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Korean culture festivals and events are becoming increasingly popular worldwide and in Korea. These festivals and events offer experiences related to Korean music, food, fashion, and more.

For music festivals, there are big concerts that promote each genre. The most well-known festivals include K-rap, K-pop, and Korean trot. Since the release of the show "Show Me the Money," K-hip hop has become very popular within the Korean community. Due to this, there are multiple joint events like Hip Hop Playa and Water Bomb. When I studied in Korea, I had the chance to go to the Hip Hop Playa festival. It was amazing to see all the famous rappers perform over two days. They also provided a lot of traditional Korean foods to enjoy while picnicking during the festival.

For K-pop, there are numerous concerts and festivals not only in Korea but also in America. The most well-known festivals are KCONLA, SEOUL FESTA, Dream Concert, and K-PLAY. As K-pop is growing internationally, K-pop groups also do many world tours, giving international fans a chance to watch them perform live. K-pop groups have also been invited to huge festivals in America. It is now common to see groups like Black Pink and Le Sserafim perform at Coachella.

Korean trot has gone viral in Korea due to a show called Mr. Trot. Since then, a show called National Trot Festival started airing in 2020. For those unfamiliar with trot, it is a genre in Korea known for its repetitive rhythm and vocal inflections.

Another popular Korean culture festival is the Korean food stand festival. The most well-known Korean food festivals include KoreaFest, K-Food Fair, and the LA Korean Festival. Although these Korean food festivals are held all over the United States, they are most common in Korean-populated states like California, New York, and New Jersey.

For fashion, Seoul Fashion Week is the biggest fashion event that happens every year. Because Koreans are highly into fashion, this is a week where all celebrities and influencers come to see the seasonal fashion.

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Zoom recording will be emailed to the professor. 

              During the last few weeks, I have combined reliable, go-to learning strategies and new learning experiments that have been both engaging and effective.

              I have continued with my regular scheduled meetings with my language partner once or twice a week. Our format of mixing casual Korean conversation with structured note taking has been very beneficial. I am able to practice my Korean conversation skills with my partner during meetings, and then later able to review notes throughout the week so as not to forget newly acquired vocabulary and phrases. We have practiced discussed common everyday topics such as food or family that I am certain to run into in any conversation. I am hoping that these weekly conversations will help me be more comfortable speaking in Korean with my Korean speaking friends. I believe that Korean conversations are already slightly less difficult for me, although my speaking fluency remains far from my goal.

              Recently my partner and I started incorporating YouTube videos into our learning. Recently, I watched Sponge Bob dubbed in Korean, which proved to be a surprisingly useful tool. Unlike more complex dramas or movies, SpongeBob uses simple, everyday language in a shorter format that makes the learning process more entertaining and enjoyable.

              I also had the opportunity to travel to Northern Virginia on a cultural day trip with other students of the SDLC program. It was very interesting to experience authentic Korean culture in a majority Korean area, just minutes away from Washington DC. Stores and restaurants in many cases seemed straight out of Korea.

The first thing I wanted to note was when watching David Harrison’s interview on his book “When Languages Die” I thought it was really interesting when he was interviewing Chulym speakers because it seems that in the modern day the language has been preserved. There’s a band called Otyken, a Russian indigenous band which sings partly in Chulym, and in general celebrates their roots. So in this case it seems like a dying language (as seen in the interview) has been brought back to health. So languages can go extinct when the last speaker dies, but through digitalization and general documentation we can preserve a language. In the New York Times article Siletz is a native language that is on the verge of extinction and is being documented digitally so that if the language dies it can be resurrected by future generations. In order to preserve a language it's a complex process because there needs to be oral and literary documentation of the language, along with a documented system of translation. It seems incredibly important to preserve a language because the languages on our planet are cultural products that take hundreds and thousands of years to develop. Even if we have the language documented we can’t truly resurrect the meaning behind some of the words because the future generations learning the language will interpret the language through their own mother tongue.

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. 

