Learn the superstitions about fan death and eating taffy
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| 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 |
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| 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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