Kim Eungjo (金應祖, 김응조, 1587-1667) was a Chosun literati bureaucrat. He was of the Pungsan Kim Clan (豊山金氏, 풍산김씨). His courtesy name (字, 자) was Hyojing (孝徵, 효징); and his pen names were Haksa (鶴沙, 학사) and Aheon (啞軒, 아헌). He passed the civil examination (科舉, 과거) in 1613, but decided not to enter into the bureaucracy until 1623. Afterward, he successively progressed up the civil ranks. Kim Eungjo was said to excel in prose.
In the poem below, he describes his vexation at the extreme heat and hope for when Cheoseo (處暑, 처서) arrives. Cheoseo is one of the 24 solar terms of the year and occurs on August 23rd on the Gregorian Calendar when the earth is between 150 and 165 degrees around the celestial longitude around the sun. It also demarcates the end of the Summer heat. The “Cheo” (處, 처) in “Cheoseo” means “to stop” (머무르다) or “to rest” (휴식하다). Together, the word “Cheoseo” means “the end of the heat.”
苦待處暑 고대처서
玉鑠金流水若蒸 옥삭금류수약증
餘威不許蓐收爭 여위불허욕수쟁
郊墟幾日新涼入 교허기일신량입
屈指猶存二十蓂 굴지유존이십명
Eagerly Waiting for the End of the Summer Heat
The jade melts, the metal flows, and the water is like steam.
My remaining dignity does not permit me as I lay on my mat to stop my quibbles.
From the fields and hills on what day will the new chill enter?
I have counted on my fingers, and still there are twenty Myeonghyeop leaves.
Notes:
Characters:
Copyright Notice This work by Kuiwon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. |
Koreans love TP. TP in the classroom, restaurant, kitchen, etc. Not even joking a little bit. It’s strange to me that it’s totally become second nature to look and ask for “tissue” when I would usually ask for a napkin.
About the girl
Thank you so much for visiting and reading.
Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Lastfm, Flickr, and Facebook, Ask me anything
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| Jeon: Olympic and 3X World Champion |
Judo is in the Korean schooling system.
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| Wang and Kim: the dynamic duo |
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| Yong-In School of Martial Arts |
Just imagine that concept for a moment. Being able to study judo in school from elementary up through college, ultimately receiving a bachelor's degree in it. A judo player's dream!
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| Lee Won-Hee: Defined dominance in Athens |
As a full time teacher of English as a Second Language I come across many ways in which to encourage learners to activate their acquired language. During this summer (2013) I was teaching teenaged Italian students in Ireland, and I found that more so that my past experiences, my students were very active online. I thought of ways in which I could get them to use this interest in a lesson.
I had an idea courtesy of the Korean tumblr, koreanstudentsspeak.tumblr.com. I would give the students a lesson which focused on how the felt expressing themselves and how they, as teenagers, could express themselves in society. I talked to them about how they used the internet as a means of expression, and if they found it to be important. There was a resoundingly positive response. They were then asked the design a poster, which gave the impression that it was a status update, and I then took their photograph and posted it on Instagram. And from here it could be shared, tweeted, and commented on.
These are the photos I took of the students during the lesson, as well as a few from afterwards which I think you’ll like.
Italian Students Speak, a set on Flickr.
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| Don't cry for me Hong-seok Cheon. I'll be back. |
This is a Korean tape dispenser. It is genius. See, when you turn the knob on the right, the gears spin, turning the tape and delivering it in pieces cut by the plastic spokes.
Do you know how awesome this tool is when your ESL student has ripped their page for the umpteenth time?! Neat, fast, and safe. Teachers all over the world need this tape dispenser.
About the girl
Thank you so much for visiting and reading.
Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Lastfm, Flickr, and Facebook, Ask me anything
I have been frequently asked by those that are learning Korean, “Should I learn Hanja?” Anyone who follows my blog knows my answer to that question. (For those that do not, my answer is, “Yes, if you plan on learning Korean beyond reading K-pop lyrics”). It might be better to answer that question by discussing first how much of the Korean vocabulary is made up of words based on Hanja and then what do Korean native speakers (besides me) actually think.
Almost 70% of Korean Vocabulary is from Hanja
According to the Standard Korean Dictionary (標準國語大辭典, 표준국어대사전) published by the National Institute of the Korean Language (國語國立院, 국어국립원), Sino-Korean words (漢字語, 한자어) constitute approximately 69.1% of the Korean vocabulary. (Some sources put this at 60%, but that is still fairly high). Note that many of these words are homonyms (e.g., 賣場 and 埋葬 are both spelled 매장). “Pure” Korean words made up only 25.5% of the Korean vocabulary. The remaining 5.4% originated from other languages.
In actual use, the percentage of Sino-Korean words can vary based in different contexts. For instance, in colloquial conversations, the percentage may be relatively low. In contrast, in technical and business settings, the percentage may be even higher than 69.1%, especially in writing.
The Vast Majority of Native Korean Speakers Find Hanja Necessary
A poll conducted in May of 2010 asked Korean college students from 23 different universities about Hanja.The first question was, “Has not knowing Hanja inconvenienced your daily life?” 5.7% answered, “definitely yes.” 52.1% answered, “yes.” 36.7% answered, “no.” And only 5.5% answered “definitely no.” Based on this survey, a total of 57.8% of Korean college students were inconvenienced at some point in their lives by their lack of knowledge of Hanja.
The second question was, “In public education,do you think Hanja education is necessary?” 84.4% answered “yes.” 15.4% answered “no.” 0.2% gave no answer.
