EK Newsletter | Fall 2022

안녕하세요 여러분! Hello everyone!

Welcome to the Autumn Edition of the Essential Korean Seasonal Newsletter! This edition contains a few big announcements that you'll find worth looking over as we make learning Korean more exciting and accessible than ever.
 

The Fall season - or 가을 - is a beautiful time of year in Korea when the heatwave lessens and the rich autumnal colors come on the show. If you’re deciding when to visit Korea, fall is a great season; the national parks boast stunning foliage, and even just walking through the streets of Seoul, you have weather that is perfect for a stroll.

While you may not be able to visit Korea (yet!), you can prepare for a trip with some of our newest resources, ranging from podcast courses to EK meetup events, as we add a variety of new ways to interact with Essential Korean. It’s exciting stuff, so let’s get right to all the changes happening!

What We’ve Been Working On

Launching the EK Podcast Course

As we celebrate surpassing 500,000 downloads on the podcast, we are excited to announce the launch of the EK Podcast Course! For each podcast episode released, we’ll have a module that includes Practice & Drills, Exercises, Lesson Notes, a section where you can listen while reading the transcript, and even a video for some episodes. 

Everyone has immediate access to the Episode 1 module, and EK Members will have access to all episodes. If you’ve been listening to the podcast, and find yourself listening to episodes multiple times, you’ll be excited to see how much this resource can reinforce and solidify key learning points from this episode.

A New EK Membership

We now have two plans to choose from as an EK Member: the Entry and Premium Plan.
 

The Entry Plan includes access to ALL EK study materials – Courses (including our new Podcast Course), Targets, Transcripts, and more – for $7.50 a month when purchased annually or $12 a month. We wanted to make becoming an EK Member more accessible than before, and the Entry Plan is our commitment to that value.
 

The Premium Plan will be aligned for those who seek the instruction and structure of EK events, practice sessions with other students, and office hours with Kay샘, and remains $30 a month. We think this plan offers incredible value if you’re able to make the most of it, and you can learn more about the full list of features on our membership page.

EK Events for All

If you came to our spontaneous K-Drama night a little while ago, you’ll be especially excited about this – Every first Wednesday of the month, we’ll be opening up our weekly K-Drama class to all students! The next K-Drama event will be held on Oct. 5, 6pm PST/9pm EST on Discord. We hope to see you there! 

What To Look Forward To

Essential Korean YouTube: Introducing "How To Interact with the EK Courses"

We’re working on course videos that will showcase how members can interact with the EK course content and work with others for a collaborative learning experience.

Although EK courses are good for self-study, we firmly believe that working together with others is more conducive to learning, more sustainable, and more fun! This video series will show how to best use the EK courses in a collaborative manner, which can help you add structure and accountability while you practice in conversation with fellow members. 

Simplifying Study Buddies System and Navigating the EK Discord 

We hear you: the EK Discord can be a bit overwhelming, and we want to make the space friendlier and easier to work with. We’ve reduced the sections and are reducing friction in finding study buddies so that it’s easier to interact with other members.
 

 
Look forward to some End-of-the-Year events as the holidays approach :)

Bonus Section: Playlists from Luna

ansan’s autumn [가을]

of course, with a new issue of the newsletter comes the third seasonal playlist. to me, autumn is a time that has endless mellow, comforting vibes. hot drinks and crunchy leaves stand out as a highlight, so this playlist is full of tracks that make you feel like you’re in a warm coffee shop watching people walk past as the wind breezes through the streets.

find it here!

trot on top !

for the second playlist, i wanted to deep-dive into korean trot and introduce you to some of my favourite songs from its best artists. the genre itself is one of the best gateways to learning about korean culture, as it is a style of music entirely unique to the country. unexpectedly, trot also has a long history; from the early 1900s until now it has been at the centre of politics and popular culture. 
 

by the way, this playlist is best listened to in order, so you get a feel for the development of the genre from its origins up to what most know it as today. i hope you enjoy!

find it here!
 

• luna <3