Studies in South Korea: Discovering the Local Culture Through Its People

The things that interest you in your leisure time can turn into a strong motivator when choosing a study field and provide you with an opportunity to visit the country of your dreams. Jurgita Čeidaitė, a student of Cultures and Languages of East Asian Countries at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), is certain of this. In her words, a semester spent studying at Busan National University in South Korea through Erasmus+ exchange helped her not only improve her Korean but also better understand her own native country’s culture – even while far away from home.

Jurgita says that East Asia, and South Korea in particular, caught her attention in school. This was significantly influenced by South Korean culture, especially K-Pop. These interests encouraged the student to choose a study field related to this region of the world. That’s why, after a long period of searching, she chose Cultures and Languages of East Asian Countries, which included Korean.

“The opportunity to visit South Korea always attracted me. However, when I started learning the language, I encountered difficulties: the script, the pronunciation, it was all new. Still, my desire to participate in the exchange program was fuelled by both my personal curiosity and by my family’s example: both of my sisters had already experienced it as participants of exchange in Europe. So, after being talked into it by the teachers and ignoring my own fears, because my Korean was not perfect, I decided to try it”, Jurgita recalls her decision to study in South Korea for a semester.

Almost No Written Assignments at the University

The VMU student says that her first impression of the country that she had dreamt of visiting for a long time was like a scene from a Korean TV show: everything seemed familiar but also incredible.

“The first month was definitely not easy: being far away from my family and from a familiar environment became a significant challenge. Still, in time, I started feeling safer and safer and immersed myself in the local life”, Jurgita confesses.

She points out that the studies in South Korea differed from those in Lithuania both in terms of lecture structure as well as the prevalent atmosphere.

“The teachers constantly encouraged active discussions, while the lectures of the same subject were held twice a week. Registration for them was on a “first come, first served” basis. Conversely, at VMU, being accepted in a desired subject’s lectures depended on your average grade and year of studies. It was also unusual that we had very few tests or homework that needed to be done in writing. We learned new topics by discussing them a lot”, Jurgita explains the uniqueness of the studies.

Even though she went to South Korea with strong basic knowledge of Korean, after arriving, Jurgita continued improving her command of the local language. 

“I chose the hardest level of all Korean language courses offered for foreigners. However, sadly, even that one seemed too easy for me and I had to repeat the same grammar rules that I had already learned in Lithuania. Apart from the language, I also learned about contemporary Korean music, history, and the region’s representation in the media – in this subject’s lectures we explored the topics that are relevant to the East Asian region, such as a decreasing birth rate and discrimination against minority communities. I’m glad I had the chance to attend some of these lectures held by the same teacher who, as a foreigner herself, shared interesting insights about life in South Korea and the Korean people”, Jurgita shares.

Having Foreign Friends is a Matter of Prestige

Learning to navigate communication with the locals is another important part of experiencing life in a new country.

“Although the English language is not native to Koreans, they try to help. Some of them seem reserved or even conservative at first; however, once you make a connection, they become very friendly and sincere. There were situations when, as I was speaking Korean with them because I wanted to practice, they switched back to English because they sought to master that language. Sometimes I met people who wanted to show off to their friends by taking photos with foreigners and then sending them to those friends as a way of demonstrating how many foreign friends they supposedly have”, Jurgita explains some peculiarities of local behaviour.

The student admits that she encountered some cultural differences as well. “For instance, once, when my friend and I were waiting at a train station, we heard a few older women discuss our looks in Korean, not knowing that we understand it. But this wasn’t mean-spirited, just curiosity and a different cultural perspective”, Jurgita recalls.

She says that the study semester spent in Busan, which is the second-largest city in South Korea, provided her with more opportunities to experience the authentic daily life of the locals.

“Here, you’ll meet far fewer foreigners than, for example, in the capital city of Seoul. Since I had no lectures on Fridays, I often devoted the weekends to exploring the country: I had the chance to travel not just to the big cities but also to smaller towns. I was surprised how the country had almost no trash cans as a result of its highly strict recycling policy, so you are constantly forced to think about where you will throw away food packaging, etc. However, the country is very tidy: you definitely won’t see a single piece of trash in the streets”, she describes the local tidiness.

Lithuania is Known for Čiurlionis and Dancing

Jurgita notes that the semester spent in South Korea as a participant of the study exchange program was enriching not just academically but personally as well.

“The biggest change is that I gained the courage to speak Korean, I started to worry less, even if I still make occasional mistakes. I’ve learned to respect the local history, because when you speak to people who still live with the memory of such painful events such as the Japanese occupation period of 1910–1945, you understand it not as a dry fact in a history book but as a real experience that people had gone through. Being in South Korea helped me realize the importance of discovering another culture through its people”, the student confesses.

Still, she considers Lithuania her home. “Perhaps, in the future, I would like to live in South Korea as no longer a student, but only temporarily. My friend and I are dreaming of visiting other East Asian countries in the near future: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan”, Jurgita discusses her future plans.

When asked about the local Koreans’ knowledge of Lithuania, she says that she was pleasantly surprised. “One older person I met told me that he had even visited Lithuania. When I mentioned Lithuania while talking to Koreans, I noticed that many of them haven’t heard of our country, but they are definitely aware of the Baltic region. There were cases when people knew Lithuania through the work of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis or through Lindy Hop – it turns out that this dance is quite popular not just in Lithuania but also in South Korea. It’s also nice that I didn’t meet any locals who, stereotypically perhaps, would immediately associate Lithuania with Russia and so on. This gives me hope that our country’s identity is distinctive and its prominence is rising”, Jurgita says.

She encourages students not to be afraid of the opportunity to spend a semester or two studying in a faraway country. “Of course, it’s natural that there will be some fear at first. It’s a natural phenomenon, but it should not stop you. Seek connections, ask for advice from the students who had already visited that country. I wish you more confidence, because studying abroad can help you better understand not just another culture but also yourself”.