Youha was raised in Seoul, Korea, where she has had most of her education, although she did spend a year in Alberta, Canada, where she did intensive English Speaking Intensive courses (advanced) during the course of her undergraduate studies. She completed her BA at Korea University majoring in Education and minoring in Korean Language Education.She then earned an MA in Education at Yonsei over 12 University, the oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in Seoul. For her MA, she majored in Korean Language Education as a Foreign Language where her thesis focused on A Study on the Development Stage of Korean Teachers and Collegial Supervision in Pursuit of Better Retraining by Colleges for Korean Teachers. She earned two merit-based scholarships during this time. Youha has also earned Teaching Certificates in Korean Language for Foreigners from the Korean Ministry of Culture, and Certificates in Philosophy and also Korean Language and Literature from the Korean Ministry of Education.
For years, Youha has worked as a Lecturer of Korean Language & Literature at KonKuk University in Seoul leading courses on Practical Korean Language, Contemporary Korean Literature, Reading and Discussion and Drama Korean for Foreigners. She also teaches a required course for Teachers of Korean Language and Literature for Foreigners on Contemporary Korean Literature. Part of her work has entailed developing and coordinating courses for high—achieving students, publishing textbooks and overseeing study trips.
Youha is also a prominent member of the Examination Committee for TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean, under the auspices of the National Institute of Korean Language) which is test used for students applying to university and graduate school as well as applying for residency and immigration screening. She has authored several books for TOPIK.
She has also published on Research on ‘After-School Activities for Korean Language Learners and Teachers based on case studies of Konkuk University Language Institute,’ in the Journal of Korean Language and Culture.
Most recently, Youha has become engaged in online learning as Managing Professor of Jinjheung Online Education Centre, providing academic credit for further education, and with responsibilities for evaluating student work and setting examinations questions. Youha also teaches Korean language for immigrants in the immigrant social integration program organized by the Korea Ministry of Justice.
Youha’s broad and varied experience serves her well in her desire to support ILLTC Korean students worldwide.