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Nine member SM Entertainment girl group 소녀시대 (So Nyeo Shi Dae, or Girls’ Generation) released a new MV recently. You might remember the ‘Gee Virus’ they spread at the beginning of the year, with their super catchy song Gee. Even if you didn’t like the song much, you probably had “gee gee gee gee baby baby baby~” stuck in your head for a while. (Did you live under a rock and never hear the song? Now’s your chance!)

I definitely don’t think that they’ve necessarily done it again with 소원을 말해봐 (Genie), but the song is still cute, catchy, and I really enjoy it (and I love the outfits! Rawr~):

The original album cover caused a bit of a stir, because netizens have hawk-like eyes (and maybe not much of a life). This is the original cover. Apparently that’s a Japanese fighter plane. Oops. It caused such a stir amongst netizens that SM Entertainment actually delayed the release, so that they could make a new cover.

What do you think? Too much fuss over something silly? Or was SM Entertainment careless in the first place, by allowing such a thing to be used? Or did they do it on purpose to get more eyes on them?

Wearing a bit more clothes (sadly), is 빅뱅 (Big Bang), YG Entertainment’s 5 member hiphop/dance/pop boyband. For the uninitiated, Big Bang’s music is a fun concoction of pop, dance, hiphop and electronica, and they’ve enjoyed huge popularity with hits like 거짓말 (Lie), 마지막 인사 (Last Farewell) and 하루 하루 (Haru Haru), and have a successful career in Japan as well as in Korea.

The members of Big Bang also dabble in their own things. G-Dragon is known for his slightly odd fashion taste and word has it that he’ll release a solo album this year, TOP is co-starring in the upcoming action drama IRIS, 대성 (Daesung) released an adorable trot song, 승리 (Seungri) had a taste of solo success with his song Strong Baby, and 태양 (Taeyang) released a very well received mini-album last summer (does anyone remember 나만 바라봐?).

Big Bang are releasing their 2nd Japanese single at the moment, so here’s the MV from their latest Japanese song, ガラガラ GO!! (GARA GARA GO!!):

Is it the best song in the world? No. But like a friend of mine said, “It resembles everything I love about Big Bang: shamelessly upbeat and youthful, blazingly bright colors, and a hint of 90s pop.”

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Hyunwoo here. : )

Here is a very common mistake that a lot of Korean learners (and even some Korean people) make.

When you want to say, “what should I do?” or “what are we supposed to do?” you can say 어떡해?

But a lot of people write 어떻게?

What’s the difference?

어떡해? vs 어떻게?

어떡해 is a combination of 어떻게 +해.

So if you just write 어떻게, it means “how” or “using what kind of method” so it does not convey the complete meaning of “What am I supposed to do?”

Well, when you are SPEAKING, those two phrases sound the same, but when you write, it is important to be able to distinguish the two.

So remember : )

어떻게 = “how”

어떡해 = “What am I supposed to do?”

Thanks for reading!

- Hyunwoo

Korean eating habits.

Rule number one: Shut your mouth.

Rule number two: Eat.

Rule number three: Enjoy your food. It’s insanely good.

Thoughts?

Typical eating habits in America include a lively conversation, witty remarks, and Matthew breaking all the ladies’ hearts an overall pleasant dining experience. Everything follows a prescribed rule and your actions are subtly noticed. Do you reach for the bill immediately? Do you order appetizers? Do you make a mess of yourself? Do you know the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork? Are you polite to the server? Do you talk on your cellphone at the table? Do you tip at least 20%? Do you chew with your mouth open? Do you finish the whole meal?

By and large, I find American and Korean table manners to be quite similar. All of the above questions generally have the same obvious answer as in Korea (other than tipping). However, three things have stuck out to me when dining with Korean friends. These aren’t hard and fast rules, but they differ considerably from I’ve come to expect at an American table.

Rule #1 - Talk is cheap.

