외기러기. Lonely goose fathers. (part one can be located here) So we've already covered the topic of the students who go overseas but what about the families left behind? First and foremost, like the first discussion, this topic is quite broad and includes any number of scenarios. Also, the situation differs when the student studies abroad by themselves versus coming over with a family member or two. Having said that, here's a oft linked piece from the New York Times that introduces the topic nicely. It's warm and fuzzy. High temperature fuzziness aside, we typically think of the father left in Korea while the mother and children study abroad (if thinking about school-aged 유학생). These fathers continue to work in Korea while sending... Show more

Super Junior are gearing up to release the repackaged version of their third album SORRY, SORRY. It's being called 'Version C' since they know how to suck all your money out of you, and already released two different versions (different covers and booklets, same tracks) of the album back in March. This repackaged version though comes with a new photo concept, as well as four new songs. One of those songs is 너라고 (It's You), which will be promoted as their next single, now that SORRY, SORRY (the song, not the album) is ending it's run. It's written by E-Tribe, the composer behind the super catchy will-never-get-out-of-your-head Gee, by 소녀시대, as well as pop queen 이효리's U-Go-Girl. But fear not, because 너라고 (It's You) isn't cute... Show more

유학하다. Studying Abroad. (Part one of two) Where to begin? It's a detailed subject with more asterisks and mixed emotions than I care to write about. I leave it up to the professionals. What I am curious about is the sheer number of 유학생 and how the number is growing each year. And if you thought that this is a recent trend, think again. As you can imagine, the culture shock that ensues is pretty much on par with any weapon of mass destruction. I can think of few other cultures more polar opposite than America and Korea. When the students arrive in their new home, there's a developmental term that comes to mind: goodness of fit. Think of it. If a student always dreamed of a life of independence, self-reliance, individualism, and... Show more

The Month of May in Korea is often called Family Month. There's Children's Day, Parent's Day, and Teacher's Day. Korea takes Mother's Day to a whole different level! On these days you give your Children, Parents and Teachers gifts to show them how much you appreciate them. Children often benefit the most with candy and money being popular gifts. Teachers get quite a lot of gifts as well as they have many students and parents to receive gifts from. And that's why the month of May is called Family month in Korea! Well... did you learn something new about Korea? If you did, you'll be glad to know that you'll learn cultural tidbits in every single lesson at KoreanClass101.com! In every lesson, not only will you learn Korean that will... Show more

Are you a fan of Epik High? Over at KoME we're in the final stages of putting together a video shoutout for Epik High and MYK, consisting of videos, pictures, and messages from fans. You can participate in English, or in your native language. If you're interested in taking part, you can check out the project here. Submission deadlines are May 10th but if you really want to take part but need a few extra days then just email me and I'll wait for you. So, YG Entertainment have a new group. Marketed as the 'female Big Bang', 2NE1 first appeared not too long ago, promoting one of the new LG cellphones. The promotion campaign involved the catchy song Lollipop, which they performed with Big Bang, and an accompanying MV. Although I quite... Show more