Lithuanian students take their love for K-culture to the classroom

Diplomacy

Published: 15 Feb. 2023, 16:48 Updated: 16 Feb. 2023, 08:28

Lithuanian students take their love for K-culture to the classroom

Liuthanian students pose with their Korean language teacher Lee Jun-eon in a beginner-level Korean language program of the King Sejong Institute at Mykolas Romeris University on Feb. 7. [ESTHER CHUNG]

VILNIUS - The sun had set an hour earlier in Vilnius, but the day was far from over for a group of students huddled in a brightly lit classroom at Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania on Feb. 7.

They sat with a united purpose: to learn the language of their favorite actors and stars in Korea.

“How do you differentiate between simsimhaeyo and jiruhaeyo?” asked one student in the class.

In response, Lee Jun-eon, who is teaching the beginner-level class of some 10 students ranging from middle and high school to university students, used a recent Korean movie, “Decision to Leave” (2022), for context. From time to time, Lee also referred to lyrics of hit songs from boy band BTS to explain certain Korean expressions.

The students nodded their heads at such cultural references.

“Everything started when I watched the K-drama ‘True Beauty,’” said Victorja Tamulyte, a 17-year-old who travels an hour from home twice a week to attend the Korean language class run at the university.

Finishing the tear-jerking series only piqued her interest in finding a more permanent connection to Korea.

“I began hoping to at least be able to watch K-dramas without subtitles, but a bigger dream is to work in Korea,” she said.

A page of notes taken by a student during the Korean language class at Mykolas Romeris University on Feb. 7. [ESTHER CHUNG]

Tamulyte is one of around 200 students enrolled at the King Sejong Institute (KSI) at the university, taking the beginner to intermediate Korean language programs provided by the institute in cooperation with the Mykolas Romeris University and the Dongseo University in Busan.

The program launched in 2014 with just 30 students and one teacher, but quickly grew over the years as more students showed interest in learning the native language of their favorite pop artists and actors. Today it is one of the largest KSI programs in the region.

“Many enroll who have already been exposed to Korean culture and music,” said Lora Tamosiuniene, the director of the program since its infancy. “Registration for the Korean classes have been very active, the seats fill up within hours.”

The Korean language was among the seven most popular languages chosen by over 40 million users of Duolingo, a language-learning app, in 2022, and was considered to be one of the fastest growing languages in Brazil, France, Germany, India, and Mexico in recent years.

Some graduates of KSI have realized their dreams, like Violetta Lukoit.

A 22-year-old graduate of the university, Lukoit studied Korean for three years at KSI in Vilnius, during which time she was also able to experience life in Busan as an exchange student at Dongseo University.

She now works for Gwangcheon Nori, a Korean seaweed manufacturer based in Vilnius supplying over 20 countries in Europe.

“The Korea that I experienced was actually even better than the image I had about Korea from watching its dramas,” said Lukoit. “So to be able to work at a Korean company and use the language daily, it is more than I could have imagined when I first started learning.”

Violetta Lukoit during her semester as an exchange student in Busan. [VIOLETA LUKOIT]

The constant switch between Lithuanian and Korean can be difficult, as the two languages share almost nothing in common, but there may be more people like Lukoit in coming generations who can bridge the seemingly distant communities, said Lee, who has been teaching the Korean language across several continents including the Southeast Asia and Europe.

“For the generation who grew up in an environment where they can access Korean culture at any time through the Internet, the language has become an attractive language that is easy to access, and no longer a rare and mysterious language in the East,” Lee said.

“There is a visible increase in the number of students who have been exposed to the Korean language from their teenage years,” she added. “Even before I came to teach here a few years ago, Lithuanian students have been loving and studying the Korean language even when the Korean Embassy has yet to have its physical presence here.”

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]