June Choi

Dr. Soloway

SDLC 113

April 26, 2020

SDLC 113 Cultural Post #4

            As I am graduating college and facing a future filled with working a real job, I thought it would be interesting to compare work life and culture in South Korea compared to that in the US. Upon digging into Korean work and business culture, I found that age and status are very important. This is no surprise, for even in everyday life, specific customs are in place to show respect to elders or any person who is older than one’s self. Like in the US, working people often greet eachother with a formal handshake, but it is also common for businessmen to formally bow almost at a 90 degree angle to others especially if they are greeting a powerful or wealthy businessman. One difference between western and South Korean work cultures that I found was that in western cultures, there is a heavy focus on the individual worker and his/her skills and contributions that bring about a company’s success, otherwise known as individualism (개인주의). One needs to be valuable to a company as an individual in order to be worth being employed for a long period of time. On the contrary, as Korean society is based on Confucianism, it is evident that some Confucian principles have seeped into work culture to create a heavily group mentality-based environment (단체주의). Oftentimes, Koreans will work in groups to complete a project and are often dependent on other employees.

            Although there is difficulty in separating work and personal life in all countries, I found that Koreans especially have trouble doing so. Personal and family time are prioritized more and kept separate in the US, while in Korea, often times there are post-work drinking parties or dinners with co-workers (회식) for any day of the week. It is common for Korean working people to return home in the late hours of the night or even the early hours of the morning after spending time with their coworkers. These parties and dinners are generally for team building and communication between coworkers in order to unite everyone. However, I find it quite unfortunate and saddening that Koreans spend so much time with their work partners and invest so much into their work life that they often neglect their personal life and families. One similarity that I found between the two cultures was that both cultures heavily use business cards when people exchange their contact information. However, there is a more formal exchange in Korean culture, as one hands over the card with two hands, and one receives a card with two hands. Finally, it is highly common in Korean work culture for people to work overtime often without pay. Additionally, it is considered rude to be rushing out of the door once the official work hours are over, and oftentimes, workers will wait for their superiors to leave. I find that these concepts are present in western work culture but are not as extreme. Below are some links to articles as well as youtube videos that I found were very helpful.

https://www.koreaexpose.com/south-korea-rigid-work-culture-startups/

https://asialinkbusiness.com.au/republic-of-korea/conducting-business-in-korea/korean-business-culture-and-etiquette?doNothing=1

https://www.englishspectrum.com/differences-in-work-ethics-between-korea-and-the-west/

https://10mag.com/things-to-know-when-working-in-a-korean-company/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T2bF_Y78IU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnwW7o0pVrw

June Choi

Dr. Soloway

SDLC 113

April 26, 2020

SDLC 113 Biweekly Language Learning Journal Post #8

            For the past two weeks, Jimin and I maintained our weekly videochat lessons and covered a variety of topics, including current political issues, grammar, and watching Korean dramas. As for political issues, I learned that April l5th was the voting day for the Korean Members of the National Assembly. The Korean National Assembly is made up of 300 seats, 253 of which are “지역구,” or District Assembly Members. Those members are then further divided into groups of 163 seats for the “더불어주민당,” 84 seats for the “미래통합당,” 1 seat for the “정의당,” and 5 seats for the “무수속.” 47 of the 300 seats are given to the proportional representation assembly that are experts in diverse areas. Again, these 47 seats are divided into groups of 19 seats for the “미래통합당,” 17 seats for the “더불어민주당,” 5 seats for the “정의당,” 3 seats for the “국민의석,” and 3 seats for the “열린민주당.” These different groups  are basically different political groups, just like the Democratic and Republican groups of the US. This voting day was a rather important event for Korea as it was the first ever voting day to occur in the whole world after the COVD19 pandemic started. I thought that learning about this voting day was a great way to expand my knowledge of Korean politics and also to add more complex political words to my vocabulary. It was interesting to learn about the different political groups in Korea and to compare them to those in the US.

