I first encountered Korean culture during high school in the late 2000s, when it was a period where Korean dramas and music was starting to gain popularity in Singapore. Many Singaporeans started to consume more Korean pop culture content, which was available on national TV then, and basic Korean classes started to become more popular. One of the first K-dramas that caught my attention was “Princess Hours”, and it played an important role in my interest in Korean content. Thus, I enrolled myself in one of the courses in a community centre near where I lived, and my Korean journey started since then.
After completing basic Korean classes, I visited Seoul for a month in 2013 for leisure, and instantly fell in love with the beautiful country. It was one of the most memorable trips that I had in my 20s, as I could experience both the modern and historical areas in Seoul. I visited many areas during my stay in Seoul, including popular tourist areas such as Dongdaemun, Myeongdong and Olympic Park. Many Koreans whom I met were very friendly, even though my Korean skills were not very good at that time.
After the trip, I became more determined to continue my Korean language journey. I continued my Korean language classes in private language schools in Singapore. Singapore Korean International School (SKIS) was one of the schools that provided Korean classes, and I attended classes there for some time. In 2018, SKIS had a scholarship opportunity for its students to apply for a semester of Korean Language class in Korea, and I applied immediately. After a round of interviews with the SKIS teachers, I managed to get the scholarship and completed a 10-week Korean language course in Puyong National University (PKNU), which is located in Busan. The teachers were very professional and knowledgeable, and they helped my to obtain level 5 in the Test of Korean Proficiency (TOPIK) in November 2018.
Fast forward to today, I am a final year student in Pusan National University (PNU) majoring in International Trade, and it is my fourth year living in Busan. Since 2021, I was able to participate in various activities and visit many parts of Korea throughout my college life. I was able to gain a lot of experience and meet many new people along the way. Studying in Korea has helped me to immerse myself in the Korean culture, because I was able to meet and interact with many Korean students in my classes.
Recently, international students and foreign residents in Korea can participate in many activities and programmes that promote Korean culture and tourism, where they get to share their experiences in Korea through various social media. Through such activities and programmes, I was able to use social media to promote Korean culture, tourism and tertiary education in Korea, which are very popular in many countries recently. More and more students from all over the world are interested in getting into universities in Korea, due to the increasing popularity of Korean pop culture. I am honoured that I am part of the community that promotes Korean language and culture currently.
My Korean journey has been a special journey as I am able to get involved in the Global K-wave and contribute in spreading the global wave of Hallyu content. Hopefully, my journey would encourage others to pursue their dreams to become a Hallyu enthusiast and K-Holic as well!
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