KoreanClass101.com Blog

Korean age. I love this topic. It's fitting too, because a few days ago everyone just got a year older. Plus that Brad Pitt movie made me think about crazy age systems. But before I get into this, I'll have to apologize for beating a dead horse. This topic has been covered in countless blogs, forums, and usually tops a beginner's guide to Korean culture. Of course, the good people here at KC101 covered this topic in Culture Class #4. So, why is it so hard to understand sometimes? And more importantly why break the mold? Why does Korea differ in how age is recorded? First off, I'd like to volunteer a piece of something personal. I am discalculic. I don't get along with numbers. So, even the "normal" western system provides plenty... Show more

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from everyone here at KoreanClass101.com! We're grateful to have listeners just like you, and we're eagerly waiting for the upcoming year to learn Korean together! And when the New Year comes around, be sure to make a resolution to study Korean with KoreanClass101.com! Have a healthy and happy holiday season. From Keith, Hyunwoo, Seol, Minkyong, Mihyun and the whole KoreanClass101.com team!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

태극기.  Not the brilliant movie made back in 2004, but the national flag of South Korea. The name comes from the 태국 circle found in the middle of the flag. Take note of the yin-yang circle and how it flows counterclockwise and is horizontally aligned; as opposed to the vertically aligned clockwise Taoist symbol. Koreans have a unique interpretation of the symbol, in particular. However, one unifying theme between the Chinese and Korean symbol is "balance". Below is a specific breakdown and interpretation of symbols: Below is a collection of previous versions of the flag. Note the eight trigrams instead of the modern four. I guess even back then Koreans were cutting corners in the name of efficiency (joking!). It is interesting to... Show more

Hi all, 현우 here. We've made a new video to help beginners improve their Korean reading skills. This video is the first one of the five in the series. Hope you'll enjoy watching it, and repeating after the sounds! And be sure to subscribe to the KoreanClass101 Youtube Channel as well so you can get the new videos as soon as they're updated ^^ Thank you!