About The Course
This course provides students with essential skills required for effective communication in Business Korean, focusing on practical situations like job interviews, workplace interactions, and basic business calls. It improves their professional skills and prepares them to interact with native Korean speakers in the real world. Students participating in the SMU-X Overseas (SMU-XO) program will go to South Korea, work on projects with local universities or organizations, and visit Korean businesses. This immersive approach not only deepens their understanding of Korean business practices but also develops cross-cultural skills and valuable professional connections while reinforcing their language proficiency through active interaction with native speakers
Reflection
The main agenda of this SMU-XO trip was to deliver a presentation in Korean at Sogang University. We collaborate with Sogang University and CellBig, a software company that specializes in using AI technology to produce edutainment content. Our project was focused on using technology from CellBig to develop ways to enhance the understanding of the Korean language and culture of foreigners. The project was the most difficult part of the trip due to the tight deadline and the fact that we had to present entirely in Korean to the client. Moreover, I had a near beginner knowledge of Korean as my knowledge basically only came from the limited K-dramas and variety shows I watched, and having only studied Korean inconsistently for a year prior to taking this course. Meanwhile, most of my classmates were fluent in Korean as they had studied Korean for several years and had visited Korea before. However, I would say to not let these factors deter you from taking this SMU-XO course as it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to collaborate with Korean universities and companies and understand how the working culture differs from Singapore. You definitely do not need a high level of proficiency in Korean to be able to take this course, as I am an example of someone who was only a beginner in Korean but could still manage to understand and work on the project deliverables.
Aside from the project, we also visited various cultural heritage sites such as the Seoul History Museum, National Hangeul Museum, Deoksugung Palace, and Gyeongbokgung Palace. We even got to visit the famous KBS! Visiting KBS was definitely the highlight of the trip because when else would you get the opportunity to have a guided tour of Korea’s national broadcasting station while also getting the chance to try out the various equipment they use for live reporting? We, unfortunately, did not run into any celebrities during our visit there, but just seeing our favorite celebrities plastered around the building on the TV screens was already enough to make us squeal in excitement.
During the trip, we were usually given free time to explore by ourselves in the evening, which my group made full use of to walk around Seoul, do some shopping, and visit Korean restaurants and cafes to try out the local food. I was very lucky as my group was already very familiar with Korea since they have already visited the country multiple times before, so as a newbie to Korea all I had to do was to tag along with them and follow their recommendations on what to do and eat.
Overall, going on this trip was definitely a great experience that taught me many invaluable lessons on Korean culture that I could not have otherwise known without having a first-hand experience. An example would be keeping up with the fast-paced culture in Korea, especially in public transportation. I learned how to converse in formal Korean which is appropriate in a business environment, instead of using the casual language (banmal) that I am used to. This is especially important as the Korean culture places heavy emphasis on having respect and formal etiquette. I hope that more students will be able to participate in this SMU-XO course in the future as it really is a great opportunity to gain exposure to the Korean working culture.
Thank You Notes to Benefactors
I am extremely grateful to the donors for giving me the opportunity to be awarded the Kwai Fong & Raymond Goh SMU-XO Grant. Embarking on this overseas trip with the help of the grant has made the experience overseas more fulfilling for me as I had fewer financial concerns to worry about. This trip has been an impactful and life-changing experience for me, and I am very thankful for the support the grant has given me.
