Late Korean scholar honored for promoting Korean in Vietnam

The Korea Foundation said Oh Jong-ho, late professor in the Korean language department at Dalat University in Vietnam, received the Prime Minister’s citation in the Sixth Overseas Volunteer Awards for promoting Korean language education in the country.

Serving as a visiting professor for four years from 2007, Oh established the Korean language curriculum at the university and contributed to publishing Korean language text books for local students, the KF said.

After a short visit to Korea during summer vacation in July, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away in August.

In Vietnam, he was known for using his own money to help students who could not afford the tuition, the KF said.

The foundation and his family plan to raise funds for the “Oh Jong-ho Scholarship” for students studying in the Korean language department at Dalat University.

Oh started his teaching career in 1971 and devoted more than 30 years to teaching the Korean language and literature to Korean students at high schools and a university until 2003.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)