Talking during a meal is by no means considered rude, but it’s not necessary. Traditional families of old Korea ate in near silence in order to fully appreciate the food, the ambiance, the experience. It was a time for nourishment - not for socialization. This tradition has watered down considerably but is still alive and well among most Koreans. I also find that my male Korean friends tend to be more reserved and talk less during a meal when compared with female Korean friends. However, one can still expect to eat somewhat more quietly than in America. If you find yourself eating with a friend or coworker and find the atmosphere a little thick due to lack of conversation, know that it might just be you. He or she might not be nervous; rather, the lack of conversation may not be due to the language barrier - it might just be because it’s time to eat. So don’t freak out and feel that you must initiate conversation. Think of it as simply enjoying each other’s presence. So next time when the atmosphere goes a little quiet, try a little slice of silence. It’s yummy.

Rule #2 - No, I’M paying for the meal.

We’ve heard before (actually, twice before) that “going Dutch” is not especially common in Korea. However, one must look deeper into the context because sometimes it can be common. For instance, if a group of similarly-aged university students share a particularly expensive meal, all might agree to share the bill. No one wants the other friend to bear the burden of paying for the entire meal - especially if this meal is not a common one. It’s understood that in a normal situation, the oldest would foot the bill, but since everyone shares a common social level (i.e. university sophomores) then insisting to pay the bill might actually make your friends uncomfortable. All of a sudden, when you whipped out your card in good will, the mood changes from equal-leveled brothers to what’s-this-guy’s-problem? faster than a prairie fire with a tail wind. Sure, if it were all 떡볶이 then nevermind, we can just say “thanks bro” and be done with it. That’s a cheapie meal. But, if you pay for an expensive meal when the bill is quite higher than usual, and the present company aren’t exactly business executives, then your friends might feel indebted to you. They know that they cannot repay the favor comfortably. Even if they pick up the tab at the coffee shop later, it still doesn’t even put a dent in the bill you just swallowed. So, even if you are feeling generous, and you’re the oldest, restrain yourself and take hints from the mood. If they genuinely resist your treat, play it safe and allow them the chance to save face and go Dutch.

Otherwise, in a normal situation, if you’re older, go ahead and pay away. A mental tab is made. He’s got your back next meal.

Rule #3 - Do not blow your nose. Ever.

Tearing a page from the book of Common Sense, one must strive to be polite whilst dining. However, prescribed notions of politeness might differ from country to country. In Korea, moderate slurping of the broth of a soup isn’t exactly rude. It’s not super common but not rude. For that matter, loud slurping of 비빔국수 noodles is considered a normal eating sound. Blowing sounds made from the cooling of hot 라면 noodles and boisterous 캬~ sounds made from consumption of alcohol are all quite common at a Korean table.

But. Don’t you even think for a second that you can blow your nose. Just don’t. What? No, no one cares that the soup is spicy and it’s making your nose run. No, no one cares that you’re eating 죽 because you’re sick in the first place. No, under no circumstances may you use a cotton-ply tissue in order to remove excessive fluids from your nasal cavity. Forget about it. It’s not going to happen. If you feel the need to cure your nostrils of an especially bad case of rhinorrhea, then by all means, excuse yourself, go to the restroom, and perform your dirty deed there. However, if you’re feeling brave and feel confident in your cat-like reflexes, bring a small tissue with you to the table, turn your head in shame, and wipe your nose discretely when needed, paying close attention not to employ sounds of nasal evacuation. Then, quickly discard the soiled cloth amongst your person without notice. But be warned, stuffing a used tissue in one’s purse or pocket in lieu of a trashcan may be acceptable in the States, but don’t let anyone catch you doing that kind of noise here. This is my house, son.

Thoughts?

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Two excellent MVs and songs have been released since I last posted. The first is the latest from rocker 문희준. 문희준 used to be in an SM Entertainment boyband called H.O.T. Although they didn’t last as long as labelmates 신화 and Fly To The Sky, they are considered one of the most well-known and influential Korean boybands of the time. After H.O.T split ways, the members enjoyed themselves some solo careers.

Personally, while I love me some old school k-pop, I hated probably all but two or three of their songs. I much prefer the member’s solo works. Their solo stuff ranges from ballads to hiphop to R&B, with 문희준 doing something a little different - rock.

