Going the Hallyu way: Why more Mumbaikars are learning Korean

"The urge to learn Korean definitely started with my obsession over K-drama and K-music. Now I want to eventually move to Korea and live there," says 25-year-old Rasya Menon from Mumbai, who started learning Hangul, the Korean alphabet, during theCovid-19 lockdown in 2021. She has watched over 30 K-dramas including ‘Crash Landing on You', ‘What's Wrong with Secretary Kim', ‘Reply 1988' and ‘It's Okay to Not Be Okay'. She is also a huge Black Pink, BTS, EXO, TXT and Hwasa fan.

"Learning Hangul wasn't just about learning a new language. It was about connecting deeper with the culture and music and everything they have to offer," says Menon.

Menon is one of the many Korean entertainment lovers and buffs from Mumbai who have signed up to learn spoken and written Korean language online. Needless to say, the impact of this ‘Korean wave' is not just about fandom and entertainment, but also about exploring the language, making efforts to understand the culture and trying to find similarities and connections with a fellow Asian nation.

A recent report by DuoLingo, a renowned language learning app, revealed that Korean is now among the languages most popular with the millennials and Gen-Z in India, between the ages of 17 and 25. While Indians are still taking up traditionally dominant languages such as French, Spanish and German, Korean is gradually gaining ground too.

Researcher Satish Satyarthi, who has been a Korean language educator for over 10 years and founded ‘Learn Korean' in India, says, "As a foreign language educator I can say that currently Korean is one of the most popular and in-demand languages in India. A huge percentage of the viewers of our Korean language content on YouTube, Instagram and our website are from Maharashtra and in particular from Mumbai. We have students from all age groups but the majority of learners are in the age group of 16-24."

It all starts with a K-entertainment for many

Bands like BTS, Black Pink, TXT, EXO, Enhypen, among others, have been taking over the playlists of Mumbaikars. So much so that for Reena Solanki, a dancer and choreographer, it was K-pop that led her to K-dramas.

"Being a dancer, K-pop dance routines drew my fascination. I was drawn towards their culture; their dedication, respectfulness, teamwork and discipline. I admire how well they are groomed to reach higher heights. So, I knew I wanted to learn this language to know more and explore my abilities," says Solanki.

For Bhavna Agarwal, a city-based entertainment journalist and die-hard BTS fan, learning the language does not just end at understanding the lyrics or dialogues better, but, it is about a far bigger ambition.

"Another major reason to take up the Korean language course is I want to be able to understand it well the day I interview BTS," says Agarwal, quickly recommending a few BTS songs to listen to such as ‘Black Swan' and ‘Not Today'.

Reena Solanki shares a picture of her notes from the language course. Image credit: Reena Solanki

K-entertainment have helped Menon, Agarwal and Solanki pick simple Korean words and phrases like ‘shincha' (really?), anyeo (hello), ‘nae' (yes), ‘hwaiting' (you can do it) and ‘anaya' (No), which they frequently use in conversations with friends and family. While ‘saranghae' (I love you) is Agarwal's favourite phrase, it's ‘yeolsimhi hagessseubnida' (I will do my best) for Solanki.

"Now even they (friends and family) have started to reply with a few Korean words they hear from me. It's actually fun to see them use it. I would love to start teaching someday in the near future," says Solanki.

In addition to Korean entertainment, Satyarthi notes, continuous efforts by Korean government organisations like the Korean Tourism Organisation and Korean embassies have also encouraged the promotion of Korean culture, including music, beauty, food and language through various contests and events in collaboration with clubs and culture centres in India.

Finding the right course

In India, there are only a few well-established institutes and universities that provide full-time Korean language courses such as the Jawaharlal University, Delhi University and Manipur University. There are short term courses provided by INKO Centre in Chennai and King Sejong Institute in Pune.

Unfortunately, there are no such options available in Mumbai. But, this has not discouraged Mumbaikars. From searching for online courses, following Korean immigrants on social media and registering for virtual courses to resorting to self-learning via applications, the struggle is real for them.

Agarwal, who found refuge in DuoLingo after exhausting all options, says, "To start with, they concentrate on the basics and I find myself understanding a few words. But, because there is no interaction in the language, you don't know if you are using the word in its correct form or grammar. I don't feel confident enough to speak in the language despite having learnt it." According to Satyarthi, self-learning apps are helpful but can be quite challenging, as most of the time the content on self-learning apps is designed keeping western learners in mind.

After a failed attempt at learning Hangul from an acquaintance who was a Korean resident for seven years, Menon shifted to YouTube for understanding K-Pop lyrics and learning the alphabet. From YouTube, she went on to buy a course on Udemy and later registered for an online beginner's course provided by the Korean Culture Centre in Delhi.

"Online courses are great but with a new language, it's necessary to have offline classes. Pronunciations in Hangul are hard and complicated. So I took up the KCCI course where we used to have Zoom classes with a teacher. I learnt all my basics there. I plan to continue my Udemy classes, but will also soon join the next level of the course in KCCI," says Menon.

When asked about the dearth of Korean language classes in Mumbai, Satyarthi says, "Honestly I also find it strange that the Korean government hasn't paid the required attention to the increasing number of Korea fans in Mumbai. Hopefully, in future we could see more courses and opportunities for people in Mumbai."

"The market has been slow in response to the ever increasing demand. In fact there are no places to learn Korean in many cities across the country. Over the years, we have received a large number of requests from Mumbai to start an online course. We have native Korean faculty sitting in Seoul doing speaking practice with our students sitting in Mumbai, Amritsar and Imphal," adds Satyarthi.

It's not just about the fandom

"People are interested not only in Korean entertainment but in Korean food, beauty products, its culture and economic growth. People have started recognising the importance of taking Korean as foreign language for future career prospects," says Satyarthi.

Bhavna Agarwal revising Hangul alphabets online; Reena Solanki doing the Korean finger heart sign (symbol of love). Image credit: Agarwal and Solanki

Recently, the government of India added Korean to the foreign language curriculum under the New Education Policy. Additionally, a number of universities in north and eastern India are providing short term Korean language courses. With this, there is a greater demand for teachers, translators and language experts. Along with cultural impact, with big, small and medium-sized Korean brands investing in India and vice versa, the trade and economic relations have also provided impetus to Korean language learning in India.

According to Satyarthi, students who take up the language purely due to K-entertainment gradually develop a deeper interest wanting to explore the language professionally. While many prepare for TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korea) to go for higher studies in Korea, some believe adding Korean to their resume will help in career advancements.

"India, which is popular for its great human resource potential in the services and outsourcing industry, becomes the obvious choice for global giants to hire language experts. No matter whether one wants to become a Korean language expert or wants to use it as an added skill, the opportunities are immense," says Satyarthi.

With Menon wishing to move to Korea eventually, Solanki wanting to run her own Korean club in Mumbai, and Agarwal aspiring to interview BTS as an entertainment journalist, one can tell that the admiration for Korean culture, of which language becomes the key, cannot be dismissed as mere ‘fandom' and ‘temporary craze'.

You can read the first part our Korean culture series here:

K-food: The K-drama craze is making more Mumbaikars cook and eat Korean dishes