K-Pop in the Classroom

Carleton’s first-ever Korean language instructor uses pop culture to help combat anti-Asian racism.

Did you know that Korean is in the top ten most studied languages on Duolingo, one of the world’s most popular apps for people trying to pick up a second or third tongue? Ranking seventh above Portuguese, Chinese and Hindi, Korean is gaining more and more international learners each year, despite being categorized as a difficult language for anglophones to learn thanks to its unique alphabet (called hangul) and subject-object-verb sentence structure.

This growing global excitement around Korean culture is what drives Carleton University Instructor and PhD Student Hyounjeong Yoo, a second language educator with nearly two decades of teaching experience.

Bringing Korean to Carleton

Before joining the School of Linguistics and Language Studies as an instructor in 2015, Yoo taught Korean in China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Germany. “During my years teaching abroad, I became very ambitious as I witnessed the incredible enthusiasm of students who had never before been exposed to Korean language and culture,” says Yoo.

After completing a contract with Tubingen University in Germany, she made the decision to move to Canada “like many other immigrants in search of a better future.” However, to her surprise and disappointment, none of the universities in Ottawa offered Korean classes, even though Korean was already a popular foreign language in Europe at that time.

The realization left her feeling obligated, “like a warrior ready for battle,” to promote Korean language and culture in Canada’s capital city.

Yoo emailed a few schools offering her services as a Korean language instructor. Within an hour of hitting send, she got a reply from Carleton University, and a one-year pilot program quickly evolved into a comprehensive series of courses ranging from beginner, intermediate, and advanced proficiency levels. Today, Korean is offered as one of the School of Linguistics and Language Studies’ many minor degree language programs.

The new ‘Korean Wave’

As Yoo recently wrote in an article for The Conversation, the Korean wave is “taking western audiences by storm” when it comes to film, music, television, e-sports, and more.

But beyond the undeniable entertainment of K-Pop bands and the cultural significance of celebrated film directors like Park Chan-wook, this new wave of Korean content is significant for how it provides healthy Asian representation and helps transcend racist stereotypes — in a moment where anti-Asian racism is rampant.

Yoo sees this first-hand in her students at Carleton, whose perspectives and interests around Korea and its language have evolved considerably over the past decade. “When I first began teaching Korean, most of my students were from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences,” says Yoo. “However, over time, I have noticed a clear change as students from a wider range of disciplines, including computer science and journalism, are now interested in learning Korean.”

These students tell her that they want to learn Korean to understand the lyrics to their favourite bands, follow their favourite Korean social media personalities, or enjoy e-sports streams and films without subtitles. Some even hope to travel to Korea to teach English as a second language.

“Korean popular culture, especially K-pop music, has gained significant popularity in recent years, leading to a surge of appreciation for Korean culture. Students develop a fascination with various aspects of Korean culture, such as dramas, films, fashion, and cuisine. By learning the language, they can engage more deeply with these aspects, fostering a greater sense of appreciation and understanding.”

Working with students has also helped Yoo think differently about her own identity. Initially imagining herself as a facilitator or mediator, helping students improve their language skills, she soon came to approach her role as a language instructor with a heightened sense of responsibility.

Witnessing transformations in the classroom

“In my classes, I have the privilege of teaching students from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds,” she explains. “One day, I decided to show a music video by the K-pop band BTS to introduce contemporary Korean culture to my students. To my surprise, the impact of the video went beyond my expectations, breaking down cultural and language barriers in a remarkable way.”

“I witnessed a beautiful transformation in the classroom. Students who had previously been quiet began chatting and connecting with each other as if they had known each other for a long time.”

According to Yoo, this moment reaffirmed the power of music as a universal language that brings people together and transcends cultural boundaries. She says that such moments can be particularly significant for East Asian students, some of whom feel a strong sense of pride and ownership around the accomplishments of K-pop artists.

For instance, she remembers how one student, a second-generation immigrant from Vietnam, expressed their deep gratitude towards BTS, explaining that while they felt marginalized in Canada due to their heritage and appearance despite being born here, BTS’s music and international recognition brought them a sense of “solace and healing.”

“This completely changed my perspective as a language instructor,” recalls Yoo. “I suddenly felt a tremendous responsibility, realizing that every action I take in the classroom can play a role in breaking down barriers between different groups.”

Another pivotal moment occurred when a student from a small, predominantly white town in New Brunswick told Yoo that exposure to Korean culture helped expand their worldview and made them more inclusive towards other cultures.

Yoo says these sorts of conversations are deeply impactful, reminding her of the importance of fostering connections, promoting cultural understanding, and nurturing an inclusive classroom environment.