Welcome to the Korean Language Flagship Center (KLFC) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM)! Established in 2002, KLFC is the first Korean language and culture center in the United States.
KLFC has been dedicated to cultivating specialists with superior-level proficiency in Korean by providing an immersive language learning environment, tutoring programs, one-year capstone program at Korea University, overseas internships, summer intensive domestic and overseas programs, merit-based financial aid, and so forth.
B.A. in Korean for Professionals
Minimum 36 credits
The B.A. program aims to prepare American students to function in Korean as professionals in their chosen academic or professional fields. Through the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL), a Bachelor of Arts degree in Korean for Professionals is ...
M.A. in Korean for Professionals
Minimum 30 credits
The M.A. program aims to produce professionals who can function in Korean in their chosen fields. After two years of intensive Korean language training, graduates of this program are expected to take their place among the next generation of global professionals ...
Overseas Programs
One-year
The one-year overseas component completes the B.A. program and the Certificate program. Housed at Korea University’s Korean Language Center, the overseas component is called the Korean Flagship Overseas Program. The overseas component includes coursework ...
The Language Flagship
The Language Flagship is a national effort to change the way Americans learn languages. We offer language programs at schools across the United States for undergraduate students in critical languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish. In an effort to build language proficiency for all U.S. students, we also support K–12 language programs and curriculum development to improve opportunities for U.S. students to pursue language education.
National Security Education Program (NSEP) at the U.S. Department of Defense
Korean Language Flagship Center is a part of The Language Flagship, a federally-funded initiative under the National Security Education Program (NSEP) at the U.S. Department of Defense. Established in 1991, NSEP fosters strategic partnerships between the national security community and higher education institutions. Its aim is to cultivate essential expertise in critical languages and regions, enhancing U.S. preparedness to address diverse national security challenges. The KLFC specifically contributes by developing high-level proficiency in Korean, a strategically significant language due to South Korea’s geopolitical and economic importance.
NSEP is uniquely positioned as the sole federally-funded initiative addressing the interconnected challenges of language proficiency, national security, and federal workforce requirements. Through targeted investments in advanced technology and research, programs like KLFC are integral to national security strategy, directly addressing and mitigating the critical language capability gaps within the federal government.