The KAIST Herald sat with Ms. Mikyung Han and Ms. Mijeong Yoo, the two finalists of Untact Ignite, and Ms. Junghye Shin, the coordinator of KI House, for an in-depth look into their experience as finalists of the competition and as regular teachers at KI House.

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Han: Hi, my name is Mikyung Han. I worked as a geography teacher for 30 years and learned about the KI House after my retirement. I do a lot of Korean education volunteer work. I participated in a Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) seminar under the recommendation of the Ministry of Education and became a member soon after. I was dispatched to Mongolia for two years, but only served for a year and four months due to the program being cut short by COVID-19. I have been teaching Korean to two students at the KI House.

Yoo: Hello. I’m Mijeong Yoo and I learned about the volunteer program at KI House while looking for English-related work. I’ve been working at KI House since 2016.

Selection as Untact Ignite Finalists

Could you describe in detail your stories selected as finalists for Ignite?

Han: I wrote about my experience in Mongolia. It was actually not the country that I applied for. I was greatly worried about how cold it would be there. There were also no Korean members there. After going through the application process and health checkup, I received my assigned country. Though I went with a lot of worries, I enjoyed [Mongolia’s] nature during the warm months. More than anything, I enjoyed talking with the locals and living the local life. I taught students at Khovd University as well as any residents who were interested in Korean and the TOPIK exam.

Yoo: My story centered on my experiences with some of my students. One of my students was married, and the couple rented a studio apartment but had to move after a year. However, they had some problems with the landlord regarding [getting back] the deposit so I went with my son to help resolve the conflict. Another student of mine was from Pakistan and came to Korea with a baby. I found and bought specialized baby formula for them. Unfortunately, they had a lot of other studies to focus on so I taught them for only about eight months in 2016. There was also a student who I taught for a short while but we have stayed in contact. Despite the pandemic, he insisted on going to the US and sent a postcard. He had gotten into the medical school at Johns Hopkins University!

Why did you decide to participate in Ignite?

Han: It’s because I found my volunteering experience to be unique. I planned my new life after retirement. [During my time in Mongolia,] there were some interesting parts; there were parts that required me to be brave; and there were very special moments.

Yoo: I decided to participate because KI House has been recently officially recognized as a volunteer center by the Yuseong-Gu government. I wanted many people to know about the institution.

I believe that during the competition, the finalists had to prepare a presentation for the finals event. What was it like to go through the preparation process?

Han: “Ignite” means to light something on fire. Reflecting this, the presentation was in total five minutes, with 20 slides of 15 seconds each. There was a storytelling author who helped us out. They also aided in making the presentation slides. A professional newscaster came to look over our presentations. It was difficult to summarize everything and make the PowerPoint presentation, but the professionals helped in making it. It even has animation. It was very difficult to match the speech to the slides.

What are your reflections on the event?

Yoo: It was really great before I went to the preparation seminars. The seminars were much more difficult than expected and I felt sorry having to spend time apart from [my family]. That was the hardest part. We also had to prepare a video. Thankfully, people I knew cheered me on. Some of my friends watched it three times.

Han: I was most nervous when I was waiting next to the person presenting before me.

Yoo: As I was presenting, my lips went dry so they kept going up. My family asked [afterwards] why I kept puckering my lips. I think the presentation went well though.

How do you plan on spending your winnings?

Yoo: I bought some of my students who recently went through pregnancy bread and other snacks.

Han: I’m still thinking about it.

About the KI House

Both Ms. Han and Ms. Yoo entered KI House in 2016. What was the first experience like?

Yoo: There were students who did not know any Korean at all. After the tutoring session, they would go back home and study until the next week. Those who had studied for about a year beforehand did quite well. The best students had no problems at all. There are books for all levels so even complete beginners could learn. For first-time students, I used Sogang University textbooks and explained the grammar in English. They have come very far. Because there wasn’t much time during the lesson, my students and I would converse in texts throughout the week.

Han: I taught mostly beginners. In regards to TOPIK, it’d be around Level 1 and 2. When teaching Korean, the opinions on the education [methods] are all different. If you’re desperate, you’re always bound to follow [the curriculum]. When I had to convey my ideas, I would use English. In Mongolia, I used Mongolian. For university students, they were taking Korean as a humanities course and had no clue. So, I used the local language with them. On the other hand, the residents knew some Korean beforehand as they were already interested. I tried to make it fun, because that’s what makes it easy to follow. If students and I practiced conversation, I would tell them to write it in their notebooks. When they read it back, they can fix the mistakes and it stays in their mind. I taught up to Seoul National University 1-A and 1-B levels. As Ms. Yoo stated, the students’ comprehension is so quick that they learn very fast.

What current events is KI House leading?

Shin: We advertise a lot and talk about the KI House during freshmen orientation. We match the students and teachers. We also hold various events!

During the winter vacation, there is a TOPIK test. There were students who wanted to do well on the test and wanted guidance. Thus, we have started a TOPIK-focused class. There was also the annual Speech Contest on November 27. Because we couldn’t gather this year, the students sent in videos until November 27. We gave one gold, two silver, and three bronze prizes. Everyone received participation prizes.

Also, KI House was recognized as an official volunteering institution under the Yuseong-gu Office of Public Administration and Security. The office granted the permit after 1,365 hours of volunteer work here. 

Why are students learning Korean?

Han: In Mongolia, a lot of them learn Korean thanks to the Korean dramas and the Korean wave. BTS was so popular there.

Yoo: One of my students loved “Spring Day” by BTS, so I looked into the song.

What is it like to teach the students?

Han: I learned English at an academy. My philosophy was that if you learn a language in a wrong way, then you have to put in money and time to fix those mistakes. However, there were quite a few students who studied by themselves. I lived in Mongolia for a year and four months so I empathize a lot with them.

Yoo: My daughter went to the US on an exchange program. I started to understand the students’ [situations] a lot. It’s much more difficult to live here than anything.

Shin: There are a lot of volunteers here who have official Korean education licenses — in fact, most of them do. They care for the students like family. They encourage each other and help each other through difficult times. It’s like family here.