I enjoy watching Korean movies and series on Netflix, mostly because the dramas are so way, way over the top (in a good way). Plus it’s fun to get a glimpse inside another culture, and their social structure seems much different from the US.
So while watching episode 5 of The Glory last night, I thought, “Why don’t I learn Korean, so I can follow along without the subtitles?”
How hard can it be?
Well, according to the US Foreign Service, it’s a Cat V:
Wait – it says you can learn Spanish in 24 weeks. I’ve been trying to learn it for decades! What gives?
So…. Korean…. Cat V. 88 weeks. 2200 hours. Luckily the Internet is full of other opinions….
Donovan Nagel has an interesting, blunt, and humorous perspective:
WLBOTT Word of the Day: Agglutination
Huh? Let’s try the kids’ definition:
Again, huh? What is language? Sometimes I wonder if I’m even mono-lingual.
Turns out there were a plethora of words from 1541:
Which begs the question: Prior to 1541, how did they establish a protocol to cast a dragnet for the skinny cannibals? Stupidity! Lunacy!
K-Drama: The Glory
The Dramatis personae of The Glory was a bit confusing for me., so here’s a handy reference chart (Character descriptions from Wikipedia – lightly edited to hide spoilers. Side-by-sides from Business Insider):
Song Hye-kyo as Moon Dong-eun
Jung Ji-so
as young Dong-eun
Lee Do-hyun
as Joo Yeo-jeong
A plastic surgeon who worked at the Seoul Joo General Hospital, where his mother is the director. He teaches Dong-eun Go.
Lim Ji-yeon
as Park Yeon-jin
Song Ji-woo as young Hye-jeong
A weather presenter at a television station.
Yeom Hye-ran
as Kang Hyeon-nam
A housekeeper who worked at the home of Semyeong Foundation’s president. She, along with her daughter, suffers from domestic violence perpetrated by her husband.
Park Sung-hoon as Jeon Jae-joon
Park Sung-hoon as young Jeon Jae-joon
The colour blind heir of a country club.
Jung Sung-il
as Ha Do-yeong
Yeon-jin’s husband and CEO of Jaepyeong Construction.
Kim Hieora as Lee Sa-ra
Bang Gang-hee as young Sa-ra
A member of the choir of a church led by her wealthy pastor father. Growing up, she developed a severe drug addiction and has a career as a famous abstract painter.
Cha Joo-young as Choi Hye-jeong
Song Ji-woo as young Hye-jeong
A flight attendant whose parents are owners of a dry cleaning shop.
Kim Gun-woo as Son Myeong-oh
Seo Woo-hyeok as young Myeong-oh
Growing up, without the connections or education afforded by financial privilege, he works as an errand boy for Jae-joon and a drug dealer for Sa-ra.
Jeon Soo-ah as Ahn Jung-mi
The school nurse at Sunghan High School. She was the only adult who supported Dong-eun at school.