            Jimin and I also went over the 6^th anniversary of Sewol-ho “세월호,” which was a national tragedy for Korea on April l6th of 2014. This tragedy involved the sinking of a ferry headed to Jeju Island that resulted in the death of 304 passengers, nonetheless countless missing passengers. Many of the passengers aboard were high school seniors embarking on their celebratory senior trip as is common in Korea. Koreans used a yellow ribbon as a symbol for hope for return of the missing passengers at the time. I remember when this was all happening in the year of 2014, and it was just so tragic of an event that it left most of Korea and Korean Americans, especially, just speechless. I knew of the high school that had sent its senior students on the ferry, as I had lived near that high school while I was in Korea several years ago.

On a brighter note, some grammar that Jimin and I went over included the importance of specific spacing between words in order to portray the correct intended meaning. One example was “아버지가 방에 들어가신다” vs “아버지 가방에 들어가신다.” This shows that one misplaced syllable due to spacing can completely change the meaning of a sentence. Additionally, I learned of the 6 grammatical rules below:

1. 문장에서 각 낱말은 띄어 쓴다.
   1. 낱말이란 뜻을 가지고 홀로 쓰일 수 있는 말의 가장 작은 단위이다.
   2. 나물좀줘 -> 나 물 좀 줘
2. 조사는 앞의 명사에 붙여 씁니다.
   • . 조사란 명사(noun)뒤에 붙는 말로 Tommy가, Ellie를, 수업이, 선생님이다 와 같은 말입니다.
3. 의존 명사는 띄어 씁니다.
   • . 의존 명사란 문장에서 혼자 쓰일 수 없고 그 앞에 꾸며 주는 말이 있어야 하는 명사를 말합니다.

1. 예시: 할 수 있다, 아는 것이 힘이다.

4. 숫자를 세는 단위를 나타내는 말도 띄어 씁니다.
   • . 사람 열 명, 신발 한 켤레, 개 세 마리, 사탕 두 개, 만 원
5. 두 말을 이어 주거나 나열할 때 쓰이는 말들은 띄어 씁니다.
   • . 한국 대 일본, 사과, 배, 귤 등, 선생님 및 학생
6. 본용언과 보조용언은 띄어 쓰는 것이 원래 규칙입니다.
   • . 용언: Subject의 상태를 표현하는 verb나 adjective
     • 본용언: 혼자 쓰일 수 있다 (읽고, 춥지, 꺼져, 아는)
     • 보조용언: 혼자 쓰일 수 없다. 본용언 뒤에 붙어서 본용언에 뜻을 더해준다. (싶다, 않다, 간다, 척한다)

1. 책을 읽고 싶다, 날씨가 춥지 않다, 불이 꺼져 간다, 잘 아는 척한다.

Overall, I thought that learning these 6 grammatical rules were very helpful in my everyday writing and speaking, for they are widely applicable. As my college career comes to an end, I hope to continue conversing with Jimin as a friend and also as a tutor/student.

June Choi

Dr. Soloway

SDLC 113

April 12, 2020

SDLC 113 Biweekly Language Learning Journal Post #7

            As the ways that I can interact with my language learning tutor, Jimin, are limited due to the remote learning situation, I have tried to find new, creative ways to improve my language learning. Some of the methods that I have incorporated include facetiming Jimin a couple times a week outside of our tutoring sessions just for casual conversations in Korean to help my Korean speaking become more like second nature. As Jimin is currently in Korea, she seems like even more of a native Korean speaker than she was before and has been keeping me up to date with the latest Korean trends and slang. Some of the new terms I’ve learned so far include “극혐” (extreme disgust), “갑이다” (the boss), “움짤” (GIF), and “금사빠” (person who falls in love easily). I feel like there’s a neverending influx of new slang that makes it hard for me to keep up, but I am thankful to have a tutor who is in the midst of it all. Learning these “hip” terms makes me feel more inclusive to Korean culture.

