Daebak! Jjinja? Otteoke? Jamkkamanyo! Oneul? Gaja! Aja Chingu!! Saranghaeyo!!! These are words that you can hear, sounds to relate to, and s...
Daebak! Jjinja? Otteoke? Jamkkamanyo! Oneul? Gaja! Aja Chingu!! Saranghaeyo!!!
These are words that you can hear, sounds to relate to, and statements that make you feel excited! These are just short lines in every K-drama that we watch or even hear from our friends hit by the Korean wave.
How about these lines?
Hangungmareul hal su isseoyo?
Aniyo?
Geokjeong haji maseyo!
Got it? These lines mean:
Can you speak Korean?
No?
Don’t worry!
Yes, you don’t have to worry for there are many ways to learn the Korean language. If you are interested, you can join a Korean class for FREE!
Right! F-R-E-E! Free Korean class that's exclusive for Filipinos!
It is evident that many Filipinos want to learn hangeul (한글), the official language of South Korea, not only because of being K-pop or K-drama enthusiasts but also for employment. Before you can land a job in South Korea, passing the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) is one of the requirements.
Meet Joshua Cho, who can help you with your journey in learning the Korean language.
His real name is Cho Sung Hyuk, popularly known as Joshua Cho - ang Koreanong may pusong Pilipino (a Korean with a Filipino heart). He is a pure South Korean, a pastor, an educator, a youth advocate, an interpreter, a language instructor, and a content creator. He is currently working as International Relations Manager at International Youth Fellowship (IYF). IYF is a global non-profit organization dedicated to your spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth. It is also one of the biggest and largest youth organizations around the world. His family currently resides in Davao city Philippines, and Mr. Cho is presently in Incheon, Korea. For more information about him, watch this GMA documentary:
Korean classes with Joshua Cho
Mister Joshua Cho is the man leading this free Korean language online class. He started the Korean classes when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020 when many things have shifted digitally, and many people were stuck at home. He wanted to make his quarantine life meaningful and memorable, so, he thought of doing something productive.
He grew up in the Philippines and stayed here with his family since he was young. So he knows very well the heart of Filipinos. He has been teaching the Korean language in many schools and universities for more than three years. He also participates in voluntary classes in the community.
In his many years of teaching Korean, he thought of doing it for free. He is aware that Korean Hallyu is trending worldwide. A lot of people love K-drama, K-pop, K-food, and K-culture. Moreover, he noticed that many Filipinos want to learn the Korean language, but they are struggling in learning it.
Korean classes are usually taught or recorded in English, so Mr. Cho and his team decided to do it in Tagalog because that will help Filipinos in understanding the Korean language better. He first started the free Korean class online on September 17, 2020. There are more than 70,000 Filipino students, and still counting, who want to take his class.
The objectives of the Korean classes with Joshua Cho are to help and motivate many Filipinos who want to learn the Korean language and culture and to provide the best quality Korean language sessions that will give hope and inspiration to learners in reaching their goals.
His team is doing its best to make it easy and fun to give the students a meaningful learning journey.
Mister Cho's motto in life is: “Living for the others is the life worth living." Seeing the smiles on the faces of his students motivates him to guide them more.
“Truly, I can say that living for others and spending my time and knowledge for others make my every single time precious. I've learned from my parents and my mentors in life that the best thing that can make my life happy is when I live my life, not for myself but for others. And truly, I witness the happiness and joy while teaching the Korean language to many Filipinos. So even after the pandemic, I want to be an inspiration to many people to deliver the hope and joy that I learned and experience,” Mr. Cho said.
The hard work and dedication of Mr. Cho to serve the Filipino people certainly show that he is the "Koreanong may pusong Pilipino."
Here are his pieces of advice for people who want to learn Korean:
- Be certain of your purpose and reason for studying so you can pour your heart and effort into studying.
- Master the Korean alphabet which is the basic foundation for you to learn the language.
- Practice speaking what you have listened to or learned.
- Write all the characters you see and learn.
- Watching Korean dramas and listening to Korean songs can help you learn Korean expressions.
How often are the Korean classes held?
The team holds classes once a week, with different batches and levels. There is a class for the basic, one for the intermediate, and one for an advanced class at different times and schedules.
How many students does each class accommodate?
The team can accommodate one thousand people in a class via Zoom. Others can join by viewing the YouTube live.
Who helps Sir Joshua in conducting the class?
The free Korean classes are made possible with the help of many volunteers. In every batch, they recruit volunteers to help in managing and monitoring the class.Registration is still ongoing for Batch 6! Join now! You can access the social pages below for more info:
(photo credit: Joshua Cho)
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