Korean media has continued to be the medium for my learning, and my language partner and I have delved into various shows these past weeks. Like I stated on my previous language journal, we have omitted many shows/movies as they don't seem particularly helpful in terms of language, and rather focused on the ones that do, such as: reality shows (real-life conversation and grammar), historic shows (information on past grammar/vocabulary), and genre-focused shows (such as revolving around hospitals or detectives, niche jargon used).
One of the shows that my partner and I have watched is Physical 100: 2, the second season of a show where a hundred contestants compete against each other in physical activities, with one ultimate winner. The show itself is not short - 9 episodes ranging ~70 minutes each, and not only is it exciting to watch these contestants compete with one another, it is actually quite interesting to watch as a medium for learning as well. There is no outside narrator - the show focuses on the competitors, and we can hear their discussions as well as their thoughts/opinions. This meant I could often hear vocabulary that I had not encountered before - words related to physical activities. For example, I had not known the term for cardio/aerobic exercise, which is 유산소, or the term for pull-up (I thought it was a loan word and therefore also "pullup" in Korean) 턱걸이. It was also fun to see many recognizable celebrities on the show who were also competing.
My partner and I have also watched other new shows as well (more so on our own times), such as Queen of tears. Overall, watching these shows not only provides a meaningful exercise in comprehension, but also an entertaining way to learn and improve my Korean understanding.
Comments
It's fantastic to hear about your immersive approach to learning Korean through media, particularly your strategic selection of shows that align with your language learning goals. Your decision to focus on reality, historical, and genre-specific shows demonstrates a thoughtful approach to maximizing language acquisition opportunities.
Physical 100 is a great show that I also watched. I was able to realize that there were many fitness terminology that I didn't know or know that existed. Some of these words are great to know as someone who is interested in fitness and sports!
Personally, I've never even heard of this show up until now and makes me think just how much varied content is available in these Korean shows. I feel like Korean shows are much more emphasized on the "game show" type and seeing that they implemented this in a physical competition is intriguing