His stuff is a bit hit and miss with me. Some of it’s incredibly cool, some of it’s boring, but I have only good things to say about his latest mini-album, Last Cry. It’s great. It’s better than great. The main single off Last Cry is Toy, and it’s really so good. Check it out:

The other MV and song is from M (or 이민우)’s latest mini-album MINNOVATION. Unless I’m mistaken, this is M’s last release before he enlists to do his military service - and he made sure he went all out with this one. The thing I love about M is that he’s never afraid to experiment. He really mixed things up with his fourth album M RIZING, playing with a lot of different styles, and although I was a little iffy about the final outcome one thing was for sure: whether it was good, or whether it was bad, it dripped of something that we call ‘The “M” Style’. M made it his own. He’s done the same with MINNOVATION (the mini-album as well as the title track). He’s taken the popular electronica influenced dance style that’s hot at the moment, and made it his own. He’s set himself apart from everyone else who’s doing the same style. That’s what I love about him, his ability to do that, to actually use a style, rather than just copy it.

I love the song and I love love love the MV. It’s so fun!

Listeners Unite!

In part three of our Korean Stuff in Texas series, we take a look at beautiful Dallas, TX. As with the other parts in this series, there’s no way I can cover all of the Korean establishments in this fair city, but I would still like to share with everyone the places that I have come to enjoy.

Dallas, as one can expect, offers a bit more than, say, Denton. It’s a big city with a rich history. However, like Carrollton, it has a concentration of Korean businesses in a section of downtown known as Harry Hines and/or Royal Lane.

Harry Hines doesn’t exactly have the best reputation but it is what it is. It’s home to the best 노래방, 찜질방 and restaurants. Take the good with the bad, right? So, let’s take a look at the menu, shall we?

(download map)

- 노래방 - Family Karaoke - for twenty bucks an hour (half price specials on some weekdays) you can realize your lifelong dream becoming a K-Pop star in Texas (what? was I the only one?) Unlike typical 노래방 in Korea, there are no drinks allowed in the room but there is a full bar available. Hands down the best selection of songs, highest quality sound system, crazy comfortable rooms, two flat screens and an overall enjoyable experience. It’s clean and it’s here. No, it’s not exactly what one would expect to see or pay for in Korea, but it’s the cream of the crop for Dallas karaoke.

- 찜질방 - King Sauna - 18 bucks gets you cold and hot tanks, wet and dry sauna rooms, a movie room, 노래망, children’s play room, salt room, cold room, and more rooms than I care to count. It’s open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The website does a nice job of introducing the basics of Korean sauna procedure as what to normally expect from a full service 찜질방. Those familiar with 찜질방s in Korea will surely feel at home with the service, snack bar and access to a men’s barbershop. The only real drawback is the price witch is substantially more expensive than the price of one of similar quality in Korea. However, if you’re looking for a genuine experience, look no further. It’s not humongous by Korean standards but by American sauna standards, it’s well above par.

- Restaurants - Too many to name, so I’ll just focus on my favorite. 소공동 Tofu House. This place will rock your socks. My recommendation? They have the best 순두부 ever. Spicy as all get out and cooled down with 도토리 공국수. It’s heavenly. Beautiful interior with a great atmosphere.

- 팥빙수 - This sweet sweet treasure of a dessert is readily available a nearby bakery. I have little else to say about the greatness that is 팥빙수. The bakery itself is a great little date destination. The little concealed booths are neat little feature that I have yet to see elsewhere.

- Grocery - KoMart -  This grocery store gets the job done but it’s nothing glitzy. If you need Korean food and you don’t feel like seeing every Korean person you know, then you come here.

That’s about it for the general course. Seeing how it’s Dallas, I’m positive there’s specialty Korean businesses for just about any type of service or product one could imagine.

Tune in next week when the lines of Korean and American businesses blur.

Thoughts?

Hello!
Thanks to everyone who has been following us on Twitter!

Here at KoreanClass101.com we think that Twitter is great for communication and sharing information. We also think it makes for a powerful learning tool! So starting today, we’ll be introducing Korean vocabulary and phrases daily on Twitter that follow a set theme.

Our first theme will be counters!

