Programs that help close the divide between the Korean and international communities of KAIST should be maintained. For this month, The KAIST Herald interviewed the participants, Seongjun Hong and Selahattin Fatih Keser, and the staff, Jongseok Lee, behind the KAIST Friendship Program. Hopefully, this interview will show the importance of such programs and encourage more volunteers.

What is the KAIST Friendship Program all about?

Lee: The program began in August 2019. Back then, it was called the Language Partner Program and it was only meant for people taking Korean conversation classes from the KAIST Language Center. It was initially meant to help the students put into practice what they learned in class, but thanks to its success, we decided to expand it to include all KAIST students. Over time, it turned into a passage for exchanges between Korean and international students, so we renamed the program to the KAIST Friendship Program. 

How successful do you think the program has been so far in achieving its goal?

Lee: We have seen steady growth in the number of participants over the years. Starting from only 18 students at the program’s inception, we now have 135 participants. We also expanded the program to include faculty and staff this year; so far eight have joined the program. 

To check if the participants are benefitting from the program we also conducted surveys, in which the majority of them agreed that the KAIST Friendship Program was helpful. Most people only participate in the program once and that lasts over three months, but some students make it a more permanent part of their Korean learning by signing up for the program multiple times.

What obstacles and hardships has the program faced along the way?

Lee: Over the past year, the number of Korean student volunteers has actually been falling short. We want to pair each international student with their own Korean buddy, but to remedy the situation we’ve had to assign two international students to some Korean volunteers. We are grateful to our Korean volunteers for doing this without expecting anything in return, but of course we still do our best to provide support for them. The budget we receive from the [School of Digital Humanities and Computational Social Sciences] already goes into providing textbooks and small snacks and drinks for our volunteers. If we receive more budget, we would gladly provide more support for our Korean volunteers.

What is in store for the KAIST Friendship Program in the future?

Lee: Firstly, we hope to reach more Korean volunteers so that we can continue to provide for all the international students who want to join the program. We’re also looking to expand further and include the family of members of the KAIST community. A synergistic collaboration with other programs and departments, such as KI House and ISSS, is also possible down the line.

To make all of this possible, I have no one else to thank but our Korean volunteers. I am grateful for all the time and effort they have given us so far. And to the international students, we are sorry if we might not be able to accommodate everyone but we will do our best.

Participant

What does being a “buddy” comprise? 

Hong: I think the school expects Korean buddies to help international students learn Korean and get used to daily life in Korea. They pointed out in the notice that this program is intended to teach Korean to international students.

During the program, my buddy and I went out for lunch at a Korean restaurant where he got to try kal-guksu for the first time. We have also gone to a cafe together and had our class there. I believe that buddies should be able to help each other grow and broaden each other’s [views]. Through this program, I believe my partner [and I] have become real buddies.

How has the experience been? Were there any difficulties or challenges that you faced?

Hong: Since it was my first time teaching Korean, I was very concerned but my buddy has been very supportive. It was also interesting that by [asking and answering] questions, my buddy had I [were] able to figure out which topics foreigners find difficult.

Keser: This has been a really beneficial experience for me. For one, I actually learn firsthand how young people talk, which is not always the same as written in Korean textbooks. It’s nice having an extra session every week where I just learn new grammar and vocabulary casually.

What were your expectations of the program before you applied, and how are they similar or different to actually participating?

Hong: I expected to be able to talk to someone from a different background before applying and my buddy and I have done just that. We have talked about diverse topics including the differences between the education system in Korea and his country. I would say that the program met my expectations and I wish to continue participating.

Keser: I applied to the program without any solid expectations so it was not that difficult to surpass them, but I have had a great experience. I was able to improve aspects in learning Korean that I would not have been able to do alone, such as pronunciation.

What would you say are the advantages of a program like this over traditional language classes?

Hong: I think the fact that only students participate is a big advantage; I would have felt much more pressure if there was a supervisor in our class. Since we also both understand each other’s situation, we could set more flexible schedules.

Keser: The fact that this program helps you meet new people is a big advantage, especially in Korea where it is actually difficult to befriend locals often due to the language barrier.