For the first time, ISC students experience Hangeul and its style in a calligraphy class

On Friday, July 13, the KU International Summer Campus (ISC) offered a Hangeul (Korean alphabet) calligraphy class for the ISC students at Woodang Hall.

The ISC students were given a chance to experience and learn about Korean writing and culture by writing Hangeul with meok (traditional Korean ink) and pwut (traditional Korean brush).

Just prior to the class, international students who encountered calligraphy for the first time took pictures by touching and holding the meok, pwut, and hanji (traditional Korean paper) with astonishment. The students were also amazed by the instructor’s calligraphy demonstration.

During class, the students were given time to practice writing their names in Hangeul and tracing some meaningful phrases in Hangeul. The students laughed as they awkwardly held the pwut. However, they soon began to enjoy learning how to hold the pwut properly and found themselves passionate about writing by following the instructor’s demonstration. The students showed their enthusiasm by writing down each other’s names and asking the meaning of some Hangeul phrases.

After practicing calligraphy during the two-hour class, the students took time to write down their favorite phrases on paper fans. The course reached its end with students proudly holding their work and posing for a group photo.

After class, Jennifer Hwang, a student from the U.S. expressed her impression about the class by saying, “It was a very enjoyable and fascinating experience. Experiencing what I had only seen in historical Korean dramas was very interesting. I also believe that it would be fun if I could continually practice calligraphy in the future.”

The KU ISC also plans to host a variety of programs including a Nanta performance and Korean cooking class for international students in order to allow them to explore and experience various aspects of Korean culture.