By Honorary Reporter Monthi Rosselini from Indonesia

Hangeul calligrapher Oh Soon-ok was born in Yeongdeok-gun County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, an area famous for classical scholars, wonderful mountains and seaside scenery, and graduated from Daegu Cyber University with a bachelor's degree in art therapy. 

I met Oh at an annual event hosted in September by the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Jakarta called the Annyeong Chukjae (Festival), where she offered courses on calligraphy. I interviewed her on Nov. 28 through Instagram and email given the increasing number of Indonesians interested in Hangeul calligraphy. 

"Since I was a child, I've loved to write and design beautiful letters," she said. "I later worked at a company related to typographical design, and I think that made me love calligraphy more."

As an expat in Indonesia since 2019, she is a tutor of Hangeul calligraphy under her brand Dream Calli for ethnic Koreans in the country and natives interested in her craft. "When I first moved to Indonesia, I doubted whether I could continue my passion of teaching calligraphy, but I was surprised to start teaching again in a short time," she said.

Oh Soon-ok teaches Indonesians Hangeul calligraphy at a Korean Cultural Center event in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Monthi Rosselini)

Oh said Hallyu (Korean Wave) has gotten more Indonesians to learn Hangeul, the Korean language and even calligraphy. Earlier this year, she taught calligraphy at the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Jakarta for three months. 

On the differences between Hangeul calligraphy and those of other countries, she said each country's language and spelling make a nation's calligraphy unique. She said she feels Hangeul has comparatively more complex strokes (lines) than English letters, thus the more strokes, the more elements that can be added, changed and designed.

"I think the biggest advantage is that you can create countless fonts (with Hangeul)," she added.

While teaching calligraphy, Oh also shows students how to use their creations to decorate products such as candles, bags and lights.

These examples show how Oh Soon-ok's calligraphy designs are used to decorate lights, candle and bag. (Dream Calli)

On learning calligraphy, Oh said, "For those studying Hangeul calligraphy as a hobby or work, I believe you can learn it quickly with a lot of effort while enjoying the learning process."

"I'm grateful that I can contribute to introducing Korean culture through its calligraphy in this country. In Indonesia, I can find jeong (an abstract Korean term loosely defined as someone's consideration for another person), which is similar to Korean cultural values, and feel kindness and decency. My wish is to teach and offer more opportunities to people interested in calligraphy."

Calligrapher Oh Soon-ok takes a photo with her Indonesian students at the KCC in Jakarta. (Dream Calli)

kalhong617@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.