With Hyundai coming to Alabama, Wallace Community College is quickly moving to fill a need that may soon develop here – the need to speak the Korean language.

Starting this semester, the college will offer a course in Korean. The class will meet every Monday night from 6-8 p.m. and the cost is $50.

The school’s president, James Mitchell, had discovered a woman who knew Korean that worked at the Marion Military Institute. He brought her to Selma in order to teach the class here.

This would mirror what happened to Tuscaloosa when Mercedes-Benz and JVC built plants near the city. Since then, Tuscaloosa has gained a sister city in Japan and has a Japanese Cultural and Information Center along with a German cultural center.

So far, there have been people from businesses such as People’s Bank and Trust wanting to learn Korean, Griffin said. Private individuals have also signed up for the course.

The point of the class is to teach basic conversation skills, so Selmians will be able to communicate with those who come from Korea. Wallace State will offer a chance as well for Koreans who come to America and want to learn to speak English.

If interest in the class is great enough, there is the possibility of an advanced Korean language course being offered in the future.

Signup for the class will continue until the semester begins on September 9.