Drawing on data from the 2021 China Statistical Yearbook, the Han population constitutes 91.5% of China’s total population, with the Chinese Korean population accounting for approximately 1.7 million or 1.2% of the overall population. About 60% of Chinese minorities use their native languages, resulting in nearly 129 languages still spoken throughout the country (Sun, Hu & Huang, 2007).

The Chinese Korean ethnic group boasts a higher level of education compared to other ethnic minority groups and excels in bilingual ability, proficient in both their ethnic minority language and the Han language. Chinese Koreans employ their language within families and communities as well as in broader sociocultural contexts, such as politics, education, and the economy. In China’s autonomous regions, minority languages and mainstream Han are utilized bilingually for official business, various media formats (publishing, press, radio, television), and across all levels of education, from primary school (ages 6-12) to university.

This study adopts Kaplan and Baldauf's (2003) and Yang’s (2022) model of language-in-education policy theoretical framework to scrutinize Chinese Korean language programs at a university in the Chinese Korean autonomous region in China. The research employs a qualitative method, with core components including published documents from national, regional, institutional, and personal sources and also unpublished internal documents. It also adopts in-depth interview  in the targeted university to gather more firsthand information and insight from frontline educators and students. The analysis aims to provide insights into the successes and challenges associated with the policies and practices of Chinese Korean language education in Chinese universities.