Continuing on the theme of movies, me and my partner watched the popular Korean movie 아저씨 (The Man from Nowhere) which released in 2010. The movie was very popular in Korea as it was the highest grossing movie in the country in 2010. The movie starred 김도진 (AKA 원빈/Wonbin) a very popular actor in Korea despite starring in only 5 films.

The film follows Cha Tae-sik, a very isolated and quiet pawnshop owner with a mysterious past, who forms an unlikely bond with his neighbor So-mi, a very young girl. When So-mi's mother steals drugs from a ruthless drug trafficking organization/gang, they become targets. So-mi is then kidnapped while her mother is brutally killed, prompting Cha Tae-sik to unleash his deadly skills as a former covert operative to rescue her. As he delves deeper into the criminal underworld, he uncovers shocking truths about his own past and the extent of the corruption around him. The film is a gripping tale of redemption, revenge, and the power of human connection in the face of adversity. With intense action sequences, compelling characters, and emotional depth it’s very similar to a John Wick movie but with a much more sinister tone and larger character development.

Despite being “just an action movie”, the movie actually highlights an issue in Korea that is not very well recognized as it’s very dark and covered by many other daily issues. This issue is organ trafficking. When the gang killed So-mi’s mother they took out her organs for illegal selling since selling them can generate a huge sum of money. They also kidnapped So-mi in order to use her and other kids like her (“unwanted” orphans) to make and deliver their drugs. As kids, no one, including themselves, would suspect that they would be doing such things under the guise of an innocent delivery person. 

Very briefly, organ trafficking in South Korea is actually increasing annually since the demand for organs is so high. Organ donations are significantly lower compared to other developed countries in the Western world. In 2011, there were 20,000 patients waiting for organs but only 2500 were made throughout the year. This attracts gangs like the one depicted in the movie to exploit this and harvest organs illegally and sell them to hospitals and other organizations while they’re disguised as innocent donations.

Despite being a wonderful country, the movie overall just shows the darker side of what is going underneath. It highlights some major issues that many people do not know about and sheds light on their severity. But it also shows that these can be overcome through consistent willpower and determination.

Lately, Jason and I have been focusing more on common phrases and sentence endings/modifiers that I don’t use often in my speaking. This is to widen my breadth of communication skills, especially since much of my Korean is limited to the speech of my parents, family members, and members of my local community. Looking into the nuances has been tricky at times, as, naturally, there are certain verbs that only work with specific nouns, or certain sentence endings that have highly specific use cases that I am still adjusting to. Each meeting, we typically dive into about three to four phrases/sentence endings and then continue to create example sentences from these. Jason gives feedback and modifies these accordingly, making sure to record these sentences for my review. I hope to continue to grow this list, while naturally picking up new vocabulary vis-a-vis Jason’s colloquialisms as well as many academic terms that I am asking about, as, naturally, academics is what would be a major part of my speech when speaking in Korean. Because of this, we have continued to, since the beginning of the semester, expand my self-introduction to encompass more of my studies and describe what I am learning as a cognitive science student as most of the discipline-specific lexicon was foreign to me. 

Beyond self-introductions, we have been exploring more cultural nuances that I simply have not been exposed to as a Korean-American. For instance, certain ways to address a taxi driver are vital for a respectful and polite interaction, so, subsequently, we have been creating scenarios to practice with. Specific phrases to ask for directions, giving commands, and even how to use Korea’s various transit systems are new to me, and Jason has done a terrific job of explaining these cultural concepts lucidly. Adjacent to learning the jargon for Korea’s transit system, we have also been exploring several technology terms, as, given most of my Korean knowledge comes from being a heritage speaker, several terms I’ve used are outdated––even as far as more rudimentary translations such as the Korean word for electrical outlets. Being exposed to technological words has also had the benefit of revisiting several hanja root words that are commonly found, which is always a nice benefit since these are the building blocks of Korean. 

In terms of my emotions, I am feeling a bit nervous as my study abroad to Korea is soon approaching, and this has given rise to wishing I had immersed myself in Korean even further. Although there is nothing to be done about this, Jason and I have agreed to have complete 100% Korean interactions even outside the classroom which has helped me retain a “Korean way of thinking” at UR. However, I also unequivocally believe that my Korean has tremendously improved since the start of the year, so this has been nice to see––dormant things have since awakened, my conversations are much more complex, and descriptions are much richer and felicitous.

