A young American has published a Korean language textbook. He is 29-year-old Billy Go, who runs the YouTube channel “GO! Billy Korean,” and gives online lectures about the Korean language.

Billy Go who resides in California recently published “Korean Made Simple” to help non-Koreans learn the Korean language and to answer questions people often ask about Korean. The book contains a grammar section and sample conversations that can assist both beginners and masters alike. The book also has explanations about Korean culture, as well as questions and answers to help readers practice what they’ve learnt. His friends helped him with editing and illustrations.

Only a small number of copies have been printed so far, but he is raising capital through Kick Starter, a crowd-funding website, to print more. Many viewers who watch his “GO! Billy Korean” videos on YouTube donated money. If everything goes well, and if he raises USD 12,000, he is going to record the book’s content to teach Korean pronunciation.



Billy Go travelled to Korea in 2005 and stayed in the country until 2007. He lived in Busan and worked as an English instructor from time to time. He also studied Korean very hard. After returning to the United States, he majored in Korean at university and joined an online community launched to learn Korean. He started making Korean language lecture videos and uploading them to YouTube in 2012. The video had good responses, and the number of viewers increased. He then decided to publish the book, as he thought that once people learn Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, and grammar with his book, it would be easier for them to learn Korean by watching his YouTube videos.

Billy Go said Hangeul is very scientific and once you study its linguistic principles, it is a lot easier to learn. He said his life is strongly attached to the Korean language and he can’t live without it. He predicts that there will be more people who want to learn Korean and, at the same time, who want to teach Korean.



Korea.net recently had an interview with Billy Go and talked about why he decided to publish the book, “Korean Made Simple.”

- Why did you come to Korea in 2005? What did you do in Korea?

I’m interested in different languages and cultures. Before Korean, I studied Japanese on my own, and then traveled to Japan. In 2005, I decided to try studying the Korean language instead, and I was hooked. A few months later I traveled to Korea and studied Korean while living there. I also taught English while in Korea.

- What did you like about living in Korea?

I loved the food. I could eat anything I wanted and not worry about my health. I loved the fresh air. I spent much of my time in Korea away from major cities and I loved the open feeling in small cities. When in larger cities, I loved the transportation systems. It felt like I could travel anywhere, even without owning a car.

- What made you fall in love with Korea and the Korean language?

At first I liked learning about Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. It seemed scientific to me, so I wanted to learn more about the language. The more I studied, the more I became able to speak and understand Korean. This motivated me to continue studying everyday while living in Korea.

- You returned to the U.S. You decided to major in Korean language. Why?

I was originally going to study business and take Korean classes on the side. However, I noticed that my Korean classes were more interesting to me than any other subject. That inspired me to begin focusing on Korean in college. In my first year, I decided to major in Korean, and took every Korean class that was available.

- Many years after you returned to the U.S., you decided to teach Korean on YouTube. Why?

In 2011, I was a member of several online Korean language groups. After participating for a couple of years, I noticed that many of the same questions would come up again and again. I thought that the group members might be happy if I made a video to explain some of these concepts, so in 2012 I started my channel, “GO! Billy Korean,” and uploaded a few videos. People liked my videos, so I decided to continue making new lessons every week. I never knew it would continue this long and lead me to write a book.

- How often do you make a new video? How much time do you spend each time?

I upload new videos once a week. The first episode I made took me a full week. To make an episode now, it takes about eight hours from start to finish. I don’t have any expensive equipment or software, and I do everything myself. It’s a lot of work, but I love to do it.

- What is the crowd-funding process like?

The crowd-funding project helps me to create something I couldn’t do on my own. People donate funds to my project in exchange for copies of my book when it is released. Because they’re helping me reach my goal, they also receive additional items, such as extra copies of the book. A few people who have donated larger amounts will have their name appear in the book as a character, or can choose to add a topic to the book.

- What do you think is the best way to learn Korean?

I think that practicing what you’re learning is the most important part of learning Korean. Children learn languages by speaking and listening, but this is difficult for adults. Adults must practice much more, and study. Also, grammar is more important than vocabulary. Someone with perfect grammar and a small vocabulary will sound much better than a walking dictionary who can’t make a complete sentence.

- Your YouTube videos have had over 100,000 views recently. Why? What are the reactions from viewers?

I love my viewers, and I try to reply to as many comments and questions as I can. I also take requests for lessons, and most of my video topics originally began as viewer requests. They’ve also been very supportive of my crowd-funding project.

- Recently, there are a number of people who returned to their country of origin and decided to make YouTube or different types of cultural material to let people learn more about Korea, as you did. What do you think of the phenomenon?

I think it’s great. Each YouTube channel and web site teaches in its own way, so learners have a variety of choices when studying Korean. I hope that new teachers will continue to appear in the future to help more people learn Korean.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
jun2@korea.kr