The purpose of this research aims, on the one hand, to find out how Spanish is usually perceived by learners of SFL/SL (Spanish as a foreign or a second language) in the Republic of Korea from a mono/pluricentric perspective and, on the other hand, to try to trace back that perception to the SFL/SL materials and formal education in this Asian country. In order to do so, a survey was conducted amongst around 700 students, mainly from universities, and the results clearly show an overwhelming perception of Spanish as a monocentric language by South Korean learners. Consequently, we will try to trace back the origin of such a widespread conception in South Korean textbooks, other teaching materials and the attitudes and approaches of teachers of SFL/SL, either native or non-native, to different varieties of Spanish in their teaching. In addition, special attention will be paid to the apparent confusion of some terms such as linguistic variety, standard language, neuter language, variety of instruction, linguistic model and some others, due to their great impact in the learners’ acquisition and understanding of the target language.