[Hello Hangeul] Cultural emphasis on age reflected in Korean language

For non-native speakers of the Korean language, even the simple question "Have you eaten?" can be tricky. It is because of the complexity of having to choose different speech levels and honorifics depending on the person being addressed, resulting in distinctly different expressions like “bap meogeosseo (밥 먹었어?)” and “jinji deusyeosseoyo (진지 드셨어요)?” Sanjeev Kumar, who has an M.A. in Buddhist studies from Dongguk University in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Provinc

Sept. 10, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Promoting 'pure Korean' in the online era through names

South Korean organizations are attempting to bring back “pure Korean,” or “soonwoorimal” -- purely Korean words or Hangeul terms not based on Hanja (Chinese characters) or other languages. Pure Korean has been swiftly forgotten due to the rise of the internet, which has led to faster adoption of slang and abbreviations and accelerated the erosion of the Korean language, several experts claim. Against this tide, a local civic group that has been promoting the Korean langua

Aug. 27, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] ‘Job opportunities key to keeping Korean language in demand’

Korean will continue to be a popular choice for language learners around the world if it leads to ample job opportunities, said a professor and two lecturers at Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany. “There exists a ‘language hierarchy’ where learners prioritize learning languages that offer economic advantages. In other words, if an environment is created where Korean language learners can obtain economic benefits through their Korean proficiency, it will sustain a continuous inte

Aug. 24, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] 'Korean language programs thriving, but impact analysis missing'

The Korean government is responding fairly well to the growing global demand of Korean language education, through its expansive network of King Sejong Institute branches and sending out instructors. But given that these efforts are funded by Korean taxpayers’ money, the country should maintain a comprehensive oversight of their outcomes, such as tracking the career trajectories of learners after completing their Korean language education, said National University of Singapore professor Ch

Aug. 22, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] TOPIK should be revised to reflect real-life performance

In the US, the focus of foreign language learning is laid on enabling students to actually speak, understand and perform different tasks in the target language. Under the guidelines of ACTFL, an organization of language education professionals that provides testing for the US government, learners are tested on such real-life language skills. South Korea’s state-run Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), on the other hand, has often been criticized for measuring students' memorization

Aug. 22, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] ‘Cultural education should not be just about promoting Korea’

Education about Korean culture should go beyond merely presenting Korea's proud cultural heritage. It should be a two-way communication, beginning with addressing what foreigners are most curious about, said Lee Eun-jeung, director of the Institute of Korean Studies at the Free University of Berlin. In an e-mail interview with The Korea Herald, the professor said that if the education on Korean culture is carried out solely with the intention of showcasing what Koreans want to present t

Aug. 20, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] 'Teacher shortage most pressing issue for continued Korean boom'

Lee Ho-young, a linguistics professor at Seoul National University, says the most pressing issue in the field of Korean language education overseas is the shortage of teaching staff. In an email interview with The Korea Herald, he pointed to the ongoing government-funded projects to cultivate domestically trained lecturers of Korean language, although he said their effectiveness remained to be seen. He echoed many lecturers and scholars who have shared with the Herald earlier that from Latin A

Aug. 19, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] 'Korea is squandering opportunities of Hallyu'

Ross King, a professor of Korean linguistics who has headed the department of Asian studies at the University of British Columbia since 2008, said overseas Korean studies and Korean language education will never be able to match the scale and influence of Chinese or Japanese studies without serious, sustained investment from Korea. By Korea, he meant not just the Korean government, which currently covers nearly all funding, which he sees as problematic, King said in an email interview with The

Aug. 18, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] 'Best way to promote Korean language is not through textbooks'

As a sociologist, professor Sam Richards at Pennsylvania State University has been following Korea’s ascent, before the Korean Wave came crashing onto the US shores like a tsunami, bringing with it groundbreaking successes like BTS, “Squid Game” and “Parasite.” In an email interview with The Korea Herald, the professor shared some insights on how to keep the Korean language in demand and the Hallyu-driven momentum alive. Having a perspective from outside the realm

Aug. 18, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Harvard students immerse in Korean culture through summer program

Mariela Rodriguez Aguilar studied Korean mostly on her own for three years since high school in South Carolina. But she learned much more Korean in the last two months she spent in Seoul. She is here with 14 other students of Harvard University for a summer program at Ewha Womans University. “The opportunity to be surrounded by Koreans and getting to speak Korean everyday has been really helpful. I’ve learned so much,” Mariela told The Korea Herald on Wednesday. The linguistics