The third question was, “In the daily use of the Korean language, is Hanja necessary?” 89% answered “yes.” 10.7% answered “no.” 0.3% gave no answer.
In another survey, parents of students and teachers in public schools were asked whether Hanja education was necessary. 89.1% of parents answered, “yes.” 77.3% of teachers answered, “yes.”
Conclusion
Although Korean writing no longer has of large amounts written Hanja as it did back less than two decades ago (aside from certain fields of work and the occasional all-Hanja headline in the Chosun or Donga Ilbo), Korean native speakers still think Hanja is necessary. In fact, there is a large (and now successful) movement to bring Hanja education back to public schools. In light of the attitudes of native Korean speakers, Korean language students should consider learning Hanja, especially if they intend on learning Korean at a high level.
I have started a Twitter account to serve as another gateway to social media. Note that I write this blog as a hobby, and put a fair amount of time into it when I can. I would greatly appreciate it, if my readers could help me by publicizing the blog. Also, I enjoy receiving suggestions and comments. It would be very helpful, if readers could let me know what content they would like on this blog by emailing me at kuiwonblog[at]gmail.com or posting a comment on one of my blog posts. As a reminder, I also have a Facebook page.
Copyright NoticeThis work by Kuiwon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. |
Name: Mak Ka Pa (막까파)
Location: Hongdae
Reviewed by: Mama’s and Papa’s on: August 20th, 2013
Thoughts: Located on the second floor just blocks away from Hongik University, this funky, retro styled Hongdae bar offers an affordable makgeolli experience. Each table is set with retro Korean snacks, and the low-lighting, combined with the converted cafeteria feel make for a casual dining and drinking experience. The fresh varieties of house made Dong-Dong-Ju cocktails give the customer an added incentive over the more premium bottled varieties of Makgeolli available. It’s a very accessible lounge-like atmosphere with prompt and friendly service.
LOCATION
Overall: *** (3 stars)
Food
Beef Jeon: (Delicious, bounty of beef, spongy) ***1/2 (3.5 Stars)
Seafood jeon: (Omelet like fluffiness, fresh seafood taste, uniquely layered) ***1/2 (3.5 Stars)
Spam Jeon: (Unique, savory, salty, juicy) **1/2 (2.5 Stars)
Potato Jeoni: (oily, pasty, latke-like) **1/2 (2.5 Stars)
Bul Dak: (cheesy, spicy, delectable) ****1/2 (4.5 Stars)
MAKGEOLLI
Sobaeksan Blackbean (소백산 검은콩): (Nutty, smooth, dark, creamy, sticky, fine sediment) ***1/2(3.5 Stars)
Dongdongju (동동주): (Citrusy, clean, smooth, silky texture refreshing with ice) ****1/2 4.5 Stars
Banana Dongdongju (바나나 동동주): (Chunky (bananas), frothy, natural tasting, tropical) ****1/2 (4.5 Stars)
Honey Dongdongju: (꿀 동동주) (Honey settled in the bottom, overpowering, sweet) **1/2 (2.5 Stars)
Gapyeongchat (가평찻): (Pungent, crisp, watery) **1/2 (2.5 Stars)
Gongju Chestnut (공주 알밤): (Earthy, nutty, artificially sweet, thick) **1/2 (2.5 Stars)
What Mamas & Papas liked: The service. 
Prompt, friendly, and receptive, there was never a moment without food or drink in hand. Mamas & Papas also liked the dong-dong-ju. It was super refreshing, and it tasted great, even when infused with different fruits. We were also impressed with the Buldak (spicy chicken), with one Mama commenting ‘It really packs a flavor without knocking your tastebuds off’.
What Mamas & Papas didn’t like: The lighting.
For those wanting to take photos, they may struggle if they are ushered into one of the black light lit side rooms, as they will invariably be blue. Mamas & Papas were also not sold on the honey dong-dong ju that wasn’t well mixed. If it hasn’t been carefully mixed, the honey sinks to the bottom and is beyond sweet.
Recommendation: To feel the pulse of Hongdae in the heart of its entertainment district before a night out on the town, head here with a group of friends and enjoy the cheap food, fresh drink, and merry atmosphere. You could stay a while, or just for a stopover, but either way it is a fun and vibrant place to enjoy company with friends.
How to get there: Come out of Sangsu Station, exit 1 and walk down the hill towards Hongdae. When you get to the main street just before Club Evans and the 7-11, turn left. Follow this street for three blocks (make sure to move over to the left side of the street), then turn left. You will see a café on the first floor, and the second floor is where Mak Ka Pa is.
Address: 서울특별시 마포구 서교동 405-13 3층
Phone Number: 02-714-1224
Map: Here
Have you been to Mak Ka Pa before? Tried more dishes or have more opinions? More questions? Leave us a comment below and tell us what you think!
Interviewed by Dae-Han Song
Jejun Joo is the Policy Chair of the Korea Alliance of Progressive Movements (KAPM) and the People’s Action Against the War and the Realization of Peace. The KAPM is a broad alliance of sectoral (workers, peasants, women, students, and a political party) and regional social movements in South Korea and a leading alliance for peace and reunification in the Korean Peninsula. The People’s Action Against the War and the Realization of Peace is a coalition of social and civil society movements recently created to deal with the current war crisis in the Korean Peninsula.
The interview is meant to shed some light on the current conditions on the Korean Peninsula regarding peace as well as offer analysis and perspective from some of Korea’s leading peace and reunification social movements.
Dae-Han Song: Can you provide some background to the current state of affairs?
