In recent years, with the growing global interest in Korean culture, Korean language institutes have integrated experiential education with classes in Korean crafts taught by authentic traditional craftsmen. These classes were previously taught in person but with the arrival of COVID-19, the classes have shifted to online instruction. This study aims to examine the perceptions and responses of these traditional craftsmen in reaction to this shift. The study begins with in-depth interviews of four traditional Korean craftsmen and analyzes them using qualitative case study methods. In the beginning of the pandemic, these craftsmen quickly lost most of their business. While it was clear that moving to online classes was a viable solution, for some the loss of quality in the teaching experience significantly decreased motivation to make the shift. Their attitudes toward online education were somewhat correlated with their level of strict adherence to traditional methods in producing their crafts. Their attitudes were also correlated with the degree to which these craftsmen saw themselves as teachers of craft technique versus simply offering a cultural experience for their students. The demand for online cultural experience education is expected to increase steadily regardless of the situation with COVID-19. Based on the results of this study and the apparent scarcity of craftsmen who fully embody the role of cultural instructor, it seems necessary to further research ways to augment these classes with more introduction and cultural instruction by the participating language institutes to put them in context and bring out their full value. (The Academy of Korean Studies)

This study explores the anxiety that Thai learners of Korean language encounter when speaking Korean by identifying the different factors that lead to Korean speaking anxiety in Thai learners with low-level, intermediate-level and high-level Korean proficiency. The factors are categorized into five types; communication apprehension, fear of teacher evaluation, fear of peer evaluation, anxiety related to practicing methods, and anxiety in Korean speaking class. After conducting a survey on 140 Thai learners of Korean language, the result suggests that low-level learners are not much affected by anxiety related to practicing methods, but rather significantly affected by communication apprehension, and highly affected by fear of teacher evaluation, peer evaluation and anxiety in Korean speaking class. On the other hand, the intermediate and high-level learners were found to have a high level of communication apprehension, but they are not much affected by fear of teacher evaluation, peer evaluation, anxiety related to practicing methods, and anxiety in Korean speaking class. Moreover, this study also measured the level of anxiety in each question that is related to each of the five factors. The findings substantiate the types of anxiety factors that really affected Thai learners of Korean language and suggest that these factors must be handled so that the anxiety of the learners will subside. (Ewha Womans University)

This study aims to examine the learner variables in Myanmar and India, which are countries with high potential for development among the new southern countries, and to examine learner characteristics that should be considered to expand the Korean language education market in Myanmar and India. To examine the learner variables, a survey was conducted on Korean learners in Myanmar and India, paying attention to the learner’s affective factors. Both Myanmar and India had a high demand for Korean language learning among young age groups. Many learners began to learn Korean with an interest in the Korean Wave. In Myanmar, learning objectives of Myanmar learners appear in various ways as hobbies, studying abroad programs, and employment. In India, there are many learners for hobby purposes. Students in both countries showed a high level of learning interest and learning satisfaction, and they also showed a high demand for modern Korean culture. Since learning objectives of Myanmar learners appear in various ways, this study suggested that it is necessary to develop Korean wave-related events and programs related to employment and study abroad. This study also suggested that it is necessary to create various educational contents, retrain teachers, and hold conferences to improve learning interest and learning satisfaction. In addition, it was suggested that India needs to actively utilize Korean wave cultural content in that there are many learners for hobby purposes. This study is expected to be used as a basis for expanding the Korean language education in Myanmar and India. (KyungHee University, KyungHee University)