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Meet the students of a BGCF Korean Class

 

　Busan City and the Busan Global City Foundation have been offering free Korean classes for foreign residents in Busan. In this issue, we meet some enthusiastic students who share their stories.

■The gracious neighbor in Busan

　Jindi, a visitor from China, has been living in Busan for three months while her daughter studies in the city. She began learning Korean to manage everyday situations such as talking to neighbors, ordering food, and visiting banks. Her favorite Korean expression is "편해요 (pyeon-hae-yo)," meaning "comfortable," which she uses to describe her life in Busan. "It's really convenient and pleasant to live here," she said.

　She recalled a funny experience from her early lessons when she used formal endings like "습니다 (seum-ni-da)" with everyone, making her sound like a news anchor to younger people. Despite the language challenges, Jindi said Busan has been welcoming to foreigners. "Busan is a fantastic global tourism city with beautiful beaches, great food, and warm-hearted people," she said, adding that free translation support from Busan Global Village helped her at a hospital. "For foreigners who don't speak Korean well, Busan is a very comfortable place to live."

■The warmhearted mother by the sea

　Mayang, from Indonesia, has lived in Busan for a year and a half, finding comfort and kindness in the coastal city. Her motivation to learn Korean began when her young son was hospitalized soon after their arrival, and she struggled to communicate with doctors and nurses. 

　"I realized I had to learn Korean for a better and more comfortable life," she said. 

　Among her favorite Korean words is 바다 (ba-da), meaning "ocean," which she finds beautiful and straightforward, a word that connects her love of the sea in both Indonesia and Busan.

　Mayang recalled an embarrassing yet funny moment during a Pilates class when she casually greeted an older classmate with "안녕 (an-nyeong)" instead of the more polite "안녕하세요 (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo)." 

　She laughed at the memory, saying it taught her a valuable lesson about Korean manners. 

　She described the people of Busan, especially older adults, as warm and welcoming. "They always smile and greet my son kindly," she said. 

　For Mayang, Busan's friendliness and seaside charm make it a city where life feels genuinely at home.

■The thoughtful economist from Qingdao

　Wuying, a doctoral student from Qingdao, China, has spent the past two years in Busan studying economics while learning Korean. He chose the city for its closeness to home and its pleasant climate, describing Busan as "comfortable and convenient." 

　Balancing his major and language studies has been challenging, but he finds progress rewarding. "At first, I couldn't understand what people were saying, but now I can catch some sentences and express simple ideas," he said with a smile.

　He called Busan a welcoming city with easy transportation, diverse food, and friendly people. "You can go anywhere by bus or taxi, and the people are very kind," he noted. 

　Though he enjoys Korean music, he laughed, "I like music, but I'm not good at dancing." For Wuying, life in Busan is not only convenient but also fulfilling, a place where studying, culture and everyday life blend harmoniously.