KoreanClass101.com Blog

여러분! Dear all our podcast listeners and blog readers.  :) Great news! Our blog, this KoreanClass101 Blog has been nominated for the Most Helpful Blogs to Expats, 2008 for the Golden Klog Awards ! Go to this page to find out more about Golden Klog Awards, and if you think the KoreanClass101 Blog has been helpful, please vote for us here. Thank you!!

I know, I know. I promised last week that I'd come with some hiphop today. But there's something else I want to write about today instead. I've been a fan of FT 아일랜드 or FT Island since their debut. They're a five member boyband - and by band, I mean an actual band. They don't all sing and dance - they actually play their instruments, and generally suck pretty bad at dancing. There's 이홍기 on vocals, 최종훈 on guitar, 이재진 on bass, 최민환 on drums, and 오원빈 on guitar and backing vocals/'rap', and my favourite. They debuted in 2007 and since then they've released two albums and repackages, and a Japanese mini album and single, as well as performing songs on a couple of drama OSTs. The above is the first single, 사랑후애, from their second album... Show more

Korean Reading Practice for Beginners #3 is here! You can practice pronouncing some combinations of consonants and vowels using this video. If you can't watch the video, please click the following link.

설날 is where it's at. Hey, it wouldn't be KoreanClass101 without a culture class on this holiday. You might be wondering why this new year is not on the same day as our traditional new years party in the West. Because just like all other complicated math concepts in Korea, this holiday is based on the lunar calendar and not the solar calendar. The solar calendar is what we receive in the mail for free from the ASPCA and the like. The lunar calendar is what changes from year to year. Here's a 2009 list of solar and lunar holidays in Korea. So, if it seems like Koreans were late to your New Years party by a few weeks, that's the problem. Plus, solar new year is not as big of a deal in many Asian countries, not just Korea (excluding... Show more

Korean Reading Practice for Beginners #2 is here! You can practice pronouncing the basic vowels in Korean using this video. If you can't watch the video, please click the following link.