The Department of Education (DepEd) has renewed its partnership with Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Education for the teaching of the Korean language in select public high schools.

The renewal was formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed by Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Republic of Korea Minister of Education Choi Kyo-Jin.

The signed agreement was formally presented to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Republic of Korea President Lee Jae Myung in a ceremony at the Malacañang Palace during the latter’s state visit on Tuesday.

The agreement falls under the DepEd’s Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL), an initiative designed to prepare Filipino students for international careers by fostering cultural diversity and language proficiency.

“By renewing this partnership, we are not just teaching a new language; we are opening doors to global opportunities for our teachers and learners,” Angara said.

Originally piloted in 2009, the SPFL now offers Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese and Korean languages in select secondary schools, in partnership with foreign institutions.

The SPFL-Korean was introduced through a memorandum of agreement signed in June 2017 between the DepEd and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.

Under that agreement, the Korean Cultural Center of the Philippines (KCC) served as the official training provider, offering immersive cultural experiences to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Korean culture.

For school year 2024-2025, the SPFL-Korean program was implemented in 69 public secondary schools across 13 regions, benefitting 4,810 learners and facilitating the professional upskilling and language training of 168 teachers.

The new agreement ensures the sustainability of the program as the previous agreement has expired.

The renewed partnership focuses on curriculum development; teacher capacity building; provision of Korean language specialists and teaching resources; and continued institutionalization of Korean as a foreign language in select high schools.