Jejun Joo: Sure, there have basically been five agreements since 1994 between the United States and North Korea, all of which the US has consistently reneged on. I think this is the way that North Korea understands the situation: We are no longer interested in dialogue for dialogue’s sake or dialogue as a stalling tactic [on the part of the United States]. It is within this context that North Korea has realized its nuclear capability. We can see this as the backdrop to our current situation. Without any genuine dialogue between North Korea and the US, there is a high chance that tensions will continue and might even escalate.
Dae-Han Song: Do you think that ultimately the US will recognize that reality?
Jejun Joo: I think it ultimately has no choice but to do so. One important point I want to emphasize is the April 11th announcement at the House of Reps. hearing by Rep. Doug Lamborn of the leaked Defense Intelligence Agency report.[i] In it, the Defense Intelligence Agency acknowledged the possibility that North Korea possessed the ability to arm its ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
Dae-Han Song: Can you talk about the chain of events that led to the current situation?
Jejun Joo: If we start from 1994,[ii] it will be too long and complicated, so let’s just start a little bit closer to today. Let’s start in 2009. In April 2009, North Korea launched a rocket to put a satellite into space. Then in May, it conduced its 2nd underground nuclear test. In response, former president Bill Clinton visited North Korea that August and came back with two American journalists that were being held in Pyongyang. This was followed by another vists by Special Envoy Stephen Bosworth in December. After the visit, Stephen Bosworth announced in a press conference in Seoul that North Korea would return to the 6 party talks. The six party negotiations concluded with the February 23 agreement. The mood for dialogue greatly improved.
In 2010, between February and March there were secret negotiations held between North Korea and the US in Berlin and in China. A peace regime was even brought up as a possible scenario. However, this was all shattered in March with the sinking of the Cheonan corvette in March 26th. The sinking of the Cheonan corvette is a great example of the US role in South Korea, and if we examine it closely we can discern its motivations in the Korean Peninsula.
Dae-Han Song: What do you mean?
Jejun Joo: South Korean authorities stated that the Cheonan corvette was sunk by North Korea. Only one other country in the world agreed with this conclusion: the United States. As a result of these conclusions, South Korea levied its May 24th sanctions against North Korea and the UN issued a presidential statement. However, if you take a close look at the UN statement, it does not state that the cause of the Cheonan corvette’s sinking was North Korea.[iii] It never mentions North Korea as the cause. In other words, the only two countries that accused North Korea of sinking the Cheonan corvette are South Korea and the US. Even Russia and China criticized this conclusion.[iv] Even now in South Korean society there are many doubts as to whether or not the Cheonan was sunk by North Korea. There are many inconsistencies and unanswered questions.[v] That is why Russia and China were unwilling to sign onto the final report. Only the US agreed to back the report. Why? Well, I believe that US interests in the Korean Peninsula can be found here.
The US strategy was as follows: with the Lee Administration’s May 24th measures halting inter-Korean economic cooperation in response to the sinking of the Cheonan corvette, the Lee Administration began to apply great pressure on North Korea. Furthermore, the USS George Washington aircraft carrier entered South Korea. As soon as the USS Washington entered South Korea, China strongly protested the move. This is because the USS Washington has a military operational radius of 1000 kilometers[vi] including a long-range surveillance radar. From the point of view of China, all of its strategic information about its North Sea fleet would have been exposed. As tensions rose, South Korea now also had to purchase stealth fighters and Apache helicopters from the large US military company Lockheed Martin. Through increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the US was able to sell weapons to South Korea[vii] and also finally announce its pivot to Asia strategy, ultimately meant to pressure China. Thus, we can see the reason why the US supported the South Korean government’s report accusing North Korea as attacking the Cheonan corvette.
The most important consequence of this final report was that it completely stopped the dialogue that had been happening since 2009. In this way, the US gained various benefits from increasing tensions in the Korean Peninsula. When tensions escalate, opposition towards and pressure against North Korea increases and then when the US takes actions to de-escalate, it appears as if it is taking positive steps towards easing tensions while further isolating North Korea.
Dae-Han Song: Can you briefly tell me about the Obama Administration’s policies towards North Korea?
Jejun Joo: Obama’s first term was about achieving denuclearization through face to face dialogue. In the beginning he had stated that the Bush Administration’s policy of pressuring North Korea had only driven it further into developing its nuclear weapons, and that his policy would be one of dialogue. However, as he became more embroiled with the Middle East crisis, he was unable to establish a real North Korea Policy. Ultimately, he adopted strategic patience. This strategic patience contained two components: isolating North Korea and refraining from dialogue. It is in reality a strategy of waiting for North Korea to collapse. In 2008, North Korean Chair of the National Defense Committee Kim Jong Il had a stroke, and the Obama Administration decided to wait until the Kim Government would collapse. This was the origin of strategic patience. However, strategic patience failed in 2009. There was the nuclear test and as I stated before, direct talks between North Korea and the US followed in 2010, 2011, and 2012 ending with the February 9 agreement. Through this process the Obama Administration gave up one of the elements of strategic patience by moving towards US-NK dialogue. This can be seen as Obama’s 2nd term strategy.
For his second term, Obama chose Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense and John Kerry as Secretary of State because they both were proponents of dialogue with North Korea. This did not mean that the Obama Administration gave up on its policy of isolating North Korea: provoking North Korea with its anti-North Korea policies facilitates North Korea’s greater international isolation. The US began to escalate tensions. It dispatched B2 fighters, with its countless bombs, the strategic B52 fighters, and a nuclear submarine to participate in the Key Resolve war games that took place from March 11 to 21 and then the following Foal Eagle war games. North Korea viewed these as provocations and stated that the US is not the only country that can launch a pre-emptive attack and threatened that a single order could launch a nuclear attack on the US mainland or its military bases in the South. In addition, similarly, the Park Administration ramped up its hostile rhetoric by stating the types of measures it would take if there was a hostage situation in the Gaesong Industrial Complex. Many viewed the Park Administration’s statements as being needlessly provocative towards North Korea.
