THE interest for all things Korean — from dramas to pop music, cuisine and food—continues to surge. In Malaysia, the craze for Korean pop culture, known as the “Korean wave” or Hallyu, began with the hit drama Winter Sonata on TV3 in August 2002.
The craze can be divided into three stages ― the spread of Korean serials and movies between 2002 and 2007, followed by the rise of K-pop bands comprising pretty boys and girls like Exo, Big Bang and Girls’ Generation in 2008, and introduction of Korean elements in computer games, animation, history and traditional arts.
Thanks to Hallyu, Malaysians from all walks of life, especially young ones, are taking the effort to learn the Korean language.
With the growing number of Korean-language speakers in the country, the King Sejong Institute at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Malaysia-Korea Research Centre at University of Malaya have recently co-organised the 13th Korean Speech Contest 2018 at Dewan Perdana in UKM’s Faculty of Social Science and Humanities.
Twenty-four finalists, comprising secondary school students, undergraduates and young adults, spoke their hearts out to win top prizes in three categories — Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.
The participants started learning Korean on their own not because they were hooked on dramas, K-pop and kimchi, but because of their love and passion for the language.
Grand prize winner Raja Zarin Raja Mudzaffar Shah, 26, said she sat for the TOPIK (Test Of Proficiency In Korean) exam last year, but unlike MUET (Malaysian University English Test), the exam didn’t have a speaking section, which she had the most confidence in.
“So I figured this speech contest can somehow rate my speaking skills. I first joined this contest in 2013 and made it into the final. But I didn’t win anything due to lack of experience and knowledge.
“I was practically reading my script without understanding the content. Thank God, I won this year and am so proud to see my own improvements in five years.”
Raja Zarin, who is working at Schneider Electric Industries (M) Sdn Bhd, said she plans to learn the language until she can use it in her work.
“As of now, I can only write and understand simple emails. I need to understand the business terms and sentences.
“I am actually a graduate in food service technology. Nowadays, Korean food is gaining popularity. So I am hoping that one day, I can help Korean food companies and restaurants venture into the halal market. This will help Muslims enjoy Korean food.”
She won a scholarship for a 10-week Korean language course at Ewha University in Seoul and a round ticket to South Korea, besides a trophy and certificate.
Basic category best speaker Nur Haniem Haron Khan, 18, said she joined the competition to gain experience, make friends and polish her speaking skills.
“It is curiosity and passion that brought me here. I want to learn everything about the Korean language that can help me in future, maybe up to the point that I can translate it with ease.
“Since I’m majoring in science and technology, I hope I can work in a company in Korea so I can bring back the knowledge I learnt to Malaysia,” said the Intec Education College student.
Present were South Korea ambassador to Malaysia Dr Toh Kyung Hwan, UKM deputy vice-chancellor (industry & community partnerships) Professor Datuk Dr Imran Ho Abdullah and King Sejong Institute director Professor Ryu Seung.
Besides the competition, the audience was captivated by the song Arirang (a Korean folk song) and other melodies sang by the Sekolah Seri Puteri choir, and a “Taekwonmu” show, (a combination of Taekwondo with dance and acrobatic moves) performed by SMK Bukit Sentosa 2 students.
Imran said UKM had seen an increase of students enrolling in its Korean language classes.
“There are two main reasons we learn the language. First as an instrument or communication tool, the second to integrate the process of understanding the culture, and the balance of both is good for mastering a language.”
Ryu said his institute hopes to play a role in helping UKM become a hub for Korean culture and language education.
“Language is the first step towards understanding a culture. And there are many benefits in knowing different languages.
“Knowing an extra language is always an asset. Many companies offer higher salaries to employees who know an additional language.
“To enhance the language learning experience, scholarships are given out to contest winners to study Korean in Korean universities,” he said.
Amy Amira Arizal, who won top spot in the Advanced category, said it was an amazing experience to speak the language in public.
“It makes everything more daunting in a way. But with encouragement from my family, friends and teachers, I gave my best and I’m glad I did it.
“I put a lot of effort to learn the language on my own because classes were scarce back then. And even if they exist, it would cost a fortune,” said the UKM linguistics student.
Norshahana Mohd Arifin, 24, also a UKM undergraduate, said one way to conquer her stage fright was to gain as much experience as possible.
With the support from her Korean teachers, Kim In Young and Song Chae Min, she was crowned the first prize winner in the Basic category, which brushed off her insecurity and anxiousness.
“My parents are my biggest supporters because they gave me money to pursue my hobby and interest,” she said.
ViTrox Technologies business development engineer Cheong Chi Herng, 23, had been studying the Korean language for the past four years simply because he loved the beautiful intonations and pronunciations.
He became interested when he first watched a television show entitled Family Outing. But he was frustrated as he couldn’t understand the dialogue.
“I started learning Korean during my first year in Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, and whenever I spoke the language, I felt excited and happy.
“Over the years, I fell deeper in love with it,” said Cheong, who won the top prize in the Intermediate category.
He also received a scholarship to pursue a Korean language course in South Korea.