Some of our facetime sessions have also involved watching youtube videos or dramas simultaneously in order to recreate the feel of viewing something together in person. Lately, we’ve been watching a very popular Netflix K-drama called “Kingdom,” or “킹덤” in Korean. It’s a horror series that has a historical background set in Korea’s Joseon period after the Japanese invasions of Korea. The plot revolves around the Crown Prince Lee Chang who digs deep into political conspiracy to learn more about the spread of a mysterious plague that has affected the current king. This plague ultimately turns people into horrifying zombies, and I thought that the first episode was pretty terrifying that I was hesitant to continue. However, the intricate plot and the historical background of the drama kept me wanting to watch more. Jimin helped me decipher between what was historically accurate and what was not, which I thought was very useful. Overall, the new historically-based K-drama has been helping me learn more about the formalities in royalty, along with the different style of speech and language that was used back then. I also find the traditional clothing to be very interesting.

Lastly, I have also been keeping up with the Korean news, and recently I came upon an article that sparked my interest. The article appraised a live, virtual concert that is to include many famous American artists including Lady Gaga, Billy Eilish, Elton John, Charlie Puth, and last but not least, SuperM. This concert is to be hosted by Lady Gaga and is titled “One World: Together At Home,” or “투게더 앳 홈.” It is an effort to fundraise money for the healthcare providers helping people fight COVID19, as well as to appreciate and give thanks to the hardworking healthcare providers. I thought this concept was spectacular in the midst of this crisis, and was pleasantly surprised that SuperM (슈퍼엠) is joining. It is a Korean boyband that is part of the SM group. The article itself was not difficult to understand except for a few words that I had to look up online. It also included a lot of “Konglish” because of the American content that it was covering. Overall, I am pleased to have continued improving especially upon my Korean speaking as well as reading comprehension. I do, however, believe I need to improve my grammar more.

June Choi

Dr. Soloway

SDLC 113

March 29, 2020

SDLC 113 Cultural Post #3

            With the global pandemic of COVID19, I have observed many different responses by country leaders across the world. Therefore, I thought it would be interesting to research about the healthcare system and health-related social customs of South Korea. South Korea has been appraised as the “model country” with its approach to the pandemic and its successful efforts to containing the pandemic in a timely manner. Upon looking into South Korea’s healthcare policy, I found that South Korea went from private voluntary health insurance to government-mandated universal coverage that is called Korean national health insurance (NHI) in 1989. The system provides everyone with health insurance, although it does give different groups different coverage. The single-payer healthcare system merged all medical societies into the National Health Insurance Service to get rid of inequity in health care financing and financial distress, and this service is funded by contributions, government subsidies, and tobacco surcharges. Overall, Korea has been successful in mobilizing different resources for healthcare, extending coverage across Korean citizens, pooling both public and private resources to buy healthcare for the entire population, and containing healthcare expenditure. The benefit package of Korean health insurance includes free curative services, biannual health check ups, and vaccinations at public health centers. This system also has mandatory enrollment.

            Based on my experience in Korea, it was very easy for me to visit any type of specialized health clinic for my health problems oftentimes the day I wanted to go without a prior appointment. I recently had to go to a health clinic for my biannual check up/physical. Additionally, visits to health clinics were rather affordable compared to those in the US. I found that many Koreans visit physicians for even minor colds, aches, or miscellaneous health dilemmas. Additionally, many Koreans often wear masks whenever there is heavy pollution or dust in the air, as well as when they are even mildly sick. Koreans are generally very precautious and wary about health problems. Concerning the COVID19 pandemic, getting a test in Korea if a physician decides that a patient does not need it costs 160,000 won (a little less than 160 USD). If a physician does think a patient qualifies for testing, then it is paid for by the government. Additionally, one can receive work compensation for time spent in the hospital. Therefore, people in Korea were more likely to get tested quickly. On the other hand, getting tested in the US costs over 3000 USD not due to the actual testing, but for hospitalization and other related bills . Overall, I think that the universal health insurance system as well as the social custom of wearing masks without a second thought have somewhat helped Korea in its successful efforts to contain the COVID19 pandemic swiftly. Below are some links to articles that I found for supporting information. The video linked below also gives a brief overview on the healthcare system in Korea and foreign travelers’ reactions to it.

