Abstract
This study is based on a survey conducted of 431 learners (Japanese and Koreans-in-Japan) of the Korean laguage in Japan. The first objective of the study was to develop a scale for mesuring the learners' images of the Korean language, Korea and Korean people. The second objective was to investigate the differences based on the backgroud of the students and the influence of particular "learning factors". The results indicated that Koreans-in-Japan placed a higher valuation on the image of the Korean language and this had no relation to the number of visits to Korea. Those who have Korean friends placed a high valuation on the image of Korea. Moreover, there was a close relationship between learners' proficiency in the language and their image of Korea? the greater their proficiency, the more positive was their image. Koreans-in-Japan placed more value on the 'historicsl foactor' than Japanese leraners, and men were more conscious of this than women. The image of Korean people as a whole is closely linked to these 'learning factors', in particular to their proficiency in the language. Thus, learners who are highly proficient in speaking Korean were found to set a high valuation on the image of Korean.
