K-drama craze drives Korean up language charts

CHENNAI: There appears to be a ‘K-plosion’ of sorts on the language front this past year, with people virtually queuing up (and queuing up virtually as well) to learn Korean. According to the 2021 edition of the Duolingo Language Report, in India, Korean has moved up two places to grab the number five spot among the most popular languages being learned on the app (dislodging German).Driven by the influence of K-pop, K-drama, K-cosmetics, K-fashion, and K-cuisine, Indians – especially those between the ages of 17 and 25 – are responsible for the rise of Korean learning in India (the release of popular TV series Squid Game two months ago has only helped fuel the surge). The report includes learners who studied languages on the app between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021.“In Chennai, we now have a waiting list of 150 people for our online Korean language class,” says Rathi Jaffer, Director at InKo Centre, a non-profit exploring Indian and Korean culture. “We just cannot keep up with the demand and are looking to hire more teachers.” Rathi says that earlier, employment opportunities were behind the drive to learn the language, but now it is clearly entertainment. “The profile of students signing up is getting younger,” she adds. “It’s mostly school and college students.” Rupali AS, a biotech student, decided to sign up for Korean classes this September, after binge-watching more than 20 K-dramas over the course of the pandemic. The first thing she wanted to learn how to say was “I love you” (it’s “Saranghae”, she says emphatically). In just a couple of months, she has learned much more than saranghae and says she is a master of all things K-slang – from Aigo (OMG) to Daebak (cool) and more. “My dream is to learn the language and then visit the country,” says the 21-year-old. The Duolingo survey says more than 56% of the respondents, like Rupali, were influenced by pop culture trendsetters including movies, OTT shows and web series."We have witnessed most traction from the 17 to 25 age group, across languages,” says the app’s country marketing manager Karandeep Singh Kapany. Reasons to study a new language varies from professional growth remain to interest in a different culture, staying connected with the community and pursuing a new hobby.Korean is easy to pick up, says Rathi. “In fact, the alphabet and structure were created and popularised by King Sejong in the 15th century as a language meant to unify people. Korean is influenced by several languages,” says Rathi.“I have noticed it is structured a lot like Tamil,” says Rupali. “If you’ve got your Tamil syntax down to the T, K-grammar is a cakewalk.” Daebak!