Thanks to K-pop, surge in takers for Korean courses

Young Bengalureans are flocking to coaching centres to learn the language

Fans of Korean pop culture in Bengaluru are learning the language. The reasons are many: they hope to watch K-drama series without subtitles, they want to follow the lyrics of Korean songs, and they just love the language.

Coaching centres are surprised at the surge in the interest after the pandemic broke out.

It is true that K-pop and K-dramas have influenced people to take up learning Korean, says Sahil Parnami, who runs an academy in Kalyan Nagar. “Bands such as BTS have become extremely popular and gained international recognition, which is a new thing, considering how English has dominated for so long,” he says. There is a significant increase in the number of students learning the language, he observes. “The main reason is the pandemic. More and more people, especially teenagers and young adults, started exploring other cultures and this encouraged them to learn more languages,” he explains.

Earlier, students would learn Korean for professional reasons, and the language was not very popular otherwise, says Savitha Reddy, founder of a language institute in HSR Layout. “The present scene is different,” she observes.

In 2021, Korean was voted as the most well-liked language and the fifth most popular foreign language to learn in India. A few years ago people just focused on the language and treated it as a career necessity, but these days students want to be like Koreans, says Noor Ayisha, managing director of another academy in HBR Layout. “They dress up like Koreans, they eat Korean food, and love making Korean friends. All thanks to Hallyu (the Korean wave) and North East India for introducing Korean culture to other parts of India” she says.

Popular Korean pop stuff

BTS (music band)

BlackPink (girl group)

Boys over Flowers (K-drama)

Squid Game (K-drama)

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (K-drama)

Train to Busan (movie)

Parasite (movie)

Learn the language

Korean has four levels 1A and 1B (basic), with courses priced at Rs 18,500 and Rs 19,500 respectively. The fees for 2A and 2B (intermediate) are Rs 20,500 and 21,500 respectively. Level 1 provides a basic understanding and covers reading, writing, listening, and speaking.