            I thought that the national health insurance system implemented in Korea shows Korea’s values of free and equal health coverage to all of its citizens. I think that this is a very valuable custom in Korea, as healthcare is something that no one can live without. Overall, I was very impressed with Korea’s healthcare system, and reading about it in Korean helped me to learn more medical terms as well as political terms.

https://blog.naver.com/lskjhc/221808851250

https://blog.naver.com/termpro2000/221832135024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iTNxarFT2c

Regardless of any external obstacles to my language learning experience, such as a pandemic, I have been regularly contacting my language learning tutor Jimin in order to keep progressing. I have recently been watching a very popular K-drama called “Itaewon Class,” and although the first episode made me unsure if I wanted to invest my time into it due to the violence and tragedy, I gave it another shot. Now, I want to watch it at all hours of the day (which I of course can’t). This drama is quite different from many of the stereotypical and predictable K-dramas revolving around love relationships. It stars Park Seo-joon, an actor whom I am very fond of due to his smooth acting. It portrays the tragic but purposeful life of Park Saeroyi after he gets expelled from school and his father is killed in a car accident, all due to the very powerful and affluent Jang family. Park Saeroyi opens up a pub and is relentless in his journey as he tries to throw down the Jang family and become the owner of a successful franchise. He has a rather refreshing and admirable way of thinking and working as the star is very faithful to his friends/coworkers and also cares about dignity and wants to make the most out of his life. I find all of the other characters are rather diverse, as there is a transgender character, an African-American who has a Korean father, and a 20-yr old genius/rebel. I find that this drama helps me learn more about Korean social culture, as it is about the restaurant culture and also revolves around one of the hottest areas in Seoul- Itaewon. Additionally, just hearing the cast speak in Korean helps me to learn and understand new slang, as well as formal speaking from the Jang family. Overall, watching “Itaewon Class” is a very entertaining way for me to improve on my Korean language learning, even in bed.

            Other than watching Korean TV shows, I have also been keeping up with my language learning by visiting the Korean market called HMart in Philadelphia. I know that it is slightly risky in times like these, so I make sure to wear gloves and a mask. Although it is somewhat daunting to wear PPE whenever I go out due to stares from other people, I feel more at ease when I wear it going to HMart, as Asian people already have the custom of wearing masks whenever one is even slightly sick. I visited the Korean market twice in order to get ingredients for Korean dishes that I prepared. I ended up making ddeokbokki (떡볶이), spicy marinated pork (돼지불고기), and marinated beef (불고기). Overall, it was a success! Oh, I also picked up some of my favorite Korean snacks as well. I was able to practice speaking and reading in Korean as all of the products at the store were written in Korean as well as in English. I thought that it was a very useful way of practicing my language learning skills, as it is a skill that I would need if I were ever to stay in Korea.

            Lastly, I have been facetiming Jimin on a weekly basis to discuss my future learning plans and also to do mini grammar lessons.

Due to the surge of COVID19 and also due to spring break, I was unable to meet with my language learning tutor Jimin for our usual weekly tutoring sessions. As the pandemic is very critical especially in South Korea, I find it only appropriate to discuss the situation itself in my language learning journal post. Upon reading several Korean news articles about the pandemic on naver.com, and also by talking to friends and family back in Korea, I began to realize the severe and widespread impact that the coronavirus is inflicting upon people all across the world. In a conversation with my mom, she told me she stood in line for 2 hours in front of a local pharmacy to obtain merely 2 masks, and that Korea is now switching to a system where they distribute masks to people on different days according to the last digit of one’s birth year in order to ration the low supply of masks and also to decrease human contact. Below is a picture that simplifies the distribution schedule. Personally, I think this is a rather efficient and safer method of distributing masks in order to help even out the supply and prevent too many people from gathering in one place. My parents are especially concerned for my safety as I am in a completely different country, and thus I am doing my best to handle the situation as best as I can on my own.

