For these past two weeks, I focused on learning Korea’s history through series of documentaries, dramas, and non-fictional movies. The film Taxi Driver taught me about the Gwangju Uprising that took place in response to a military coup d’etat led by general Chun Doo-hwan. The movie depicted the massacre of Korean citizens, unethical oppression of the press, and the protests held by locals of Gwangju. After watching this movie, I was extremely proud to have been born in a country that stood against and overcame dictatorship.
The usage of Hangul in the movie was relatively simple. Since this story is told from the perspective of students, small business owners, and low-wage taxi drivers, the language is simple and more conversational. One minor issue while watching was the usage of slang back in 1980. However, I was able to decipher the meaning of the slang through context clues. Since this is a relatively recent historical event, Hangul’s structure, grammar, and vocabulary are not very different from the Hangul that many Koreans use today.
I am currently watching My Country: The New Age, a Netflix original that depicts life in an pre-unified Korea. The main character, Hwi, is a low-class fighter who is involved in a political battle between the King and one of the princes. His main foe, a nobleman who sent Hwi to a long and pointless war, manipulates political officials behind the scenes to obtain political power. The characters in this drama speak a mix of ancient and modern Hangul. The vocabulary in this drama is more difficult to understand that that in A Taxi Driver because it uses words to describe specific government bureaus, departments, and policies. However, I am accustomed to this particular Hangul style because I’ve been watching this drama consistently. I don’t have to write anything down or memorize sentences. I just constantly hear characters using certain words in a sentence. I think I’ve come to a point where I can utilize these words in writing and conversation.
I think watching television is a different method of learning in that it’s quicker and more efficient. However, I would not be able to watch this much and learn as quickly if I didn’t have the fundamental language skills that I’ve perfected in the last two years. I enjoy being flexible in the way that I learn because I can prevent burnouts from studying. After two years of studying Korean intensively, I’m starting to understand the importance of learning from my experiences and environment. While memorizing words and grammar rules from a textbook is effective, it is not as quick and impactful as growing from previous failures of applying language in real life.
Comments
I actually watched the film Taxi Driver last year! I really like Korean films that have to do with Korean history, as they are both entertaining but also informing. It made me want to watch even more Korean historical films, and so hopefully as I'm in Korea right now I'll be able to see some in theaters! I've never seen "My Country: The New Age" but based on your review it sounds pretty interesting. I also agree with your view on watching Korean TV as a quicker and more efficient way of learning, as I feel like by listening and watching Korean TV helps me to almost mindlessly learn and absorb new info.