Bi-Weekly Post #2

[Hyeon Jun Jo]

These past two weeks, we have focussed on one of the popular Korean legend and the creation of the national holiday (삼일절). We read articles and comics to learn about the details of the folk tale and the national holiday. We also examined some documentaries to see some artifacts of the history behind the creation of the national holiday. This holiday means so much to Koreans as it is the first national march against the Japanese when Korea was under the control of Japan. Many people have sacrificed to bring freedom to Korea and they are still honored today in Korea. This holiday represents freedom and unity in Korea. We did a lot of reading and vocabulary exercises, but the most important aspect from the past two weeks is the cultural knowledge within this national holiday. I would have never thought of learning Korean history, but it is in fact very interesting and to see that it has such a big influence in Korea today brings me back to my roots. I'm starting to appreciate history and to see the reason behind how Korea came to have its culture today is beyond just a language lesson for me.