For each mini lesson, you will get one counter word in Korean, followed by counting up to 10 using that counter, and a sample expression.

So don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

(http://twitter.com/koreanclass101)

Leave us some feedback and if you have any suggestions for our next vocab themes, let us know!

화이팅!
Good luck with your studies!

#1  개 (gae) = counter for things in general

- 한 개, 두 개, 세 개, 네 개, 다섯 개, …, 열 개 (1 ~ 10)

Examples:
사과 한 개 (one apple)
연필 두 개 (two pencils)
이거 한 개 주세요. (Please give me one of these.)
몇 개 있어요? (How many of them do you have?)

 #2 사람 (saram) = counter for people

- 한 사람, 두 사람, 세 사람, 네 사람, 다섯 사람, …, 열 사람 (1~10)

Examples:
세 사람이 왔어요. (Three people came.),
열 사람 필요해요.(We need ten people.)
여기 두 사람 앉을 수 있어요. (Two people can sit here.)

 #3 잔 (jan) = counter for cups and glasses

- 한 잔, 두 잔, 세 잔, 네 잔, 다섯 잔, …, 열 잔 (1~10)

Examples:
커피 네 잔 주세요. (Please give me four cups of coffee.)
물을 두 잔 마셨어요. (I drank two cups of water.)
주스 한 잔 더 마실래요? (Do you want to have one more cup of juice?)

 #4 권 (gwon) = counter for books

- 한 권, 두 권, 세 권, 네 권, 다섯 권, …, 열 권 (1~10)

Examples:
책을 다섯 권 샀어요. (I bought five books.)
책 두 권을 빌렸어요. (I borrowed two books)
집에 만화책이 열 권 있어요. (I have ten comic books at home.)

 #5 편 (pyeon) = counter for movies

- 한 편, 두 편, 세 편, 네 편, 다섯 편, …, 열 편 (1~10)

Examples:
영화 한 편 보러 가요. (Let’s go see a movie.)
영화 두 편이 새로 나왔어요. (Two new movies were released.)

#6 켤레 (kyeolle) = counter for shoes and socks

- 한 켤레, 두 켤레, 세 켤레, 네 켤레, 다섯 켤레, …, 열 켤레 (1~10)

Examples:
신발 한 켤레 샀어요.(I bought a pair of shoes.)
제 양말 두 켤레가 구멍이 났어요.(Two pairs of my socks have holes.)
신발 한 켤레만 빌려 주세요.(Please lend me a pair of shoes.)

#7 송이 (song-i) = counter for flowers

- 한 송이, 두 송이, 세 송이, 네 송이, 다섯 송이, …, 열 송이 (1~10)

Examples:
꽃 다섯 송이 주세요.(Please give me five flowers)
장미 한 송이는 얼마예요? (How much is one rose?)
겨우 꽃 한송이만 샀어요? (You only bought one flower?)

 #8 그루 (geuru) = counter for trees

- 한 그루, 두 그루, 세 그루, 네 그루, 다섯 그루, …, 열 그루 (1~10)

Examples:
나무 세 그루를 심었어요.(I planted three trees)
정원에 나무가 열 그루 있어요. (There are ten trees in a garden.)
사과 나무 한 그루가 보여요. (I see an apple tree.)

#9 대 (dae) = counter for cars

- 한 대, 두 대, 세 대, 네 대, 다섯 대, …, 열 대 (1~10)

Examples: 
차 한 대가 지나갔어요. (A car passed by.)
차가 열 대 필요해요. (I need ten cars.) 
똑같은 차가 3 대 있어요. (There are three cars of the same kind.)

#10 병 (byeong) = counter for bottles

- 한 병, 두 병, 세 병, 네 병, 다섯 병, …, 열 병 (1~10)

 Examples:
콜라 한 병 주세요. (Please give me a bottle of coke.)
물 다섯 병 가져오세요. (Please bring five bottles of water.)
물 두 병을 혼자 다 마셨어요? (You drank those two bottles of water just by yourself?) 

