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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Becky: Hello and welcome to Culture Class: Korean Superstitions and Beliefs. Lesson 2 Fan Death and Eating Taffy. I'm Becky and I'm joined by Jaehwi.
Jaehwi: 안녕하세요. (annyeonghaseyo) Hi, I'm Jaehwi.
THE TWO SUPERSTITIONS
Becky: In this lesson we will talk about two common superstitions in South Korea. The first superstition is about bad luck. What’s the superstition called in Korean?
Jaehwi: 선풍기 질식사, (seonpunggi jilsiksa).
Becky: Which literally means "Fan death." Jaehwi, can you repeat the Korean phrase again?
Jaehwi: [slow] 선풍기 질식사 [normal] 선풍기 질식사
Becky: In Korea, it's believed you can die of hypothermia if you sleep with the fan on and the windows closed.
Jaehwi: This superstition was created by false reports by the media.
Becky: Some people were said to have died from hypothermia in the summer because they had slept with the fan on.
Jaehwi: But this isn’t true.
Becky: Right, even though a lot of Korean people still won’t sleep with the fan on, there’s no danger in sleeping with the fan on.
Jaehwi: What’s our next superstition, Becky?
Becky: The second superstition is about good luck. What’s the superstition called in Korean?
Jaehwi: 엿 먹기, (yeot meokki).
Becky: Which literally means "eating taffy." Let’s hear it in Korean again.
Jaehwi: [slow] 엿 먹기 [normal] 엿 먹기
Becky: This is definitely one of our tastiest superstitions.
Jaehwi: Yup. In Korea, it's believed that eating yeot, or Korean taffy, will help you pass an exam.
Becky: So where does this superstition come from?
Jaehwi: It’s because the verb 붙다 has multiple meanings: "pass" and "stick."
Becky: So Korean people believe eating a sticky taffy will help you pass an exam.
Jaehwi: That’s right.

Outro

Becky: There you have it - two Korean superstitions! Are they similar to any of your country’s superstitions? Let us know in the comments!
Jaehwi: 안녕히 계세요. (annyeonghi gyeseyo)

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