Online Education

As a continuation on my last article on learning the Korean language I would like to add another more entertaining resource to your toolbox. Seemingly a staple in almost all Asian entertainment the drama series holds millions of Koreans on the edge of their seats each week.

Similiar to the American soap opera, Korean dramas offer a large amount of spoken word training. Don’t get excited though, these are not your typical soap operas. They differ from their American counterparts in many ways.

• Production value tends to be higher.
• Limited runs - most shows tend to be 10-16 episodes long.
• Cultural differences.

So how do I get these you ask? First a short disclaimer. While downloading anything you do not own is wrong, media that is not licensed for sale in the country you are in seems to be the least of the FBIs worries. These shows are not available in the United States and most are subtitled by fans. The companies that make them never intend to sell them here. The legality if this is quite gray in my opinion. That said I can point you to a few resources that will help you get started.

• Kdrama wiki - is a site that catalogs and categorizes all the Korean dramas that are popular (maybe all of them I have no way to know)
•  Drama AddictsForum - Will fill all of your drama needs. Use the wiki to find something you like then come here and see if it is available. The community is nice and helpful.

There are also quite a few world renowned Korean films that you can grab from your favorite torrent site. I’m not going to link these here as a lot of the popular movie titles are copyrighted in the U.S. A great resource to find korean movies you would like to see is HanCinema . A few of the titles I own:

• Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (복수는 나의 것)
• Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (친절한 금자씨)
• 3-Iron (빈집)
• A Bittersweet Life (달콤한 인생)

There are many many more good Korean flicks out there. I have watched HUNDREDS and just like any country many of them are crappy. If I get any response or questions about it I will post a more comprehensive list.

Using cinema and television shows to help your language is a fun and effective exercise. Thank you all for reading and e-mailing me about my past posts. I look forward to continued participation.

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