This past month, my language partner and I continued to delve into business articles, focused on writing and grammar, and learned about the culture of Korean company dinners. 

I read an article about value invest marketing (가치 투자 마케팅) and its relevance in contemporary marketing strategies. I knew what 투자 (invest) meant in Korean before hand, but it was my first time hearing 가치 투자 마케팅. I learned about how it is commonly used in business context to discuss investment decisions that prioritize long-term value in terms of marketing. Another word that I thought was relevant that I learned was 조각 투자 which means fractional investment of an asset rather than purchasing it outright. Encountering these advanced business terms in the text provided me with valuable exposure to specialized vocabulary used in Korean business contexts, helping me expand my language skills and understanding of business-related topics.

We also did one week of focusing on writing and grammar skills using the Yonsei University’s Korean writing textbook. I had to do a writing sample after “interviewing” my language partner about her experience studying abroad. I asked her questions about why she decided to study abroad in Korea, how her experience was there, what it was like to listen to lectures in Korean, and etc. Afterwards, my language partner corrected my grammar and I created a before and after table of the things that I got wrong in terms of grammar, vocabulary, expressions, and others. My most common mistake was using gerunds, so I had to adjust phrases like 준비하는 (preparing) into 준비하기 위한 (for preparing) indicating the purpose of the action. I also had to refine a lot of sentence structure for better cohesion because my writing style would be more speaking tone than the proper writing tone. For example, I would say 아까 전에 말했지만 (as I mentioned earlier)  but the proper way to write it would be 위에서 언급했듯이 (as mentioned above), which is more of a formal and proper way. I also had to adjust comparative expressions by adding “not very many” insead of using “none” and using 비하면 to mean “compared to” instead of “than.” This helped me realize which aspects I had the most difficulty with in terms of writing and it taught me a lot about which areas I should focus on and how to improve them in my writing samples. 

On top of learning about the business world in Korea, we also added a new focus of the tradition of 회식. 회식 is known as company dinners (typically held at korean bbq restaurants), which is an integral part of Korean working culture as it serves as a platform for team bonding, networking, and informal communication. There are many social rules that employees should socially follow and my language partner taught me the do’s and don’ts along with common phrases and words that are used in these settings. One of the key social rules of 회식 is the emphasis on group harmony and hierarchy, with junior staff members expected to defer to their seniors and demonstrate respect. Like I learned last month with regards to hierarchy positions, it’s important that those who are in the lower ranking such as 사원 (staff, clerk, member, analyst) or 주임 (associates) receive drinks from their higher-ups as refusing a drink could be considered impolite.  Next month, my language partner and I will continue reading business related articles about marketing or analytics, learn about the changing entertainment industry in Korea, and do more grammar practices using the Yonsei textbook. 

This month, we went on a cultural trip with a few of the SDLAP members to NOVA, where more Korean stores, restaurants, and activities can be found. During this trip, we tried to recreate what a normal hangout in Korea would be like. We had Korean food, Korean desserts, visited a Korean bakery, and also did karaoke, which is a very common activity in Korea.

Our first stop was a boba shop. Boba (bubble tea) originates from Taiwan but is not widely spread internationally. In Korea, there are multiple famous boba shops such as Gongcha, The Alley, and Amasvin. Gong Cha is definitely the most popular with unique flavors. They have also expanded their chains here in America. Recently, they released a product of spicy rice cakes (tteokbokki) made with bubbles as a joke for April Fools' Day.

Our second stop was karaoke, which was connected to a cafe. Unlike karaoke in Korea, most karaoke places here are connected to a cafe or a restaurant, or they are open to the public. Additionally, the prices of karaoke in America are much more expensive than in Korea.

Our third stop was a Korean bakery. Korea is well known for its bakeries, as bakeries and cafes are popular hangout spots. Hanging out at these cafes is a big part of Korean culture, especially on a day off. Korean bakeries also use a lot of unique ingredients that are hard to find in American bakeries. A very popular ingredient incorporated into bread is red bean paste.