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SS501 (pronounced as Double S five oh one, or Double S 오공일), are one of the boybands that I think are pretty underated. Signed under DSP Entertainment (A’ST1, Kara, and previously 이효리), this five member boyband has been around since 2005. I’ve often wondered if perhaps the lack of the spotlight has been due in part to the fact that they debuted in the same year as Super Junior, who kind of sucked up all the fangirls into this big black hole and didn’t let them back out for a long time.

Consisting of 현중 (who played the role of 지후 in 꽃보다 남자 or Boys Over Flowers), 규종, 영생, 정민 and 형준, SS501 have had a fair amount of success in Japan as well as in Korea. Recently they’ve been getting more attention than usual, because of 현중’s participation in 꽃보다 남자.

They’re set to make their comeback later this month with a 20 minute MV music drama, which comes in five parts - each part being a member’s solo. I really like the way they’re doing this, because it gives each member the chance to show what they can do on their own. So far three of five teasers have been released. I’m not too fussed about 규종’s Wuzz Up, but 형준’s Hey G sounds alright and he’s looking pretty fine.

So far my favourite of the teasers would have to be 현중’s 잘해줘 제발:

I am really liking what I can hear of that song.

I’m looking forward to seeing what 영생 and 정민 will come out with, and I’m definitely looking forward to hearing 정민 for an entire song, he’s got a lovely voice.

But these teasers don’t do much to show who and what SS501 are. So, I bring you some good ol’ MVs.

Unlock is one of my favourites, and if they made music like this all the time, I’d be a pretty happy person. But they mix it up with cute tracks like 겁쟁이, and things like 4chance.

Over the past several months though, I personally think that they’ve been bringing it better, hotter, and catchier than they have in the past.

널 부르는 노래 might not have matched 소녀시대’s Gee virus, but I think it’s a super fun and catchy song.

And despite only featuring three of them (현중 was doing 꽃보다 남자 and 정민 was playing Danny for the musical Grease), U R Man is one of my favourite SS501 songs.

I’m hoping that they stick more to this smoother, sexier image, and I’m glad that although they might not have enjoyed quite as much as success and spotlight as some of the other boybands, that they’ve stuck around anyway and are still going strong.

Listeners Unite!

Part two in our Korean Stuff in Texas series. Today’s focus will be on Carrollton, TX. Again, this series is based on my own personal opinions and viewpoints. There is certainly plenty more to talk about but I’ll just focus on the few points that I’m familiar with. With that said, let’s take a look at something that is of interest to everyone!

Yes yes, the great equalizer. The grocery store. Young and old, rich and poor, everyone needs groceries. So what is a good ol’ country boy with a hankerin’ for some kimchi to do? Where might he go to get some delectable side dishes? Where can he find a bottle of the finest Korean spirits?

H Mart.

(full-sized map download link)

H Mart might have questionable financial backing, but it certainly is the Cadillac of Korean markets. It’s hard to find fault in all that is offered. Expect to come here and have your jaw drop.

A list of products available:

• American, Korean, Japanese, Chinese dry goods
• Crazy big produce section
• American, Korean frozen food
• Korean fresh fish market
• Korean, American alcoholic beverages
• Korean fast-food court
• Korean-style bakery
• Tapioca/Bubble tea stand
• Hello Kitty stationary store
• Korean furniture, refrigerators, sleeping mats
• Korean cooking, kitchen, bath goods
• Korean appliances
• etc

Products are fairly priced and the staff is quite friendly. The vast majority of workers are bilingual in English and Korean but there are also Spanish speaking employees, too.

Now, this doesn’t even include the small Korean business park located in the same space. Nearby you’ll find:

• Hairstylists, Barbershops
• Coffee shops
• Bakeries
• Restaurants
• Private Academies (학원)
• Bookstore
• Gym
• 찜질방 (coming soon)

What I like about Carrollton is, to the best of my knowledge, all of the Korean businesses are located in one spot. One can easily drive down to the business park to get a haircut, do some grocery shopping, and finish the day off with an especially good Korean meal. I always look forward to the drive to Carrollton because of the sheer convenience and shops available.

Stay tuned for next week when we look at the third largest city in Texas. As always, we would love to see similar videos about your local Korean town or Korean district.

Thoughts?