Dae-Han Song: Before North Korea had stated that denuclearization was a possibility, yet now it has switched to a policy of wanting to be recognized as a nuclear power. What has changed?
Jejun Joo: As I’ve stated previously all of the five previous agreements have always been about establishing a peace regime, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, abolishment of hostile policy against North Korea, normalization of relations between North Korea and the US and through this process signing a peace treaty. After each of the negotiations, agreements were made, but then the US escalates tensions which collapses the agreement. Then, we have more negotiations followed again by the US escalating tensions. This is like a hamster running on a treadmill getting nowhere. North Korea looked at this and realized that they needed to extricate themselves out of a process leading nowhere. This was the reason why North Korea announced denuclearization was no longer possible. The nuclear test and the launching of the satellite can be understood within this new North Korean perspective. Negotiations will no longer be about denuclearization, but rather about halting further expansion of nuclear capabilities. In addition, now when the US turns up the heat on North Korea, North Korea too will be able to use inter-continental ballistic missiles and possibly its nuclear warheads to turn up the heat on the US.
Dae-Han Song: What does the US want? You said North Korea wants to normalize relations with the US and establish a peace treaty. Does the US not want this?
Jejun Joo: Strategic Patience is in reality an anti-North Korea policy: we will wait until you collapse. Like I stated before, tension in the Korean Peninsula provides benefits to the US. A peace treaty in the Korean Peninsula would not be able to provide such constant benefits. Thus, from the perspective of the US, a reasonable level of tension short of full scale war is beneficial. A resolution of tensions in the Korean Peninsula would mean disappearance of demand for their arms [by South Korea], and its Pivot to Asia strategy would no longer be possible. Checking China’s expansion may be the great underlying reason for the Pivot to Asia yet North Korea is used as its justification. That is why China is ultimately against this current state of tensions with North Korea.[viii]
Dae-Han Song: Just recently John Kerry stated that he was open to dialogue with North Korea. In addition, the Park Administration stated the same. However, North Korea called the proposals for talks “empty shells” and rejected the proposals. Can you talk about Kerry and Park’s proposals? Why did North Korea reject?
Jejun Joo: First of all, John Kerry and the Park Administration stated that the talks would have to involve denuclearization. Like I stated before, a dialogue with denuclearization in mind, from North Korea’s current point of view is not possible. North Korea stated that they will no longer denuclearize. Without the US accepting very concretely some of the demands of North Korea, such as abolishment of its anti-North Korea policy, the normalization of relations between North Korea and the US, and the establishment of peace regime negotiations dialogue will not be possible. We are talking about meeting some very strategic demands. There needs to be a promise that a process will be established for these. Similarly, North Korea also rejected Park’s offers for talk for the same reason.
However, ultimately time is on North Korea’s side. They can keep expanding and advancing their nuclear program. They will keep on enriching uranium, producing plutonium in large quantities, and upgrading and testing its missile technology.
Dae-Han Song: What is the path to peace?
Jejun Joo: There is only one way: peace dialogue between the US and North Korea, as I’ve stated again and again. North Korea has been showing its willingness to move towards a peace treaty. The armistice agreement must be turned into a peace treaty. Without that, the tensions on the Korean peninsula will persist. The peace process must involve US-North Korea dialogue.
Dae-Han Song: This is an important year with the 60th anniversary of the cease-fire. Can you talk briefly about some of the events planned by the Anti-War and Pro-Peace People’s Action?
Jejun Joo: First of all, in order to demand the de-escalation of tensions through dialogue, we are doing a signature collecting campaign calling for a peace treaty. We are also planning peace envoys to the US to deliver these signatures to the White House. In July, we planned an international march from Gangjeong village[ix] to Imjingak[x] calling for peace. We also held an international forum of academics and experts on the issue of peace in the Korean Peninsula. In order to strengthen international solidarity, we will have a discussion among activists from around the world on how to realize peace in the Korean Peninsula. The path towards a peace treaty won’t be an easy one. It will take some time including more moments of increased tensions. Slowly, we will build greater solidarity with peace organizations around the world in our path towards realizing peace.
[ii] The 1994 Agreed Framework between the United States and North Korea marked the first agreement between both countries.
[v] The biggest unanswered question is how a North Korean submarine had entered and left undetected. When the Cheonan sunk, the US and South Korea were executing war military exercises in the West Sea (also referred to as the Yellow Sea), The Cheonan corvette was involved in these war games and its role was to detect submarines. Let’s take a closer look at the results of the investigation: a North Korea submarine carrying two 1.5 ton torpedoes went all the way around the Northern Limit Line…towards the three South Korean and US Aegis boats (Aegis boats are equipped with anti-submarine radar technology) and the Cheonan corvette which were participating in the annual military exercises in the West Sea. The report alleges that during this whole time as the North Korean submarine went around the NLL, it had remained undetected…the Aegis warships can detect substances 30 centimeters big from a distance of a thousand kilometers. It does not make sense that the US and South Korean Aegis ships surrounding the Cheonan corvette, which were equipped with the latest anti-submarine technology, would have been incapable of detecting a North Korean submarine at any point before or after the attack, especially as they were in the middle of military exercises. It also does not make sense that the Cheonan corvette with its anti-submarine functions would not have been able to detect the North Korean submarine. There are many other unanswered questions and inconsistencies.
