| Understanding Korean Dramas Part 2 |
IMPORTANT BIRTHDAYS
The first and 60th birthdays are the
most important for Koreans. The first
birthday is celebrated by placing the
child, dressed in traditional Korean
clothes, in front of a table with food
and objects. The child is urged to
pick up one of the objects.
Depending on which object the child
selects, one supposedly can foretell
the child's future. For example, if the
child picks up money, he will be rich.
If he picks up a book, he will be a
scholar. If he picks up food, he will
be a government official.
The 60th birthday represents the
completion of a zodiac cycle and is
celebrated by family members offering
the birthday person food, drink and
best wishes for a long life.
BECKONING
To signal someone to come using hand
motions, Koreans point their palm
downward (instead of upwards) and
then motion their fingers like we do.
Japanese also point their palm
downward when beckoning.
KOREAN LANGUAGE
The Korean language uses the Hangul
alphabet, which now consists of 24
letters (10 vowels and 14 consonants).
The vowels and consonants are
combined to make syllables. Syllables
usually have at least 2, but no more
than 4, letters.
Non-Koreans who read the English
subtitles of Korean dramas will usually
not be able to detect the style of
Korean being spoken in the drama.
From time to time, however, one
character in the drama will tell another
character not to speak so formally or
that it is okay to speak informally.
That is because there are four styles of
speech in Korean: formal, informal
polite, informal and intimate.
--The FORMAL style is used when a
high level of respect must be shown
and when men speak to strangers.
--The INFORMAL POLITE style is
used by people who know each other,
but still need to show respect due to
age or social status, and when women
and young people speak to strangers.
--The INFORMAL style is used by
people who know each other, but are
not close friends or where there is a
slight age difference.
--The INTIMATE style is used
between siblings, spouses, close
friends and associates of the same age
or younger.
The first and 60th birthdays are the
most important for Koreans. The first
birthday is celebrated by placing the
child, dressed in traditional Korean
clothes, in front of a table with food
and objects. The child is urged to
pick up one of the objects.
Depending on which object the child
selects, one supposedly can foretell
the child's future. For example, if the
child picks up money, he will be rich.
If he picks up a book, he will be a
scholar. If he picks up food, he will
be a government official.
The 60th birthday represents the
completion of a zodiac cycle and is
celebrated by family members offering
the birthday person food, drink and
best wishes for a long life.
BECKONING
To signal someone to come using hand
motions, Koreans point their palm
downward (instead of upwards) and
then motion their fingers like we do.
Japanese also point their palm
downward when beckoning.
KOREAN LANGUAGE
The Korean language uses the Hangul
alphabet, which now consists of 24
letters (10 vowels and 14 consonants).
The vowels and consonants are
combined to make syllables. Syllables
usually have at least 2, but no more
than 4, letters.
Non-Koreans who read the English
subtitles of Korean dramas will usually
not be able to detect the style of
Korean being spoken in the drama.
From time to time, however, one
character in the drama will tell another
character not to speak so formally or
that it is okay to speak informally.
That is because there are four styles of
speech in Korean: formal, informal
polite, informal and intimate.
--The FORMAL style is used when a
high level of respect must be shown
and when men speak to strangers.
--The INFORMAL POLITE style is
used by people who know each other,
but still need to show respect due to
age or social status, and when women
and young people speak to strangers.
--The INFORMAL style is used by
people who know each other, but are
not close friends or where there is a
slight age difference.
--The INTIMATE style is used
between siblings, spouses, close
friends and associates of the same age
or younger.
| The Jang Family from the MBC weekend drama, Mothers and Sisters |
| Copyright 2001 - 2007 KoreanWiz.org All rights reserved. |
TV NETWORKS
Korean television broadcasting started
in 1956. Today, there are five
Korean-language TV networks
(non-cable):
--KBS1 (Korean Broadcasting
System) - no commercials are shown
on this network.
--KBS2 (Korean Broadcasting
System)
--MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting
Company)
--SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System)
--EBS (Educational Broadcasting
System)
Korea also has many cable TV
stations.
KOREAN MONEY
South Korean currency is called won.