            Based on my research, there have been 8,162 confirmed patients, 16,272 currently being tested, and 75 dead from the coronavirus. Compared to the US, as many Asian countries have a cultural custom of wearing masks even when mildly sick, there are many more people in Korea wearing masks outside. In fact, it is hard to find anyone who isn’t wearing one. This cultural difference is quite shocking, for my parents keep telling me to wear a mask when going anywhere outside, but it is a little daunting for me to do so as people will often stare if I do. IN Korea, most subways are empty, as well as many other commercial places where large amounts of people normally gather, such as shopping malls, popular streets in Seoul, and many more. Below is a standard flier that is circulated throughout Korea to encourage people to increase caution and maintain personal hygiene in order to prevent further spread.

            Finally, Korea’s most critical exam for high school seniors – Suneung – has been delayed for a couple weeks. This is due to the delay of the start of the new school year in Korea. This is most likely very shocking for many high school students who have studied to no end for many months, but it is a measure that has been taken in order to prevent the spread of the virus among students. Overall, this worldwide pandemic is rather alarming and devastating, especially with my last semester of college being pretty much canceled. We can only hope that this all dies down soon, and in the meantime, prepare and isolate ourselves. Attached are some links to the articles that I read.

https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=5926931&cid=43667&categoryId=43667

http://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=4402070&ref=A

https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0103_202003151555582142

Recently, Jimin and I have been exploring many different Korean folk tales to not only share nostalgia about our parents telling us bedtime stories when we were children, but also to look into the stories for their deeper meanings that we didn’t realize before. Korean folk tales serve as an excellent way to learn more about Korean culture through the different values and morals that they highlight. A couple of the ones that we read include The Princess and the Beggar, The Korean Cinderella, The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon, and Heungbu and Nolbu. The Princess and the Beggar is a rather feminist Korean folktale that revolves around a weeping princess who chooses a village beggar as her partner as she refuses to marry based on social status. This forces her to be expelled from her father’s court, and eventually, the beggar becomes rather skilled and educated enough to be welcomed back to court with the princess. The Korean Cinderella is a twist on the original Cinderella story that involves a Korean girl named Pear Blossom is treated as a slave by her stepmother and is forced to complete 3 nearly impossible tasks. With the help of some magical creatures, Pear Blossom is able to complete them and also become a nobleman’s wife. Overall, I thought the theme revolved around karma, and that this version of the Cinderella story was more unexpected and deep in meaning. The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon is the story of a tiger who mistakenly thinks that a dried persimmon is a deadly predator and runs away. It illustrates the dynamics between the strong and the weak, and ends with the moral that even the weakest can win against the strongest by outwitting them. Finally, Heungbu and Nolbu was one of my favorite folktales that Jimin and I read, and it was also the one that I was most familiar with already. This tale was written in the late Joseon Dynasty and is one of the most popular bedtime stories for Korean children. Heungbu and Nolbu are brothers, with Nolbu as the greedy older brother and Heungbu as the kind and empathetic younger brother. They found that their father was to split his fortunate in half for each of them, and Nolbu dramatically threw out Heungbu’s family in an effort to keep the fortune all to himself. Following this, Heungbu remained impoverished until he came upon an injured swallow that he nursed back to its full health, after which swallow gifted Heungbu with seeds that yielded gemstones. Nolbu demanded Heungbu to tell him of his secret, and after Nolbu tried to recreate the fortune himself by breaking a swallow’s leg, Nolbu was showered with misfortune. Overall, this tale emphasizes that good deeds bring wealth and luck. Additionally, it challenges the traditional Korean value that the eldest son is the most important of the family. Overall, I felt that these Korean folktales are a very valuable part of our Korean cultural learning, especially since they are one of the first lessons of Korean values for Korean children. Even though the writing and vocabulary is very elementary, I thought that the deeper meanings behind the stories made them worthwhile for my Korean cultural learning. In the future, I would like to explore more advanced Korean novels that also have Korean values embedded in them.