[vi] A military operational radius implies that within this radius they can launch missiles and conduct surveillance.
[vii]“South Korea said on Wednesday it would buy attack helicopters worth 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) from Boeing Co. to improve its ability to respond to threats from North Korea.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/17/korea-usa-helicopter-idUSL3N0D4AU220130417
[viii] With the new Xi Jinping government, China’s interests may appear to conflict with North Korea’s, yet ultimately as tensions escalate in Northeast Asia both sides’ interests cannot but converge. If tensions continue or escalate on the Korean Peninsula, it allows the US to increase its military presence and power in the region. Furthermore, even Japan, after North Korea’s 3rd nuclear test, is discussing nuclear armament. This is very distressing for China. Strategically, China does not want a continuation of tension.
[ix] A village in an island a few hundred miles from China, at the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula, where a naval base, which many believe will be used by the US military, is being built.
[x] Imjingak is directly south of the DMZ, the line that divides North and South Korea.
Editor’s Note from Jeff: This was written by a Korean elementary school teacher as an assignment for my Cross-Cultural Communication course. The task was to “prepare a guide for improving cross-cultural communication and interactions in your workplace”. Since many Guest English Teachers will be starting school this week, I thought it was the right time to publish this. Hopefully, it will encourage a useful discussion about how Korean Teachers and Guest English Teachers can work together to create a positive learning/working environment. Thanks very much to Jessi for agreeing to post this here.
The Native English Speaking Teachers from inside Korea or overseas who are going to take this orientation need to understand Korea and school society and to know how to teach at elementary schools. They are going to face a different culture from their own, communication difficulties with other teachers at their new schools, and challenges in how to collaborate with their co-teachers.
I think the key of success this program is communication with KT and NT, if they communicate well they could handle all the problems properly. That is why this program should be taken by new native teachers and their new co-teachers together. I think miscommunication causes all the problems and the miscommunication results from a lack of understanding each other and their cultures. The program has been focused on only native teachers to understand Korean culture and school system so only native teachers have to take this program however Korean teachers(KT) who become co-teachers need to understand native teachers(NT) cultures, too.
▶Understanding Korean culture
#1 Introduction of korean traditional things (Including video clips of Korean culture)
#2 The way of Koreans thinking
- High context culture
- How Asians and Westerners Think Differently
〔Supplementary materials〕
Website Usage Compared
http://blog.usabilla.com/ux-designers-culture-affects-your-job/
[EBS] DOCUFRIME EAST AND WEST Part 1 - NOUNS AND VERBS 동과서 1부
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RnyaD1ZjS-s#t=347s
EBS DOCUFRIME EAST AND WEST Part 2 - SEE AND BE 동과서 2부
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl86SKCQsG4
▶Understanding School Culture and Working together
#1 Daily School Routine
#2 The Relationship with Students, Teachers and Principals
#3 The Attitude of Korean Students in English Class
#4 Working on Common Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges at School
-What is Korean parent's expectation for school teachers?
-What is Korean teachers expectation for native teachers?
-What is Korean student's expectation for native teachers?
〔Supplementary materials〕
Successful Classroom Discussions with Adult Korean ESL/EFL Learners
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Lim-AdultKoreanshtml
Working on Common Cross-cultural Communication Challenges (2nd half)
http://www.pbs.org/ampu/crosscult.html
▶Consideration for Teaching English to Students
#1 Giving instructions effectively
-speaking clear, slow and aloud. repetition, using non-verbal languages
#2 Making good environments to study
-stress free: create a friendly, safe, cooperative class
#3 Providing plenty of comprehensible input
-using activities, using visual aids and contextual support for new language including pictures, gestures, objects, and experiences out of class
#4 Useful materials and games for teaching English
▶Collaboration to teach English
#1 Introduction of English curriculum or text books
#2 Watching a model class
#3 How to Collaborate
- What is the role as a native teacher and a Korean co-teacher?
- Why collaboration is important?
- How can we respect others cultures?
〔Digging Deeper〕
I'd like to focus on the "Understanding School Culture and Working together"part especially. Most of new native teachers do not have much idea of Korean schools and no experience of working together with foreigners like other Korean teachers. And both of them are not accustomed to this new situation and do not know how to handle it properly so tiny problems can cause big issueseasily.
What are the challenges(These are from my point of view):
#1 Different approaches to getting to know each others; Koreans are rude or blunt?
Most foreigners are not accustomed to being asked private questions about themselves. They might think it is kind of rude however Koreans think differently. Koreans think that asking personal questions is kind of the process to know each other because if we know each others background we can find common ground each other easily and it helps people to make good relationships. Most of elderly have that kind of sense strongly that is why lots of school teachers who are afraid to speak native teachers want to ask. This is kind of the way elderly express their favor toward foreigners of course including elderly teachers from schools. So when you are asked private questions, take them as a sign of favor or goodwill.
Even though asking private questions to you like above why most of Koreans are afraid to bump into you automatically, because they think they have to speak English properly to greet you however they do not want to be embarrassed in front of people speaking English. That is Korean way to think, you are a foreigner who is visiting Korea so as a host, Koreans should treat you well including speaking your mother tongue English. Most Korean teachers are ready to welcome you as a member of school staff however they do not know how to greet you because of language barrier and inexperience meeting foreigners in person so when you meet Korean teachers smile and say hello first it makes them feel more free to reach out to you.
