Honam University Foreign Students Fall for 'Namdo Si'

‘Reciting and Copying Beautiful Poems of Namdo’ Event... Over 30 International Students Participate

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Foreign students enrolled in the Korean Language Department at Honam University (Department Head Yoon Young) have become captivated by the "Beautiful Poems of Namdo."

According to Honam University on the 6th, foreign students at Honam University experienced firsthand the beauty of Hangul and the excellence of Namdo literature by reciting and copying poems by poets from Gwangju and Jeonnam ahead of the 574th Hangul Day.

The Korean Language Department at Honam University held an event titled "Reciting and Copying Beautiful Poems of Namdo," with about 30 foreign students participating, and exhibited their created works at the forest park in front of Sanghwan Hall.

The students copied their favorite verses from four poems by representative poets of Gwangju and Jeonnam?Park Yongcheol’s "The Departing Boat," Kim Yongtaek’s "One Mountain," and Kim Youngrang’s "Oh~Mae, the Maple is Turning" and "Until the Peonies Bloom"?onto eco bags using fabric markers in the classroom, then recited the poems and shared their impressions.

Chinese student Wu Xiaomeng (3rd year) said, “I chose ‘Oh~Mae, the Maple is Turning’ because it seemed perfect for autumn when you can see the maple leaves, and I drew a maple leaf picture on it. Meeting Korean poets through their works and seeing friends I hadn’t met for a long time due to COVID-19, when we had to wear masks and keep distance, was very nice.”

Vietnamese student Tuan (4th year) expressed his fondness for Hangul by saying, “I liked the phrase ‘Spring of Brilliant Sorrow,’ so I chose ‘Until the Peonies Bloom’ and wrote it down. I don’t know the deep meaning exactly, but it seems like a cool expression.”

Vietnamese student Le Phuong Hoa (3rd year), who copied Kim Yongtaek’s poem "One Mountain," also enjoyed the meaningful event, saying, “On the occasion of Korea’s Hangul Day, I got to know the beautiful poems of Namdo, and by reading and reciting them several times, I left beautiful memories of Korean poetry.”

Afterwards, the students exhibited their eco bags at the forest park, comparing their works with those of other friends and showing off their skills.

Yoon Young, head of the Korean Language Department, said, “Through this Hangul Day event, foreign students will have an opportunity to develop interest not only in the Hangul they want to learn but also in Korea’s beautiful poetry, which contains condensed and ambiguous meanings.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.