5 Steps That Inspired Me To Start Loving Korea

*A post I wrote for a competition but didn't win, so re-posting up here*

Malaysians are a very united race. Regardless we're Malay, Chinese, Indian, Sabahan, Sarawakian etc, when it comes to supporting Korean culture and Kpop music, you'll see we all speak in one language, and that one phrase we'll always chant - "SARANGHAE!".

It's not hard to get a Malaysian to love Korea. It took 5 steps to inspire me to start loving Korea:

STEP 1: KOREAN DRAMAS SHOWED ME THE BEAUTY OF KOREA

It is through K-dramas that most of us came to know more about Korea, the country itself. I was particularly attracted to how beautiful it is and I appreciate how the Korean filming crew always fight to get us the best scenery ever!

"Coffee Prince" drama got me to know that Hong Ik is a very artistic area where youngsters hangout for clubs, foods, and fashion. When I was there myself, it was indeed a very happening and lively place. Walk up the streets and you'll be able to find all kinds of fashion stores and appetizing foods on your left and right; not to mention the artistic graffitis on the walls as well as the designs of each and every shops.

Hong Ik, inspired by Coffee Prince

Watching "IRIS" drama also brought me to wow at how marvellous Han Gang river is during the day and in the night. Han Gang, or more known as "Han River" is a place where Korean couples love to date, and Korean families love to hang out. A place which is called Han Gang park, near Yeouinaru, is a place where Koreans love spend time during the summer either cycling or dipping inside the manmade streams.

Han Gang & Han Gang Park, inspired by IRIS

Drama of the year 2010 "City Hunter" showed us how beautiful is this hidden gem called Riverview 8th Street, an observatory situated below Gwangjingyo Bridge. This was portrayed as the office of Jin-Pyo in City Hunter drama. If you would like to enjoy free jazz or other music performances, feel free to drop by. I personally enjoyed a great Jazz performance!

Riverview 8th Street, inspired by City Hunter 

Idol drama "You're Beautiful" never failed to show us how pretty Seoul's shopping heaven - Myeong Dong is! I've always wanted to shop till I drop at Myeong Dong and I really did it when I was in Korea. Up trend fashion styles, yummy street foods that you cannot resist, and also the everflowing free samples you get whenever you enter a store! Myeong Dong is a shopping heaven for everything pretty for every girls, and also guys!

Myeong Dong, inspired by You're Beautiful drama

Hit drama in 2003 "All In" surprised me with the natural beauty of Jeju Island! The All In house at Seopjikoji was lovely and cosy, and at another part of Jeju you'll find Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak), which is a UNESCO heritage, always packed with visitors who were there for the beauty of nature. The Cheonjiyeon (God's pond) is also a pretty landmark where a lot of dramas and commercials are being filmed there. Head to the west side of Jeju you'll find a calming Hyeopjae beach with lots of seaweed!

Jeju Island, inspired by All In Drama

STEP 2:  KOREAN LANGUAGE TAUGHT ME MORE ABOUT KOREA CULTURE

Through Korean dramas, I was fascinated by the Korean language, particularly two words:

Korean language is fascinating. It has the formal language, informal language, and the polite language. I then got to know that adding a "-yo" behind every ending of a sentence means being polite; and ending a sentence with "-nida" is a formal language. 

Not long after, I started to pick up the Korean language and I learned that what kind of sentence endings you use actually sort of shows your relationship with that person. Close friends usually speaks "pan-mal" which means informal language without the "yo"s; and newly met friends with the same age usually add "yos" to every sentence making them sound like they are rapping; while speaking to adults always use the ending "-nida", especially during work.I loved the language so much so that I actually created my own flash cards to share with Korean language lovers around me!

Sharing a few useful Korean phrases for you to use in Korea:

Anyonghasaeyo: Hello!

Otteoke Kayo?: How to get there?

Odieyo?: Where is it?

Olmaeyo?: How much is it?

Kamsahamnida!: Thank you!

I was inspired by the beauty of the language and I passed the TOPIK beginner exam!

STEP 3:  DELICIOUS KOREAN FOOD MADE ME CONTENTED

From watching drama and getting inspired by their beautiful scenery, to picking up the Korean language, it led me to Step 3 - to appreciate all kinds of Korean food Korea has!

From healthy Kim Chi which is actually made from fermented cabbage mixed with spicy sauce, to the welknown mixed rice with vegetable known as Bi Bim Bap - Korea never fail to surprise me with their variety of food! My favourite is Sam Gye Tang which is Chicken boiled in Ginseng Soup, it's light and good for health, great to be served as a morning dish or during the cold weather. Gam Ja Tang which is known as potato soup is also a great food to have when you are craving for something warm! 

While it's summer,it's good to go for a refreshing bowl of noodles deep in cold soybean soup which is known as Gung Guk Su, or perhaps a bowl of cold noodles with ice which is welknown as Mul Naeng Myeon! Of course when it's hot, it's always great to opt for some icey cold dessert filled with all kinds of fruits, nuts, ice cream etc like Pap Bing Su! I've learned that Koreans also like to bond with family and friends over a good session of BBQ Sam Gyeop Sal which is known as 3 layers pork, or over a cup of beer with awesome spicy chicken or fried chicken, also known as Chi-Mek (Chicken + Beer)! Not forgetting, remember to grab a Kim Bap as a snack, it's rice with different ingredients rolled with dried seaweed!

STEP 4:  PRETTY KOREAN TRADITIONAL DRESS MADE ME A LADY

After the first 3 steps, it took step 4 to make me love Korea culture even more because the traditional dress, or also called "Han-Bok" in Korean, changed me from an ordinary girl to a pretty lady! It is exciting to know that there are different designs to indicate different statuses of the people who is wearing it. Also, it also has its designs made according to different purposes for example - common daily dress, wedding dress, ceremonial dress etc.

STEP 5:  AMAZING KPOP MUSIC MADE MY HEART SKIP A BEAT

Korean dramas showed me the beauty scenery of Korea, Korean language taught me on Korean cultures, Korean food let me see more of Korean's everyday life, Korean traditional hanbok helped me to learn to have respect for different statuses. The last step that took me to go full swing loving Korea - is step 5 - Awesome Kpop music from Korea!

I started to have an affection for Korean pop music for it's beautiful music arrangement and the fact that they like to include amazing raps into their songs regardless it's a pop song or a ballad. Not to forget, the lyrics are meaningful and some are even inspiring like a song from "Dream High" which encourage us not to give up our dreams! Korean Kpop concerts never fail us, they are grand, and always interactive and fun!

So there you go, 5 easy steps that inspired me to start loving Korea!

Step 1: Korean dramas showed me the beauty of Korea

Step 2: Korean language taught me more about Korean culture

Step 3: Delicious Korean food made me contented

Step 4: Pretty Korean traditional dress made me a lady

Step 5: Amazing Kpop music made my heart skip a beat 

...and I've started my journey to love Korea!