#2 Difficulty to communicate with Korean teachers
Most native teachers feel lonely at school at first because he(she) is the only foreigner in his(her) school and most of teachers can not speak English well.(even though some of them speak well however they do not speak out because if they speak well they feel it is kind of show off things or they are busy to handle their own business) And co-teachers look so busy always and there are only Korean messengers popping up on your computer screen all the time. Most Korean teachers want to take care of you well however they do not know how to reach you (language barrier and culture differences) like yourself and they also have really busy schedules.
However if you ask the day's event or what's happening in your places they are going to try to answer including your co-teachers, remember most of them are not accustomed to working together including your co-teacher. While answering your questions they have a chance to think about you or the situation. I think during the process(giving them a chance to figure out how to handle new situation) they are going to think about you, and themselves to find the way of communication like you. I bet you will notice how to communicate with other teachers(most of them have knowledge of basic English words)
#3 Different working style
①; Korea is a hierarchy society
Why Korean teachers break their plans easily or do not make plans in advance? There is a condition to inform native teachers 2 (or3) months ago when the school make a plan for summer camp or winter camp however the schedule could be changed actually.(so earlier period of this program there were many arguments because of it) Sometimes teacher's meetings or other occasions are announced without notice. Teacher's dinner gathering can be a mandatory even though after work hour. Why those things happen? Because Korea is a kind of hierarchy society so school is not an exception.
As a Korean I have a lot of complaints however I have to accept most of them, most of time. I complained sometimes however there was no other way but accept it or refuse it and suffer from it. So if your co-teacher informs you of unexpected things suddenly, then ask your co-teacher why? and if you have some situation tell it to your co-teacher nicely and figure out the wisest way together. Because of hierarchy system if your co-teacher is a young teacher or new teacher of the school there is not much room for her(him), usually power comes from school principals and occasionally from head teachers or elderly teachers.
#3 Different working style
②; working hard is the only way to be rich in the past
Why do Koreans work so hard? or demand to finish quickly? give directives without rooms? Korea is a small country and there are not many resources. Especially after Korean War we were one of the poorest countries in the world. We Koreans had to make something out of nothing so we had to tighten our belts, work extremely hard, educate next generations for the future for several decades. There was no time to waste, no room to hesitate. That is why Koreans have developed 빨리 빨리 palli palli(hurry hurry) culture. It contributed to Korean economy boosting so quickly that is why we Koreans are accustomed to finishing things in a short period and working so hard for a long time with terrible working conditions. Especially old generations had to sacrifice their life for their family, society, country, so they think most people have to be accustomed those kind of lifestyle. They want next generation to follow their model like be patient, work hard, respect the old so working hard is a virtue, and finishing one's work quickly, pushing someone to work hard are acceptable concept for Korean.
#4 Different attitude towards conflict
When I was young I tried to hard to solve conflicts directly so I met the people who faced conflicts with me and tried to talk the problems however I ended up worst situation most of time. After those experiences I tried to figure out how to fix the problem by myself instead of talking to someone to solve the problem directly. If I find the way to solve it I try to fix it and then I have to wait for the right time. When I meet some problems which I can not solve by myself then there is no way but for waiting.
Most of Koreans have a tendency to avoid any kind of conflict. Some people try to solve the problem directly to talk to each others however speaking out about the problem does not help to solve it usually, because most Koreans believe that conflict results from somebody's fault or represents somebody's incompetence so it is considered kind of negative thing. So standing in the middle of the situation makes them embarrassed or uncomfortable in most cases. If you can avoid conflicts, that is better way.
What are suggestions for overcoming the challenges?
Working together is not easy even though workers have the same nationality. There are lots of things we have to consider: different characteristic, different education background, different concept of things, different way to think, different way to express, different way to accept things, even though there is different to accept the same thing how? depending on the mood or surrounding can make different I think so it is very complicate. That is why I suggest the followings:
#1 Do whatever your co-teacher does
You can learn lots of things while you are doing what your co-teacher does. You can feel what your co-teacher feels and then you can understand your co-teacher well and you are going to establish strong relationship with your co-teacher. Besides there is no time to be bored. You can not do exactly what your co-teacher does actually, I mean whatever she(he) does you follow her(him) together and help her(him). That is enough.
#2 Mutual respect is core
Koreans respect teachers traditionally so we have this expression "One should not step on even his(her) shadow". It means students and parents respect their teachers and teachers should be a good model of student's life at the same time. That is why most of teachers care about their words, their behaviors, even though their outfit is not luxurious, it should be clean and neat. Korean society have changed rapidly so it is difficult to keep our beautiful and fine customs however this concept is based on Koreans mind for a long time. Teaching in public school means not only delivering knowledge but also raising human beings. You should respect your co-teachers and your students then your co-teachers and your students respect you, too.
#3 Share your ideas and your culture
If you share your idea and your culture with your co-teacher then she(he) understands you well, and your co-teacher can use the information to teach students it can be authentic and valuable material for your co-teacher and your students to understand western people and culture well. And it gives you and your co-teacher more room to think about each others circumstance. If you share your culture to your students you are going to be an ambassador to represent your country. It makes your class fun and works a good motivation for your students to study English.
#4 Take your time to think, to read and to prepare your class
If you sit on your chair without work, it maybe remind you a word "deskwarm". It makes you lots of time to think unnecessary things, you are going to feel frustrated and lonely. If you organize your work and schedule always, you are going to prepare for your class ahead of time and it gives you a chance to talk to your co-teachers to make plans for classes. You can make your co-teacher trust you as a professional teacher and feel comfortable. You do not need to hurry or your co-teacher should not push you to do some extra work. If you have books to read or something to do, you are never bored.