Aug. 10, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Korean alphabet as art

Whenever feeling down in her studies, Gulperi Kucukkaraca would wield her pen and craft her favorite Korean word in cursive on a white sheet of paper: 꿈. The small ritual served as a guiding light, helping her keep motivated in her dream of becoming a Korean expert in the not-so-distant future. The Korean word, which is pronounced "kkeum," means "dream" or "life goal." "I have always been interested in Far East politics and international relations,” s

July 17, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Multilingual generation rising: Migrant children growing presence at schools

ULSAN -- Marwa Sadiqi, a fifth grader at Seoboo Elementary School in the southeastern port city of Ulsan, came to South Korea from Afghanistan nearly two years ago, and now she speaks better Korean than her parents. But her Korean still needs improvement to follow along in subjects like science, so she learns the language in a separate class for non-native speakers four hours a week during school hours. “Speaking is okay, but writing is hard, especially spelling Korean,” said Marwa

July 2, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Ministry to oversee Korean language education worldwide

South Korea needs a “control tower” to oversee and better manage the operation of education institutes as well as a system for Korean language learning, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho told The Korea Herald, vowing to speed up efforts to integrate state capacity currently dispersed across the related ministries. “There are criticisms that government bodies haven’t been able to cooperate and coordinate well with each other at a time when interest in the Korean language is gro

June 20, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Edu-tech firm Visang rides Korean learning wave

The global Korean language boom has passed the point where Korean government-dispatched teachers and state-run language promotion agencies can meet local teaching demands. It is now time for Korea’s edu-tech players, trained to serve a particularly discerning and demanding clientele at home, to play a role, said Visang Education’s global education unit chief. “Demand for Korean language learning has exploded in many countries amid the worldwide popularity of Korean content. O

June 20, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Race heats up for Hangeul AI

The following series is part of The Korea Herald’s “Hello Hangeul” project which consists of interviews, in-depth analyses, videos and various other forms of content that shed light on the stories of people who are learning the Korean language and the correlation between Korea’s soft power and the rise of its language within the league of world languages. – Ed. Amid the immense popularity of Korean-made content from music to TV shows, an increasing number of peopl

June 18, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Korean proficiency test measures memory, not skill

In line with the growing fervor for Korean content, the country has also seen a rise in the number of non-native test-takers for the Korean proficiency test. Launched in 1997, the Test of Proficiency in Korean, or TOPIK, administered by the National Institute for International Education, a government body operating under the Ministry of Education, is a test that measures non-Korean nationals' ability to understand and use the Korean language. The test results are valid for two years, and is

June 11, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Korea needs to talk about invasion of English alphabet in everyday signage

In one up-and-coming neighborhood in Seoul, the prevalence of English letters on cafe and restaurant signboards adds to its exotic ambiance, complementing the diverse range of foreign cuisines found there. Approximately 7 out of 10 signboards in this area, known as Yongridan-gil and situated between Samgakji and Sinyongsan subway stations in central Seoul, are exclusively written in foreign languages. English is the most commonly used, followed by Chinese and Japanese. As one strolls through t

June 4, 2023

Online Hangeul contest for foreigners held this summer

A local Hangeul foundation is hosting an online contest for foreigners to transcribe their native language in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, this summer. The contest, dubbed "Hangeul Festa 2023," hosted by Hangeul Nuri Foundation, requires its applicants to submit videos of the following descriptions from June 1 to Aug. 31 via its official website (https://www.hangeul-festa.org/en/). The contest will be held in three categories: transcribing in Hangeul the lyrics to a song; transcribing

June 1, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Hangeul adds premium feel to Korean brands

On the heels of the ever-booming K-wave, Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, is being increasingly employed by both domestic and overseas companies as a unique marketing strategy to promote corporate values and raise brand awareness. Korean food companies seeking to foray into overseas markets are making full use of Hangeul to give themselves credibility and capitalize on the special currency the Korean alphabet holds in the global market. CJ CheilJedang, a Korean food giant whose global food sales ac

May 29, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] 'Destruction' from within: Linguist calls for efforts to safeguard Korean language

Among the key elements of a language -- its vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar -- grammar is the least affected by foreign influence, but Kwon Jae-il, chairperson of the 115-year-old Korean Language Society, says he has noticed the "destruction" of Korean grammar for some years now. One example of such "destruction" prevalent on television shows and in other media, is the trend of adding the English suffix “-er,” as in “doer,” to all kinds of Korean

May 21, 2023