KF뉴스레터-[KF Mailbox] From a Korean Language Classroom in Thailand

[KF Mailbox] From a Korean Language Classroom in Thailand

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From a Korean Language Classroom in Thailand

Sunyoung Kim, Visiting Professor
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Chulalongkorn University is located in the hot center of Bangkok. The school was founded in 1917 in memory of King Chulalongkorn. Boasting over 100 years of history and numerous talented students from all across Thailand, the university is one of the most prestigious institutes of higher learning that many Thai youth aspire to enter. Students and tourists alike enjoy walking around the campus, which is known for the quiet, relaxed atmosphere evoked by its temple-style buildings. The area surrounding the school is a vibrant haven for Thai youth that is as dynamic as Seoul’s Hongdae neighborhood.

When I first arrived at Chulalongkorn University four years ago, I was curious about how students of this prominent school were learning Korean. Now, four years later, many people frequently ask me the same question. I have heard that the Korean language was first adopted as a Faculty of Arts subject in 1988 and became offered as a minor in 2008. In 2018, the Korean Studies Department was established and has since produced two groups of graduates. Currently, about 120 students are majoring in Korean. Although the department is relatively young, the number of Korean majors indicate that the subject has grown to be one of the most popular majors in the Faculty of Arts.

Students’ Korean levels are also improving every year. Four years ago, many students only began learning Korean for the first time after enrolling in the university. However, the number of first-year students studying Korean as a second language in high school has gradually increased over the years and now most new students command an intermediate level of Korean fluency. The department is therefore revising its curriculum to accommodate such changes, broadening its scope of education from mere language learning to include theoretical and practical Korean education, as well as interpretation and translation. Whenever I meet enthusiastic first-year students, looking confident and fresh in their white ironed university uniform shirts as they brave the hot weather, I think to myself, “Are there any students better than them?” From time to time, I ask my students what Korea means to them and, laughing aloud, they say words like “fun,” “happiness,” and “joy.” It may be quite natural for them to respond like that as they have grown up watching Korean TV shows, listening to Korean music, following Korean fashion trends, and eating Korean food. The kindhearted students turn quite serious once their classes begin. They nod along to stories about the Korean War, shed tears upon learning the sad parts of Korean history, and sigh as they are informed of Korea’s social problems that are often similar to those of Thailand. While interacting with these students, I often feel as if I were in a Korean classroom.

In addition to regular classes, the Korean Studies Department at Chulalongkorn University jointly operates a comprehensive Korean language education program with the KF and the Korean Education Center in Thailand. A year passes in the blink of an eye as we conduct all these educational programs and cultural events. Sometimes, I am too tied up in preparation for certain events to pay proper attention to each and every one of my 40 students and I feel frustrated when leaving the classroom. Still, I am confident that these students currently studying Korean will open doors to a bright future thanks to the zeal that carries them to school in spite of Bangkok’s traffic jams, intense heat, and heavy rainfall. Today too, as I watch my students leaving the classroom, I send good wishes and cheer them on from my heart.