#5 Open your mind to others
You have to live in foreign city, teach English to the students maybe for the first time. It gives you lots of stress so you feel frustrated or lonely however if you live in your homeland you feel the same emotions sometimes because we are all human beings.
I think you are not the only one who feel frustrated at your school, your co-teacher could be the one and your students also could be the one. Your co-teacher has to handle her(his) job maybe for the first time in her(his) life. She(he) might have no idea about teaching English or working together and there is a big gap between a homeroom teacher(which all elementary school teacher are familiar with that position) and a subject teacher. I prefer English teacher when I have to focus on studying English but I do not like the job all the time because there is not much room to handle the timetable or other things as a subject teacher. Students have different attitudes toward subject teachers most of time because they feel more free with subject teachers than their homeroom teachers. It makes me frustrated sometimes.
If you are surround with Koreans and they talk to each other you feel uncomfortable, don't you? Maybe some of your students have exactly same feeling in your class especially lower level students. You can imagine how they feel during your classes. As a foreigner learning Korean is not easy and some of your students have some difficulty to learn English. As an English teacher taking care of them is one of your main jobs so you have to find a way to encourage them to stimulate them to be interested in English.
We run into lots of people in our life, some of them are nice and pleasant, however some of them are not so good. Some of them are good, however they do not mingle with other people well. Some of them are not so good however when we meet them in different places and different environments, we could see a different side of them, and it’s like meeting a totally different person. I guess the point is try not to jump to quick conclusions. Always try to look on the bright side, and hopefully you can enjoy different (positive) aspects of the people you meet and things you experience. .
Hey readers! In case you don’t follow me on Facebook for one reason or another, I was away on vacation for the past couple of weeks. This is why the updates have been rather…lacking. Now that vacation time is over, it’s time to get back to work. Boo.
During my vacation, a couple of friends of mine that I used to work with back when I was living stateside decided to take a family trip to Seoul. Since I tend to get unreasonably happy and excited whenever someone from home visits, I sent them essay long tips on traveling in Korea and went up to the big city for a few days to spend time with them while showing them around (even though this resulted in us getting lost multiple times).
One thing we failed to prepare properly for was the heat wave that was attacking the country during their visit. While I’ve accepted that Korea tends to get miserably hot during the summer months, I don’t recall people looking as miserable as they did when I was out and about in Seoul. I think the heat wave combined with the seemingly newer laws that force businesses to keep their air conditioners above 26 degrees (79 for my American readers) simply made for a bad time. Thank goodness for iced green tea drinks.
It’s funny how people that have dealt with extreme temperatures from their home countries still struggle when it comes to handling some of Korea’s awkward weather patterns. Whether you’re from Florida or Canada, Korea just seems to be special in the sense that it can make anyone miserable during the bad weather months. On the bright side, Spring and Fall tend to be all sorts of amazing and awesome. I can’t wait.
To Zk and Mike: It was great to see you guys!! Here’s hoping we meet again soon!
 This is Jen Lee. She likes to draw. |
Got any questions, comments, or maybe even some delicious cookies you want to send through the internet? Feel free to contact us at dearkoreacomic at gmail dot com. You can also leave comments on the comic’s Facebook Page! |
Jangsan is one of a handful of mountains that dominate the landscape of Busan. We’ve hiked it twice now, taking different sets of trails each time. If you’re an experienced hiker, it’s not difficult at all, with fairly well-marked and maintained trails that start at Jangsan Park and wind all over the mountain, putting you out in different neighborhoods in the city. If you’re not afraid of coming off the mountain in a strange part of town, we highly recommend taking one trail up and another one down in order to see more of the mountain. And, if you are afraid, get over it! You can always catch a taxi home from wherever you end up.
The summit offers a beautiful view of Busan, despite the fact that parts of it are blocked off due to military installations.
Oh, and there are still landmines on the mountain. So, stay on the trail.
Other than the summit, two must-sees on the mountain are Pokposa Temple and Pokposa Fall, both fairly close the base of the mountain.
To get to Jangsan Park, take the green line subway to the Jangsan stop. Take exit 10 and walk toward the mountain (about a 15 minute trek through the city). This is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon in Busan.
By Emma O’Flynn
The Gudok Stadium is within short walking distance from the subway, and offers a pretty decent selection of sporting facilities. The sports complex has a swimming pool with public swims available throughout the day (swim hat and goggles compulsory attire!). It is also host to a gym. The stadium itself, offers free access to the running track, available whenever there are no sporting events on. It also has an indoor basketball court, and a baseball diamond, though access to these is more controlled.
The stadium hosts local football (soccer) games for the Busan Transportation Corporation Football Club. They usually occur on Friday evenings or Saturday afternoons, and are free to attend. Information regarding game schedules is listed on the Facebook group page:https://www.facebook.com/events/151294788402845/. You can bring any drinks or snacks you like into the stadium. There are no marts in the stadium, but plenty available on the walk up, so stock up there.
T
o get to the stadium, take line 1 to Dongdaesin (stop 108), and exit via 1 or 2. From each of these you walk straight ahead for 3-4min, until you reach the top of the hill, the stadium is directly in front across the road, you cannot miss it! The sports complex/swimming pool is easy to access by bearing right around the edge of the stadium. You will see a blue arched roof, aim for that.
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Finding a gym in Korea can either be really simple or the most challenging of adventures. I decided about a month into my contract that working out at home was not, well, working. I wanted to join a gym but had nowhere to start.