June Choi

Dr. Soloway

SDLC 113

February 23, 2020

SDLC 113 Cultural Post #2

            As it is my last semester of college, and due to my recent encounter with the new Yeonsei exchange, student, I thought it would be fitting to look deeper into the differences between Korean and American college cultures. In the US, the academic portion of college life involves a lot of essay writing, sports, and other extracurricular activities. Tuition is rather high, especially for private institutions that demand around 60,000 dollars per year if one does not receive scholarships or grants. In Korea, the academic life of a student mainly involves studying for a midterm and a final exam and doesn’t normally involve many daily assignments. Additionally, switching one’s major after entry is rather difficult compared to colleges in the US. Tuition in Korea is also much cheaper than in the US. Regarding the housing culture, in the US, many students live in campus dorms at least for their freshman year. Some opt to live in apartments nearby school for the additional freedom or for financial reasons. In Korea, it is common for students to rent a “one room” rather than live in a dorm, as dormitories are not that common in Korea. I found this to be a very interesting difference, as I feel that the dorm culture in the US shapes a lot of the activities that students can do, as well as the type of relationships that the students form. Due to the dorm-heavy housing in the US, at least based on my experience, I quickly became close to my hallmates in the beginning of the year. It is also very common for US college students to engage in school activities together or hang out in their dorms together due to the proximity of all of the students. On the other hand, as Korean college students mostly live in “one rooms” off-campus, it is common for them to meet up outside of the college boundaries and instead to meet up at nearby restaurant or café. As for fashion culture, in the US it brings no surprise to see students dressed in gym clothes or comfortable attire. Many college students prefer to have a relaxed look instead of dressing up for school. On the contrary, fashion is highly valued in Korean college culture, and thus both male and female students often put more effort into their daily appearances and outfits. Finally, for student activities, college in the US are dominated by Greek culture, or the association with fraternities and sororities. These are where students can feel “included” and make many close friends. There are also many clubs, especially those that support racial and sexual diversity. In contrast, colleges in Korea do not have Greek culture, but they do have clubs. There are “OT’s” (orientation) and “MT’s” (membership training), which are two of the largest events for clubs to get together and build relationships. Finally, due to the hierarchical aspect of Korean culture, it is common for underclassmen to be cautious around and very respectful towards upperclassmen. I found this aspect of Korean college culture to be very bizarre and hard to understand as college students normally only have a maximum of 3 years in age difference. Additionally, I thought that the “MT” and “OT” culture seemed like a lot of fun and wish that there were large events like that in US colleges. Personally, I think I like the dorm culture in the US better because it reduces a lot of stress concerning finding affordable housing in time for the school year, and it also eliminates a lot of worry about safety and makes meeting friends at any time of the day much more achievable. I found that watching some youtube videos on college life in Korea to be very enlightening and entertaining as it was a direct and raw look into one’s life as a Korean college student. I think studying abroad or even just living in Korea for an extended period of time would definitely help my language and cultural learning. However, I’m not sure if I’m ready for that just yet. Below is a link to some of the Korean college student youtubers that I watched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReQGOf8Sg34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Wt0NjlcBE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxAsMVT0Pc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuJEkryWUK4

SDLC 113 Language Learning Journal Post #3

            Over the past two weeks, Jimin and I have been working on a lot of reading comprehension and writing skills. This includes reading recent news articles aloud and writing down vocabulary terms that I am unfamiliar with, along with multiple choice questions from Korea’s infamous college entrance exam- Suneung (수능). I somewhat dread but simultaneously anticipate these exercises drawn from practice exams for the Korean college entrance exam as they are extremely challenging to me and also rather long. However, I feel like this challenge is good for my language learning as it helps me to improve my Korean reading comprehension and problem-solving skills faster. We even tried timing myself, and though I didn’t perform as well as I could have if I wasn’t timed, I thought it was beneficial to have that extra pressure and mimic the experience that true Korean high school students go through. As I am currently studying for the GRE’s and even find the reading comprehension portion of that exam difficult, I can’t imagine trying to score well on the Suneung’s reading comprehension portion. I hope to try out the math section as well just for “fun.” As Koreans are stereotypically known to excel in mathematics, I expect myself to not score too well, but it never hurts to try. The website that we have been using is linked down below for those who are brave enough to try it out!

