Rho spoke firmly in an interview with Hankook Ilbo, citing Google for Education—a platform adopted by schools around the world—as an example. “Just as Google and Naver competed in the portal market, the educational platform market is now a battleground with global Big Tech,” he stated.

Global Expansion Strategy Launched in 2012… Marked Significant Growth from 2017
Visang established its strategy to enter global markets in 2012 and, in 2017, launched its interactive English learning program for young children, Wings, in China, utilizing student tablets and digital whiteboards.

Notably, the global English learning program ELiF was adopted in Thai elementary schools for pilot classes, garnering significant attention.

In ELiF, multiple students can record their English pronunciation, which is sent to the teacher in real time for progress assessment and evaluated by an AI.

Thanks to its diverse educational content, Visang’s contract volume increased from 950 million KRW in 2017 to 7.98 billion KRW in 2018, and further jumped to 20.07 billion KRW in 2019.

“Now Is the Time for a Platform That Integrates the Six Elements of Education”
Visang was not immune to the impact of COVID-19. As both domestic and global economies slowed, revenue reverted to pre-2018 levels.

Yet, Rho saw this as an optimal opportunity to develop an educational platform encompassing six key elements—(1) teachers, (2) students, (3) time, (4) space, (5) content, and (6) interaction—unbound by time or location.

He also noted that many developing countries were beginning to establish reliable internet infrastructure.

He confirmed the potential of Visang’s hybrid learning model, which allows flexible adjustment between online and in-person instruction based on internet conditions, especially in regions where students and teachers cannot afford expensive digital devices.

“There are many countries where students still use smartphones with 3G networks,” he explained. “In such settings, the teacher can use a digital device to run the educational platform in class, while students preview content through video on their own devices and review using AI tools.”

“In other areas,” he added, “students can be gathered in a classroom and connected via video to a remote teacher for instruction.”

“Education Authorities Must Look Abroad”
Rho expressed Visang’s intention to incorporate the curricula of various countries into its platform.

“Currently, it’s mostly used for after-school programs,” he said. “But the real goal is to integrate it into K–12 classrooms. If national textbooks and learning content operate on the platform, then education in those countries essentially occurs within Visang’s ecosystem.”

Rho emphasized that as the domestic market has become saturated, Korean EdTech companies and education authorities must work together to expand overseas.

He noted that administrative processes in developing countries are often unclear.

“In such cases, it may be easier for our education authorities to engage directly with their foreign counterparts,” he said. “Leveraging Official Development Assistance (ODA) to support educational development in these countries—while facilitating the entry of Korean EdTech firms—could be a strategy worth considering.”

[Source - Hankook Ilbo] https://www.hankookilbo.com/News/Read/A2024012901260004425?did=NA