Learn Korean with new KBS World Radio book

KBS World Radio, the overseas broadcasting branch of the Korean Broadcasting System, has published a 244-page conversation textbook for people who want to study the Korean language.

“Let’s Learn Korean,” the fourth language lesson project by KBS World Radio, is the nation’s first multilingual Korean language conversation guidebook.

The text of the book is in ten different languages including English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French, Spanish, Arabic and Vietnamese, among others. The book is designed mostly for beginners and those at the intermediate level.

It targets foreign residents and multicultural families living in Korea, as well as Korean immigrants around the world.

Let’s Learn Korean is comprised of 20 lessons that introduce different situations in airports, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, department stores and popular tourist sites in the country.

Kim Hyuk-dong, a producer in the English news service department of KBS World Radio, said that one of the strong points of the textbook is that it provides everyday examples of dialogue that visitors and residents often will use.

“People studying the language can learn basic expressions through this book,” he said. “Visitors coming to Korea can use those expressions starting the moment they arrive at the airport in Korea.”

Each lesson includes vocabulary practice as well as a section that introduces Korean culture and the country’s lifestyle.

A CD recording that contains voices by KBS anchormen is included with the book. KBS officials say it is a helpful tool to learn pronunciation and improve listening comprehension skills.

“With the accompanying CD, students can practice repeating after each word or sentence. The textbook can therefore be especially useful to those who are trying to learn Korean on their own,” Kim said.

In a press release, the radio station said that it expects the book will “help enhance the communication capabilities of foreigners visiting the nation and help the globalization of the Korean language and culture.”

Let’s Learn Korean is being distributed for free at certain Korean embassies abroad and Korean language institutions as well as through KBS World Radio.

The contents of the book and the audio recordings are also available at the KBS World Radio Web site (http://world.kbs.co.kr).