Forty-nine students from Nong Bua Pittayakan School in Nong Bua Lamphu Province embarked on an educational journey to explore Korean culture at the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) Thailand on July 31. The students traveled approximately 530 kilometers from their school located northeast of Bangkok to participate in this immersive cultural experience designed specifically for Korean language majors.
Ms. Sunju Lee, Director of the Korean Cultural Center in Thailand, provided a warm welcome to the visiting students who had made the long journey to Bangkok. She expressed her hopes that the visit would offer students a rare opportunity to experience Korean culture firsthand, something that is not easily accessible to them in their home province, and encouraged them to fully enjoy their time at the cultural center.
The day's activities began with a hands-on cooking experience where students learned to make songpyeon, traditional Korean rice cakes, under the guidance of Korean food instructor Lee Hyunju. Despite this being their first attempt at creating the traditional delicacy, the students demonstrated remarkable skill and creativity, crafting beautifully shaped songpyeon that reflected their individual artistic touches and personal flair.
In addition to the culinary experience, the students explored the center's current exhibition titled "Production Design: Scene Architects Build On-Screen World," which provided insights into Korean cinema and visual storytelling. The educational program also included participation in various traditional Korean games and activities that allowed students to engage with Korea's cultural heritage in an interactive manner.
The students enthusiastically participated in traditional Korean games including Tuho, a game involving throwing arrows into a narrow-necked jar, Ddakjichigi, a traditional paper-flipping game, and Jegichagi, similar to hacky sack but played with a traditional Korean shuttlecock. These activities provided students with authentic experiences of Korean recreational culture and traditional pastimes that have been enjoyed for generations.
A highlight of the visit included a hanbok fitting session where students had the opportunity to wear traditional Korean clothing and take commemorative photographs. This experience allowed the students to literally step into Korean culture and create lasting memories of their educational journey while gaining appreciation for Korean traditional fashion and aesthetics.
The Korean Cultural Center expressed sincere hopes that this comprehensive field trip experience will significantly enhance the students' Korean language learning journey by providing cultural context and real-world connections to their studies. By experiencing Korean culture through multiple sensory and interactive approaches, the students gained valuable insights that will enrich their understanding of the language they are studying and the society from which it originates.
