Editing Korean language (section)

==Geographic distribution==
{{See also|Korean diaspora}}

Korean is spoken by the [[Koreans|Korean people]] in both South Korea and North Korea, and by the [[Korean diaspora]] in many countries including the [[China|People's Republic of China]], the [[United States]], [[Japan]], and [[Russia]]. In 2001, Korean was the fourth most popular [[foreign language]] in China, following English, Japanese, and Russian.{{sfnp|Sohn|2001|p=6}} Korean-speaking minorities exist in these states, but because of [[cultural assimilation]] into host countries, not all ethnic Koreans may speak it with native fluency.

===Official status===
<gallery widths="250" heights="180" class="center">
File:Pyongyang-Kaesong motorway 02.JPG|Highway sign in Korean,<br />[[Reunification Highway]], [[Pyongyang]], Korea
File:AH1sign-Daegu,Korea.jpg|Highway sign in Korean and English,<br />[[Gyeongbu Expressway]], [[Daegu]], Korea
File:大石头还有两公里 （吉延高速 ） Jilin-Yanji Highway - panoramio.jpg|Highway sign in Korean and Chinese,<br />[[G12 Hunchun–Ulanhot Expressway|Hunwu Expressway]], [[Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture|Yanbian]], China
</gallery>
Korean is the [[official language]] of South Korea and North Korea. It, along with [[Mandarin Chinese]], is also one of the two official languages of China's [[Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture]].

In North Korea, the regulatory body is the Language Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences ({{Korean|hangul=사회과학원 어학연구소|hanja=社會科學院語學硏究所|mr=Sahoegwahagwŏn ŏhagyŏn'guso|labels=no}}). In South Korea, the regulatory body for Korean is the [[Seoul]]-based [[National Institute of Korean Language]], which was created by presidential decree on 23 January 1991.

===King Sejong Institute===
Established pursuant to Article 9, Section 2, of the Framework Act on the National Language, the [[King Sejong Institute]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sejonghakdang.org/home/instituteInfo.do |access-date=19 January 2021 |script-title=ko:누리-세종학당 |archive-date=21 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121083807/https://www.sejonghakdang.org/home/instituteInfo.do|url-status=dead}}</ref> is a public institution set up to coordinate the government's project of propagating Korean language and culture; it also supports the King Sejong Institute, which is the institution's overseas branch. The King Sejong Institute was established in response to:
* An increase in the demand for Korean language education;
* a rapid increase in Korean language education thanks to the spread of the culture (''[[hallyu]]''), an increase in international marriage, the expansion of Korean enterprises into overseas markets, and enforcement of employment licensing system;
* the need for a government-sanctioned Korean language educational institution;
* the need for general support for overseas Korean language education based on a successful domestic language education program.
King Sejong Institute has 59 in Europe, 15 in Africa, 146 in Asia, 34 in the Americas, and 4 in Oceania.<ref>[https://www.ksif.or.kr/ste/ksf/hkd/lochkd.do?menuNo=20101800&lang=eng KSIF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219122629/https://www.ksif.or.kr/ste/ksf/hkd/lochkd.do?menuNo=20101800&lang=eng |date=19 February 2024 }} - KSIF</ref>

=== TOPIK Korea Institute ===
The [[TOPIK]] Korea Institute is a lifelong educational center affiliated with a variety of Korean universities in Seoul, South Korea, whose aim is to promote Korean language and culture, support local Korean teaching internationally, and facilitate cultural exchanges.

The institute is sometimes compared to language and culture promotion organizations such as the King Sejong Institute. Unlike that organization, however, the TOPIK Korea Institute operates within established universities and colleges around the world, providing educational materials. In countries around the world, Korean embassies and cultural centers ({{Korean|hangul=한국문화원|labels=no}}) administer TOPIK examinations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=TOPIK|publisher=iSeodang Korean Language Center|url=https://iseodang.com/topik/|access-date=2020-09-15|language=en-US|archive-date=21 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021164209/https://iseodang.com/topik/|url-status=live}}</ref>