I researched some places on facebook groups, and walked around my neighborhood but I kept being drawn to Daewoo, 1. Because it is literally 2 blocks from my house and 2 because there were a number of well fit men that would walk in and out of the doors. I should have just gone there at first, but being that it is a basement gym, I was not sure what to do, being that walking in to new and big places full of very muscular men can be very intimidating.
Finally one day, I was tired of looking elsewhere and I went in. I was greeted by the nicest 20 something Korean I had met yet. She was happy and eager to talk to me and let me look around. When I was walking around the facility I met possibly the biggest Korean I think I have ever met, he started speaking to me and I learned that he spent a year in Australia, his English was perfect and it was obvious that he liked working out. Granted his Aunt owns the place, but he told me about the benefits of this gym, mainly that its been around for a while and that it is clean. Granted the gym is a little older than some in other parts of the city, but it is close to my house and is in no danger of just shutting down.
There is a great amount of cardio machines and weight machines to get your sweat on, and a great big “multi” room where they hold Yoga at 8 pm on weekdays (an extra 10,000KRW per month if you want to go to yoga classes). There is 1 jimjillbang room that is a good temperature and there is always clean towels and gym clothing sets.
The weights are a bit older but they do the trick. I went to the gym for about 4 months before I started getting “personal training for waygooks”. The guy that I met the first day, works with individuals for health, he saw that I was interested in starting weight lifting and was really helpful, no charge, just wanted to make sure I was doing it right. He gave me private lessons with another western girl that I had seen around and we became friends. There were about 6 westerners that also used the gym so it was nice to see friendly faces and have a quick chat in English at times. Many of the guys were very serious about working out, but that really did not stop the ones that were just getting started. The women were always friendly and nice to me, and I have never had a problem.
This gym has all the basics you could need to get into shape. Their staff is really friendly and kind and for only 170,000 for 3 months, the price is not terrible. If you live around PNU or work around PNU and need a place where you can get in and out quickly Daewoo fitness has you covered.
How to get to Daewoo Fitness:
From PNU Orange line subway station go out exit 4, take a left and walk along the road, when you come to a busy intersection first take a right, and then a left across the 2 streets. Daewoo Freeness is in the “Parking lot” right in front of you. Go in the main doors and walk down the stairs, there will be friendly people to greet you at the bottom!
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By Daniel Benner
This decent little gym was pretty close to wear I was living in Gaegeum. While not having a whole lot of amenities, it suffices well enough if you live in the neighborhood and don’t want to do a distant trek for some place further afield.
The place has a few machines, all the necessary free weights, about a dozen treadmills, a few stair masters, and also those silly, what I thought were 1950s era belt machines that are suppose to shake out all your belly fat. Not being too crowded and having a jimjilbang attached is another much appreciated bonus.
The place is rather steep, in my opinion, for a monthly membership at 60,000\ a month, but since you can go for a day for only 5,000\ (not including the jimjilbang), I just opt for the daily rate and use it when it’s convenient (I do plenty of other sports and group exercises so I don’t go more than once or twice a week).
Directions: From Dong-eui University Station off of the green line 2, go out of exit 7, walk straight until you reach the three way intersection with a stop light, then turn left up the hill (the road is called Gayagongwon-ro). Walk up until you pass the entrance to a massive apartment complex, and then take the next left down a small, one-way alley. You’ll see the 사우나 signs about 50 meters down the road on your right.
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By Hannah Aauger
Near Haeundae station hides a very good “통증의학과,” meaning roughly “pain medicine.” This particular specialization focuses solely on muscle pain, combining medicine and science you may find in a hospital with the more holistic massage and electro-shock therapy.
When you first enter, the small, unassuming office is clean, but quaint. Make sure to looks around the corner to your left just after you enter, as a cabinet full of indoor shoes is hidden from plain view. Luckily, the office does not require any kind of appointment, so you can pop in whenever you are free. Some days you might be ushered straight into the doctor’s office, and on others you may wait around fifteen minutes. If possible, it would be very helpful to have a Korean along, as the staff’s English skills are minimal. Still, the doctor will likely know enough to comprehend your situation; I, personally, have seen him without a Korean-speaker and had no issues.
In fact, it only took about two minutes for him to discover the cause of my problems. He wrote a prescription for anti-inflammatories and pain killers, and promptly sent me to the next room.
The second room is equipped for a variety of treatments. For me, I first had my legs elevated and a hot pack strapped onto my knees; after this, I had two stone-cold panels attached to side of my knees. Suddenly, the panels started vibrating and buzzing, and I got a little scared. I quickly realized what I felt was awesome. This electro-shock therapy is intended to help muscles move back to their original place, and break up the knots. At times, the spasms were annoying, but never painful; in fact, my biggest complaint would be that it tickled and my attempts to stifle laughter confused the nurses, all of whom were very accommodating. They even seem excited to have a wayguk in their midst. They often came by just to ask if I was alright, or if anything needed adjusting.
After a half hour or so of treatment, I was passed back to the front desk. With insurance, it cost anywhere between 5,000 to 8,000\ for treatment, prescription, and diagnosis. Given how cheap and easy the whole experience was I would recommend this place to anyone with muscle pain. If you are scared you may have something funky going on in your joints, this guy can tell you what it is in no time flat. On top of that, any prescriptions you need can be filled just downstairs. Walk downstairs, outside, and to your left (in the same building) is a pharmacy. Look for the green awning with the word “약” in the window.
Directions: From Haeundae Station (exit 2) walk straight to the next three-way intersection. The office is in a cluster of buildings on your left. Go through the door marked “Medi Hyundae” and up the stairs.
The sign is a bit obscured, so also look for the pharmacist (again, green awning, “약” in the window.
