By Honorary Reporter Geetika Kapoor from India

Photo= Unplash @craftedbygc

Want to learn Korean? The India-based Kamaljeet Singh teaches Korean for free, a graduate of the University of Delhi who majored in Korean. The following is my interview with him.

Introduce yourself and tell why you are teaching Korean for free.

I majored in Korean at the University of Delhi from 2006-08. I received a certificate, diploma and advanced diploma in the language. I also represented India at the 2008 International Korean Language Speech Contest hosted by Malaysia and earned first prize.

I've always had a deep interest in the Korean language and culture, so I wanted to share what I learned and experienced with others. Though big cities in India like New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai offer Korean-language courses, small towns and villages do not. That's why I started offering an online Korean course so that students across India and worldwide could learn. Guest lecturers in this field also share their experiences and the aspects of learning Korean with students in my classes.

What made you study Korean?

I've always been fascinated by Asian languages. I later heard about Korea and learned of the many similarities between Indian and Korean cultures. Not only Korea is rich in cultural heritage like India but it also boasts big tech giants like Samsung, Hyundai and LG. So I chose Korean as my career and hobby.

Why do you offer free instruction in something that takes a lot of time and effort?

I found many youths in India who are as fascinated as I am with Korean who cannot learn it due to lack of resources. So I started a free month-long course in Korean to teach Hangeul, form Korean words, and use formal and informal forms. My presentation "Mini Tour of Korea" covers Korean culture and modern Korea. In addition, I hold guest lectures by inviting field experts and distinguished scholars who are professors at Korean universities. Thus students can learn about Korea while studying the language.

What do you think about the surge in the number of Indians interested in the Korean language or culture?
Korean has definitely received much attention in India over the last two decades. India-Korea relations are growing in economy, politics and culture, leading to the rapid rise of Korea's brand image in India and consequently more people who want to learn Korean. In addition, the Indian government has included and recommends Korean as a foreign language elective at Indian schools. So I'm very hopeful of a boom in the number of Indians who choose Korean as a foreign language and as a potential career.

You've visited Korea. How were your trips there?
I've had many chances to visit Korea thanks to my career. Koreans were really helpful when I was there. Obviously, I got to know Korea more closely when I visited and now it's like my second home.

Do you plan to expand your classes?
Offering free classes has elicited huge responses not only from India but from all over the world. But I have limited resources and teachers, so I cannot accommodate all who wish to learn from my site. I do have big plans, though, and will do my best to expand my resources to accommodate more students who want to learn this beautiful language. And again, my aim isn't only to teach the Korean language but to spread general knowledge about Korea including its business, culture and society. So hopefully this can produce future experts on Korea who can take India-Korea relations to the next level.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.