Korean culture
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The Tale of Chunhyang
I didn’t have too much time for studying Korean this weekend, but I did manage to read the final chapter of my Integrated Korean Adv. 2 textbook, and this chapter happened to be the story of Chunhyang (춘향전). I’m not too familiar with Korean folk tales except those that have been included in previous textbook…
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Cute Korean
While it may certainly be argued that the Korean language may sound cute just on its own, there are several ways to make your Korean sound even cuter. Many Koreans, especially young Korean girls, like to add a little aegyo 애교 (special Korean type of cuteness) to their speech when they want to sound cute,…
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Are you eating well?
밥은 잘 먹고 있어요? Are you eating well? These words just flew out of my mouth when my language partner called me up yesterday around midnight Seoul time and told me how stressed he was because of his midterm exams and endless applications for summer internships. Without knowing it, I instantly went into complete noona-mode and started…
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Happy Black Day
Today is April 14, also called Black Day or 블랙데이 in Korean. Those familiar with Korean popular culture will know that the 14th of every month is some kind of “couples day”. In the west, we are mostly familiar with Valentine’s day on February 14 but Koreans have taken it a step further by introducing all the…
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Korean election day
Today is general election day in Korea and also a national holiday so everyone will have a chance to cast their vote. This is not the presidential election, which will take place next year. Today, on the other hand, is the day when Koreans decide who to put in the national assembly. In the spirit of this…
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How I improved my Korean writing
누가 도와준 거예요?! “Who helped you write this?!” Those were the words greeting me as I picked up the phone when my LP called to give me feedback on an essay I had sent to him. 제가 알아서 썼거든요!!”No one, I wrote this alone!!” I exclaimed, not knowing whether I should feel offended at his accusation that I would “cheat”…
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Korean “self-respect”?
All Korean learners should be well aware of the many different levels of formality in the Korean language. There’s a big difference in how you say things depending on who you speak to or who you speak about. In fact, I have previously written a whole blog post about this particular Korean concept called 앞존법. In…
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Meet one of my Korean friends
Since yesterday was the internationally proclaimed “Blue Monday” meaning the most depressing day of the year, I think we could all use a heartwarming story about happiness. On that note I’d like to introduce you to one of my Korean friends. Last summer I had the pleasure of meeting an awesome Korean guy for the…
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Seoul subway self-esteem
I’ve now been in Korea for 10 days and even the smallest thing like taking the subway can be a cultural experience. While I usually consider myself to be on the prettier side of the average (not counting waking up with panda eyes and witch hair) I can be sure to second-guess myself and my appearance…
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Korean seconds and firsts
This time is my second time in Seoul and I’ve already been here for almost a full week (meaning only one week left *sobs*) and I absolutely love it. It feels so great to visit well-known places like Gwanghwamun and Kyobo Bookstore for the second time, and compared to last year there are so many things that…
Sofie to Korea 