The symbol for won is a capital W
with 2 horizontal lines across it. Since
the won symbol is not available on this
website, I am using W instead.. Bills
are available in denominations of
W1,000, W5,000 and W10,000.
Coins are available for W1, W5,
W10, W50, W100 and W500. As of
April 4, 2001, one US $1.00 equals
W1,369.
NO TIPPING
Tipping is not practiced by native
Koreans in Korea. However, tourists
are expected to tip for tourist-related
servies (for example, travel guides
expect to receive a tip from foreign
tourists). In tourist hotels, a
mandatory 10% service charge is
common.
EASY MONEY
The South Korean government will
pay you W1,000,000 to W5,000,000
for each North Korean spy you report.
HOMES
Due to the freezing winter climate,
most Korean homes do not have
many windows or doors. Ondol, a
heat-radiating network of pipes under
the floor, is used to warm certain
rooms in the house. Originally, ondol
involved circulating exhaust fumes
from the kitchen range through flues
under the floor. However, since
carbon monoxide poisoning could
occur if cracks developed in the floor,
modern ondol systems instead pump
hot water through the pipes to heat the
floors.
Since heat emanates from the floors
using ondol, Koreans sit and sleep on
the floor to take advantage of the
warmth. Traditionally, the floors are
covered with lacquered paper which
turns yellow with age. Nowdays, the
floors are covered with linoleum, and
oil (rather than charcoal) heaters are
used to heat the water.
Read more about ondol in a 11/10/05
Korea Times article at:
times.hankooki.
com/lpage/culture/200511/kt2005111
01
9031211690.htm.
For articles about Korean culture and
customs, click here.
Korean television broadcasting started
in 1956. Today, there are five
Korean-language TV networks
(non-cable):
--KBS1 (Korean Broadcasting
System) - no commercials are shown
on this network.
--KBS2 (Korean Broadcasting
System)
--MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting
Company)
--SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System)
--EBS (Educational Broadcasting
System)
Korea also has many cable TV
stations.
KOREAN MONEY
South Korean currency is called won.
The symbol for won is a capital W
with 2 horizontal lines across it. Since
the won symbol is not available on this
website, I am using W instead.. Bills
are available in denominations of
W1,000, W5,000 and W10,000.
Coins are available for W1, W5,
W10, W50, W100 and W500. As of
April 4, 2001, one US $1.00 equals
W1,369.
NO TIPPING
Tipping is not practiced by native
Koreans in Korea. However, tourists
are expected to tip for tourist-related
servies (for example, travel guides
expect to receive a tip from foreign
tourists). In tourist hotels, a
mandatory 10% service charge is
common.
EASY MONEY
The South Korean government will
pay you W1,000,000 to W5,000,000
for each North Korean spy you report.
HOMES
Due to the freezing winter climate,
most Korean homes do not have
many windows or doors. Ondol, a
heat-radiating network of pipes under
the floor, is used to warm certain
rooms in the house. Originally, ondol
involved circulating exhaust fumes
from the kitchen range through flues
under the floor. However, since
carbon monoxide poisoning could
occur if cracks developed in the floor,
modern ondol systems instead pump
hot water through the pipes to heat the
floors.
Since heat emanates from the floors
using ondol, Koreans sit and sleep on
the floor to take advantage of the
warmth. Traditionally, the floors are
covered with lacquered paper which
turns yellow with age. Nowdays, the
floors are covered with linoleum, and
oil (rather than charcoal) heaters are
used to heat the water.
Read more about ondol in a 11/10/05
Korea Times article at:
times.hankooki.
com/lpage/culture/200511/kt2005111
01
9031211690.htm.
For articles about Korean culture and
customs, click here.
Recommended books on learning
Korean:
Korean:
If you want a more comprehensive
approach to learning Korean, here are
textbook series used to teach Korean
at the university level:
approach to learning Korean, here are
textbook series used to teach Korean
at the university level:
The Integrated Korean textbook series
is used at the University of Hawaii.
The audio exercises for the different
levels are available online at:
www.hawaii.edu/uhpress/real
audio/klear/.
is used at the University of Hawaii.
The audio exercises for the different
levels are available online at:
www.hawaii.edu/uhpress/real
audio/klear/.