In this blog post, based on a sample personal statement submitted to the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Korea University, I will summarize and present my academic efforts and school activities during high school, examples of consideration and cooperation, as well as my motivation for applying and my preparation process.
Academic Efforts and Learning Experiences During High School
My journey in studying Korean began with grammar. The aspect of Korean language study on which I focused most and placed the greatest importance was grammar. Just as with any language, I believed that understanding the grammatical framework was fundamental because Korean is a language in its own right. However, in practice, students often neglected Korean grammar more than they did English grammar, so I purchased a separate Korean grammar textbook and began studying on my own. Although Korean grammar was an elective course taught in my senior year of high school, I started studying it early, in my freshman year, to ensure a systematic approach.
In freshman year, the curriculum typically focuses on literary works and literary theory, as well as improving communication skills. Although students learn some grammar during this time, that alone wasn’t enough to tackle the grammar questions on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). So, to make solving CSAT grammar questions easier, I decided to create my own simplified Korean grammar textbook. I simplified and organized each grammatical concept and theory so that they could be directly linked to specific problems. Existing grammar textbooks often presented content in a purely descriptive manner, making it difficult to recall the relevant concepts when solving problems.
So, I simplified each grammatical concept and adapted it into a form that could be easily applied to problems or passages, and based on this, I began creating my own grammar textbook in a notebook. For example, for the chapter on “Phonology,” I broadly covered the organs of articulation, vowels, consonants, and types of phonological changes, and within that, I included subcategories such as substitution, deletion, addition, and contraction. In the vocabulary section, I included morphemes, word formation, word classification, and word meaning, and simplified the categories by listing nouns, relational words, verbs, modifiers, and independent words as subcategories.
In addition to this, while covering sentences, grammatical elements, linguistic rules, and the history of the Korean language, I made an effort not to overlook the grammar of ancient Korean.
Meaningful Extracurricular Activities During High School (Hangul Utilization Club)
As soon as I entered high school, I came across a club with a unique concept. I saw upperclassmen enter the classroom as a group to promote the Hangul club, and the “Love for Hangul” video—created collaboratively by club members—left a deep impression on me. Inspired by this, I resolved to engage in meaningful activities promoting Hangul and joined the club. Since I had always been interested in the Korean language and literature and possessed a passion for Hangul, I passed the club interview. My computer skills and information-searching abilities were recognized, allowing me to contribute to the club.
After joining the club, I was primarily responsible for computer-related tasks and the creation and management of online communities. Since there weren’t many students in the club who were proficient with computers, I took the lead in managing the community site and handling all necessary tasks. As an administrator, I attended every club event without fail, observing the entire process and compiling records of our activities. Thus, I participated in every stage—from event planning and meetings to execution and wrap-up—and organized the resulting materials.
At the time, the club’s mission was to identify and widely publicize disappearing Korean words and carry out activities to encourage their use. In particular, I proposed many ideas for correcting the misuse of the Korean language and improving incorrect language habits. I organized activities to educate students on campus about the scientific excellence of the Korean language, and I also conducted initiatives to improve the campus culture surrounding profanity by explaining the etymologies of swear words. Educating students on the etymologies of swear words was a major help in improving the campus culture regarding profanity. Many students used swear words without understanding their meanings, but after we distributed materials explaining their meanings, the number of students who voluntarily improved their language habits increased.
After these activities gained significant traction, the scope of our club’s activities expanded. By the time I was a sophomore in high school, our club compiled its own “Hangul Explanatory Dictionary.” This dictionary featured a selection of beautiful and elegant native Korean words, along with definitions of swear words, and we distributed copies to every classroom. Thanks to the school’s support, we were able to print multiple copies. The dictionary we created not only improved the school culture but also gained popularity through word of mouth, leading other schools to request copies. I made an effort to publicize the club’s positive aspects to the outside world by documenting all of our club’s success stories and posting them on community websites.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, Cooperation, and Conflict Management During School Life
The Korean Language Club I was active in not only organized on-campus and off-campus activities but also managed an online community. Among the various roles within the club, I was responsible for community management. I personally created a club forum to represent and promote the club, designing the banner and homepage, and edited content to raise the club’s profile externally. For example, I posted photos and details of the club’s on-campus activities on a dedicated board so that people outside the school could view them.
Our club’s online community was promoted to other clubs and classes, attracting many regular students to join, and even teachers would sometimes join after participating in our events, so it garnered a lot of attention. As a result, I felt a great sense of responsibility for my role. I collaborated with another friend to produce content; we divided the tasks so that I wrote the posts while my friend took and uploaded the photos. We also edited videos of plays produced during school events, uploaded them to YouTube, and shared them on the community platform. These play videos were based on a script designed to help students who misuse foreign words, loanwords, or slang empathize with others’ perspectives.
Once we edited and posted the videos, not only community members but also people outside the school were able to benefit from their educational message. We also created videos by rewriting the lyrics of popular songs using pure Korean and posted the lyrics online. On one occasion, we undertook a long-term project rather than a one-off event: a project aimed at delivering warning cards to parents who used profanity at home, with the ultimate goal of improving family culture together with them. We documented the entire process and posted it on the community forum; this success story led to us receiving a commendation from the Board of Education and helped raise the club’s profile outside the school.
Motivation for Applying to This Program and Preparation Process
There are likely many different dreams for those applying to the Department of Korean Language and Literature with the goal of becoming Korean literature majors. Some students may aspire to become Korean language teachers, novelists, or literary figures. I applied to become a scholar of the Korean language. In particular, I chose to apply to the Department of Korean Language and Literature because it allows for in-depth study of our language and writing. My love for the Korean language dates back to my middle school years. As I learned about the history and scientific characteristics of our language, I became captivated by its charm, which led me to join a club in high school dedicated to promoting a love for the Korean language.
Through my club activities in high school, I experienced most of the ways students can actively demonstrate their love for Hangul. Personally, I took the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) and the Korean Language Proficiency Certification Exam, achieving high scores of Level 2 or higher on both. At school, I organized various campaigns and created posters to encourage proper language use among the entire student body. In addition to efforts to improve the culture of profanity, I led a movement to voluntarily limit the use of incorrect loanwords and slang. I felt a great sense of fulfillment seeing the language culture of the entire student body change as a result of publishing an anthology that captured our efforts and promoting our message through posters.
Through these experiences and motivations, my passion for Hangul research grew even stronger. I believe that speech and writing have a significant impact on spiritual culture and quality of life.
Just as it was a hundred years ago, and as it will be a hundred years from now, it is the beautiful language of Hangul that will continue to define our culture. To develop and enrich our culture, we must preserve the power of Hangul. If we neglect research into the history and development of Hangul simply because it does not align with modern trends, our future linguistic culture could be threatened. Through my studies in Hangul and linguistics, I aspire to grow into a future researcher of Hangul.