            Additionally, Jimin and I went over more vocabulary (especially slang) and idioms. It was fun to work on my slang as I have always struggled with keeping up with the latest sayings, and I think it will come in very useful when I’m talking to my Korean friends both here and back in Korea. I find it rather awkward texting in Korean, and thus I hope that my recent addition of slang and other vocabulary will help me text more naturally. Finally, I was thrilled to learn that the Korean movie “Parasite” recently won 4 Oscars and made Oscar history. It was kind of a weird but good feeling to feel extremely proud over the publicity and success that the Korean movie has achieved. In celebration, I had to rewatch the movie on itunes with my friend, and it was a good cultural experience as I was able to pick up on some new parts of the movie that I hadn’t the first time. For example, I was able to understand what some of the sayings that the actors said meant more deeply. I hope that Korea is able to gain more respect worldwide through films, as I believe that they are an easy way to approach different parts of the world. Attached is a news article that I read about the awards and the excitement buzzing throughout Korea following the ceremony.

            Lastly, I have been keeping up with my Korean language learning by making sure to facetime my family at least once a week. I find that even talking to them for an hour refreshes my speaking skills without it feeling like a school assignment. I also recently played a Korean game called “007” with a group of friends, and it came to me naturally to speak in Korean with them.

            In the next few weeks, I hope to further advance my Korean language and cultural learning by hopefully visitng New Grandmart, playing more Korean games, and reading Korean childhood folktalks.

http://www.kice.re.kr/boardCnts/list.do?boardID=1500234&m=0403&s=suneung&searchStr=

http://www.sportsseoul.com/news/read/884348

During the second week of lessons, Jimin and I met up at our usual spot. She had me read a news article on Naver.com about the recent Corona virus outbreak, and I thought that it was a great choice as the currency and relevancy were high. It was relatively easy to comprehend despite being a news article, but there were a few terms that I was unfamiliar with. I read it aloud to practice my Korean speaking as well. Whenever I came across a term that I didn’t know of, I asked Jimin for help in order to fully understand the article. It reported the rising alarm from the virus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China. I was quite familiar with the outbreak itself, as was my family in Korea. I recall my mom telling me to buy face masks to protect myself…Overall, I was pleased to find that I could read and understand the news article quite well. In our future lessons, I hope to read some more challenging news articles to improve my reading comprehension skills, as well as my speaking skills.

            Following the news article, Jimin and I watched a popular Korean drama that is currently airing and is available on Netflix. I was surprised to see how many Korean dramas are available on Netflix now, and I think it is very beneficial to my language and cultural learning as I can have easy access at any time to Korean dramas of different genres and backgrounds. The one we watched was “사랑의 불시착,” and it stars two very famous actors/actresses named Hyunbin and Son Ye-Jin. It is basically about a rich South Korean business woman/heiress who tragically lands in the lands of North Korea, where she meets the highly-ranked North Korean military officer Hyunbin. They become star-crossed lovers as Hyunbin tries to get Son Ye-Jin back to her country. It was fun watching Episode 7 with Jimin and being absorbed in the unrealistic story line. At times, it was difficult to understand the language as there was a lot of North Korean dialect, but Jimin would always help me out with that part. I found it to be an easy way of exposing myself to North Korean and South Korean culture, as well as the film style that is catered to a Korean audience. I found that it was very different compared to dramas in the US, as I think that the story line and acting is even more dramatized in Korean dramas. There certainly is a huge emphasis on wealthy heirs and heiresses, as well as on star-crossed lovers in Korean films. We kept Korean subtitles on throughout the episode, and this helped me to catch any phrases that I wasn’t able to keep up with. Overall, it was an entertaining way to end the lesson. I hope to watch more of the drama with Jimin, as well as explore other forms of media during our lessons.

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