The fourth stop of our cultural trip was a KBBQ restaurant. KBBQ is the most popular Korean dish in America, so we had to experience a place where we cooked the meat ourselves. This place was an all-you-can-eat restaurant that provided a variety of meats, including pork, beef, and intestines. They also provided popular side dishes like kimchi, steamed eggs, hot soup, and potato salad.

After KBBQ, we also had shaved ice, which is a very common dessert in Korea. Shaved ice comes in various flavors such as mango, strawberry, red bean, and ingulmi (bean powder).

Our final destination was H-mart, one of the most famous Korean grocery stores in America. Among Koreans, H-mart is the most accessible and best Korean grocery store with the most authentic Korean products. They have a lot of frozen foods as well as fresh produce and meat that are hard to find in other international markets.

During my personal time this month, I have been reading a lot of articles and watching a lot of Korean YouTube videos. The topics vary from business to current events happening in Korea. Naver news articles are definitely my go-to resource for following up on the main events happening in Korea. YouTube is also my favorite resource for trending topics, slang, and events.

Dating shows have been a big deal in Korea, with the most popular ones being “Heart Signal,” “Exchange,” and “Single’s Inferno.” These shows have gained immense popularity both in South Korea and internationally. Each show has different themes and concepts to set themselves apart from competitors. Out of the three, I am a huge fan of “Exchange” and “Single’s Inferno.”

“Exchange” has the most unique theme, in my opinion, where ex-couples come on the show to go on dates with each other. The information about who the exes are is disclosed, which makes the show more interesting. One couple that dated for 6 years became really famous after the show. For the first time, a new couple was created, which I believe is still together to this day. “Exchange” part 2 is currently airing on Apple TV and is getting a lot of attention in Korea as well as in foreign countries. Some streamers in Korea are even becoming famous by creating reactionary videos of the show.

“Single’s Inferno” features attractive singles going to an island to survive and play games to earn a night off the island for a date. This show is very similar to the American show called “Bachelor in Paradise.” I watched a few episodes with one of my students, Chasey, and she pointed out some major cultural differences. Because Korea is more conservative, she found the interactions to be very awkward. While people on "Bachelor in Paradise" casually have more sexual interactions, Koreans mainly focus on their conversations and earning tickets for a date. It is very rare for these Koreans to physically interact with one another. Another difference is the outfits that the cast brings to the show. The level of scandal is very different in America and in Korea. People on "Bachelor in Paradise" usually only wear swimsuits and bikinis, while in Korea, they still wear revealing clothes but remain fully clothed. There was a lot of backlash when a Korean girl brought a scandalous pajama to the show. It seems to be a harsher setting for Koreans to be on these shows because they have to care a lot more about public judgment. While being flirty with each other, the cast still have to be conservative and cautious with their actions and appearances.

Overall, people on these shows tend to appear to increase their fame. Typically, if a person receives positive reviews, they become social media famous with a lot of sponsorships. A unique case was a guy named Dex, who is now a celebrity for his humor and attractive looks. These Korean dating shows are great examples of cultural differences and dating styles in Korea.

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During this month I have been highly interested in Korean dishes and cooking. It required me to find all the ingredients that are commonly used in Korean dishes. I looked into dishes that were more traditional or consumed on a daily basis. Some exemplary dishes that I cooked were 된장찌개, 마라탕, 미역국, 칼국수, 수제비, 떡국. 된장찌개, soy bean paste soup, is a very popular and common dish that is served with rice. It is also easily seen at KBBQ restaurants as a side dish. 마라탕 (malatang) is a distinctive dish with Chinese paste in the soup. This dish has been a huge trend in Korean cuisine, a Chinese paste used for dry pot and hot soup pots. 미역국 is a seaweed soup that is typically served on birthdays. The one I made included small bits of beef. 칼국수 and 수제비 are very similar but made with different types of noodles. 칼국수 is made with regular flour or potato noodles that are typically thick and doughy. 수제비 is flatten noodles made with either flour or potato. The flour or potato are rolled out in sheets then ripped apart by hand, giving irregular textures. Finally, 떡국 is a rice cake soup that is consumed typically on the Korean lunar new year. I made this for my friends on that holiday with rice cake, dumplings, eggs, green onions, and seaweed. 

