited various learning materials including textbooks of varying levels and manuals for Korean language teachers. It also introduced its original e-learning system to the visitors.

The company is negotiating with Thai and Chinese firms to sign an export contract.

"Through exhibiting our products at Korea's leading event in the publishing industry, we were able to attract greater interest from consumers and businesses", said Lee Su-ryun, head of the company.

She said more and more people around the world are paying attention to the Korean language amid an increasing number of local companies expanding their presence abroad and the growing popularity of Korean pop culture.

Last year 190,000 people in Korea and abroad took the Test of Proficiency in Korean that is supervised by the government, and more than 200,000 are expected to take the test this year.

In the past Selko designed and published standard Korean textbooks for the Human Resources Development Service of Korea. It also published Korean language books for overseas Korean children for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.