K-pop, PSY를 포함한 많은 한국의 연예인들이 지금 세계무대를 주름잡고, 한국을 전세계에 알리고, 미국에서는 Billboard Chart에 1위를 차지하는 유사이래 최대의 위업을 이루고 있다.
문재인 대통령을 비롯한 한국의 정치꾼들은 과연 한국을 전세계에 알리는 애국자들일까?
그래서 정상회담을 핑계되고 가장 비싼 비행기인 747 전용기를 타고 다니고, 정치꾼들은 1등석을 타고 다닌다. 또 그들은 국민들의 혈세를 낭비하면서 여행을 하고와서는 국민들에게는 마치 대한민국이라는 나라를 외국에 홍보하고, 경제협력을 다 혼자하고 온것처럼 허풍들을 떠들어 대곤 한다.
이와는 비교되는, 이들 젊은 연예인들은 노래로 한국을 알리는것 만으로 끝나는게 아니고, 지금은 그들의 노래 열풍에 힘입어, 각국의 대학에서는 없었던 한국어학과를 개설하여, 많은 젊은 장래의 인재들이 한국어 배우기에 열중하고 있다는 뉴스가 가슴을 뭉클하게 하고 있다.
이들은 노래로, 한국홍보로 외화를 벌어들이고 있어, 경제성장에 앞잡이 역활을 한다고 할수 있겠다.
더욱히 요즘의 한국경제 상황을 보면, 이들 연예인들의 외국에서의 활동은 더 많이 돋보인다.
이들의 애국적 활동과 외화까지 벌어들이는 눈부신 활동을 보면서, 문통과 정치꾼들은 어떤 감정일까?
요즘은 심지어 시,군의회의원들까지도 외국연수를 간다고 들었다. 청와대 대통령부터 국회의원들 시,군의원들까지 명칭은 국빈방문, 경제협력 협의차라는 명칭을 부쳐, 혈세로 구경들을 다닌다.
"내가 살고 있는 도시에 몇년전 한국의 시의원 일행이 방문했었다. 이곳의 시장(Mayor)과 자매결연과 상호 경제교류를 하겠다는 거창한 계획을 교민들과의 만남에서 발표를 해서 기대를 했었는데, 막상 시장을 만나서는 기념사진 몇장 찍고, 그다음에 이어질 회담은 흐지부지 하는둥 마는둥 하고 시장실을 빠져 나왔었던 기억을 지금도 잊지않고 있다".라는 얘기를 남미 여행시 나를 안내해줬던 한국인 Tour Guide가 해준 말이 머리속에 지금도 자리하고 있다.
K-pop과 국위를 선양하는 연예인들 계속 열심히 활동해주시기를 기원드립니다.
한국의 정치꾼들은 이들 젊은이들의 애국적 국위선양에 자극을 좀 받으시고, 반성많이 했으면 한다.
지금 영국 Manchester에 거주하고 있는 지현씨는 탈북민이다. "Gangnam 스타일이 매우 인기가 있을때, 저의 아들은 당시 십대로 고등학교에 다니고 있었는데, 아들은 나에게 얘기하기를, 친구들과 어울려 강남스타일을 부르곤 했지만, 그노랫말의 뜻은 전연 알수 없었다"라고 지연씨는 설명한다. 많은 사람들이 한국말을 공부해서, 세계를 향해 외쳐댈때, 은둔의 북한을 바꿀수 있었으면 하는 바램을 얘기한다.
Korean is rapidly growing in popularity, in a language-learning boom driven by the popularity of the country's pop stars.
A
desire to learn the lyrics of K-Pop hits like Gangnam Style has boosted
the Korean language's popularity explode in countries like the US,
Canada, Thailand and Malaysia.A report by the Modern Language Association shows that Korean uptake in US universities rose by almost 14% between 2013 and 2016, while overall language enrolment was in decline.
The latest statistics show 14,000 students are learning Korean in the US, compared to only 163 two decades earlier.
The language learning website Duolingo launched a Korean course last year because of rising demand. It quickly attracted more than 200,000 pupils.
Rising demand in university
Professor Andre Schmid has seen a rapid rise at the University of Toronto, where he researches Korean history.When the university introduced a Korean class ten years ago, it had 30 students. Today it has 150 and an even longer waiting list.
It has seen similar increases in the numbers studying Korean history.
Prof Schmid says this has been driven by the popularity of Korean pop music and drama, and notes that the internet has brought the K-pop craze to the most unexpected places.
"Among my students I have a young woman who grew up in an isolated farm house in Grey County Ontario, but she chose the University of Toronto because she wanted to learn all about Korea," says Prof Schmid.
"That would never have happened 15 years ago. The phenomenon is enabled by the rise of YouTube, such that someone like her can have access to these cultural products in such remote places," he says.
The wave of popularity for South Korean culture is known as "Hallyu".
It began to spread outside of Korea in the 1990s and, today, K-pop bandslike BTS sell out stadia and top music charts around the world.
Big in Algeria
It has become so widespread that a UN aid agency uses K-pop as a conversation starter in a project which connects young refugees from the Middle East with western students over Skype.The Korean language is even starting to change the way foreign K-pop fans speak.
A survey of K-pop followers in Algeria found that most had started using Korean words and phrases in their daily conversation.
Last year, the government funded a new Institute for Korean Studies at George Washington University in the US.
"This type of centre may attract people who are interested in Korea because of pop culture at first, but they can also expose those students to other parts of Korean studies, including politics, trade, history, and more," says Jenna Gibson of the US-based think tank the Korea Economic Institute.
Difficult language
But K-pop fans should be beware that learning Korean is far from easy.A US state training agency on foreign affairs ranks Korean as one of the hardest languages for English native speakers.
Ji Hyun Park fled North Korea and now lives in Manchester in the UK, where she teaches English for the tutoring service Chatterbox.
"Different languages are used to speak to adults and children - words like "hello" and "goodnight" are different depending on whether you are speaking to a child or an adult," she says.
She says pronunciation is particularly difficult for English speakers, and that the lyrics sung by K-pop stars can confuse learners because they mix Korean and English together.
Ji Hyun has noticed an increase in the popularity of Korean culture in the UK.
"When Gangnam Style was popular, my son was a teenager in high school and told me that his friends were all singing it even though they didn't understand what the words meant," she said.
Will thousands of new Korean speakers around the world make any difference for isolated North Korea?
Ji Hyun, who was held in a labour camp in North Korea before she escaped and now campaigns against human rights abuses country, says it can only be a good thing.
""It is good that we are learning the Korean language so that in future when people meet North Koreans, they can understand more about what is happening inside North Korea," she said.
"And North Koreans can learn about what is happening outside their country."
More from Global education
- Putting death on the school timetable
- 'Don't mispronounce my name at graduation'
- Is Sara a "refugee" or a "future surgeon"?
- Hidden writing in ancient desert monastery manuscripts
- 10 things about Harvard graduates: Liberals, virgins and iPhones
- Hotter years mean worse exam results
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44770777
No comments:
Post a Comment