This month, Isaac and I focused on 한자 (Hanja) which refers to Chinese characters that are used in the Korean language. Hanja influences various aspects of Korean culture such as language, literature, and education. I wanted to focus on Hanja because I remember it is one of the first things I learned during Kumon when I was a kid. Also, my father would always emphasize the importance of knowing Hanja growing up. He believed it was crucial in learning Korean.

Hanja started in the ancient times when the Korean peninsula was heavily influenced by Chinese culture and civilization. This influence and integration of the Chinese writing system happened during the 2nd century BC. It continued for centuries during the Goryeo dynasty and the Joseon dynasty until the 15th century when Hangul (the Korean alphabet) was created. But even after the creation of Hangul, Hanja is still considered for understanding and knowing the meaning and origins of certain Korean words. Even on the Korean dictionaries, we can see the reference materials on Hanja for the meaning and etymology of Korean words. Hanja also applies for personal names where certain words and characters are chosen for their meaning or auspiciousness.

Isaac helped me discover a lot of these Hanja characters and terms that are commonly used in daily conversations. Since we went over these during our meetings, I started noticing a lot more of them when I interacted with my partners and my Korean friends. 

Korean Lunar New Year, or Seollal, is a significant holiday in Korea, typically celebrated in late January or early February according to the lunar calendar. It's a time to honor ancestors, gather with family, and wish for a prosperous year ahead. 

During Seollal, one important tradition is Charye, where families offer food and drink to their ancestors as a sign of gratitude. This practice is meant to ensure the ancestors' blessings for the family's well-being. However, I believe that this depends on each individual family's tradition because some families are against this tradition due to religious values.

Another key tradition is Sebae, where younger family members bow to their elders to show respect. In return, elders bless them with prosperity and often give them money. This money that is given in an envelope is called “Sebaetdon” where Sebae is bowing and “don” is money. The style of bowing varies depending on gender, with different forms for men and women.

Food is a very big aspect of the Korean Lunar New Year. Some dishes that are typically consumed during this holiday are tteokguk, jeon, and galbi. Tteokguk is a beef bone broth soup with bits of beef, flat rice cakes, egg, and seaweed. To elevate the dish, some families put dumplings that were made the night before into the dish. Eating tteokguk during the Korean Lunar New Year is said to bring good luck and symbolizes growing another year older. Jeon are pancakes made with a variety of ingredients. The most popular kinds are thinly sliced beef, sausage, fish, assorted vegetables, and zucchini. Finally, galbi are marinated beef short ribs that are typically prepared overnight. All of these dishes require a lot of preparation and time. There continues to be problems with this preparation as women in the family are known to prepare everything. 

In addition to Charye, Sebae, and traditional foods, Seollal is also marked by various cultural activities and performances. Many people wear hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, during Seollal to participate in these activities and to honor their heritage. For activities, the most common game we play is called 윳놀이 (Yunnori). Yunnori is played with four sticks that act as a dice and you move four tokens that are called 말 (horse). These sticks have one side that is flat and the other side is rounded. When it is your turn, you throw the sticks in the air (like a dice) and see how many land with the flat side facing up. There are five moves you could get. The first is “do” (meaning pig) where only one is flat, advancing one spot on the board. Second is “gae” (meaning dog) where two sides are facing flat, advancing two spots on the board. Third is “geol” (meaning sheep) where three sticks are facing flat, advancing three spots on the board. Fourth is called “yut” (meaning cow) where all four are landed with the flat side facing up. Finally, the last is “mo” (meaning horse) where all sicks landed with the round side facing up. You get into two teams and whichever team’s 말s complete the finish line first wins. 

Overall, Seollal is a time for family, tradition, and respect, with rituals like Charye and Sebae symbolizing these values.

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