Anchor: From teenagers to people in their fifties, more Indians are learning the Korean language. They say learning Korean will help them at work and lead to more job prospects. KBS visited a Korean class in India.
Our Kim In-kyung has more.
 
Report: 
[Sound bite: audio footage from a Korean language class in India]
"'친구하고만나요,' '몇시에 만날까요?'"
"Now repeat after me. Raise your hand if you can't."

It’s a weekday afternoon, but the King Sejong Institute in India is full of students studying Korean.
 
Students say there is more demand for people who speak Korean as a greater number of South Korean firms have entered India. 
 
[Sound bite: A female student (Hindi)]
“I’ve been doing work related to South Korea for more than ten years and I visit South Korea every year. I started learning Korean because I’ve had trouble communicating (since I can’t speak the language).”
 
[Sound bite: A male student (Hindi)]
“I started learning Korean (because my family is engaged in South Korea-related work). Currently, I work at an organization with a Korean friend.”
 
The number of students studying at the King Sejong Institute in India has jumped from about 30 to 200 in the last three years.
 
The academy offers weekend classes as well as commissioned education requested by corporations.
 
A lecturer at the institute says almost 20 students have found work at South Korea-related businesses and agencies.
 
[Sound bite: a lecturer at the King Sejong Institute in India (Korean)]
“Only about 25 percent of the students learn Korean because of their interest in K-pop or Korean dramas. Most study Korean because of work.”
 
About 300 people a year in India take the TOPIK, short for Test of Proficiency in Korean, for work or as part of their studies.
 
The interest in India to learn Korean is expected to peak further as more South Korean firms set up companies in India.
Kim In-kyung, KBS World Radio News.