G5 Jameson Chung
“How has the Korean value I discovered helped me grow?
– How is this topic connected to Korea’s past, present, and future?
G5 Jameson Chung – Korean History
Jamo reflects on Korea’s colonial history and journey to independence, emphasizing how the nation overcame repeated invasions through perseverance and resilience. Through learning about this part of Korean history, Jamo came to deeply understand the value of persistence and was inspired by the Korean people’s unwavering spirit in the face of hardship. This project was part of a unit focused on learning the values embedded in Korean culture, and Jamo’s video captures his personal takeaway—that even in difficult times, we must not lose hope or give up.
"It was my first year to ever have been in Korean class, and I’d say it was a great experience. Through all of it, I’ve learned a lot of Korean, especially vocabulary and grammar. I’ve learned how to type a little, and I’m beginning to pronounce better. I also think I’ve improved perseverance through the World Language Singing Contest. I believe it made me more confident too. I’ve had a really good time in Korean Class: We’ve made kimchi, we’ve danced, we’ve made presentations, we’ve made videos, we’ve gone on field trips, and we’ve eaten good food… I cannot name all the things we did. Thank you, Emily Kim, for teaching me. It was really fun."
안녕하세요, 저는 정태영입니다. Hello, I am Taeyoung Chung. 저는 열한 살입니다, APIS 학교에 다닙니다. I am 11 years old, and a student here at APIS. 저는 한국어를 배우고 있습니다. I am currently learning Korean. 저는 오늘 한국의 일본 식민지 역사에 대하여 간략하게 이야기하고자 합니다. I am here to talk about Korea’s loss of rights in 1905.
한국은 오랜 전쟁과 갈등, 그리고 끈기의 역사를 갖고 몽골이나 북한 등 다른 나라의 침략을 끊임없이 받았지만 그것을 모두 극복해왔습니다. Korea has a lengthy history of wars, conflict but also perseverance. Constantly, they have been invaded by Mongols, North Korea, etc. 어려움을 포기하지 않았습니다. They have overcome all of them, however, and have not given up despite these obstacles.
1905년 일본과 러시아는 한국 내 만주 지역에 대한 영유권을 두고 전쟁을 벌였습니다. It began in 1905, when there was a war between Japan and Russia, because both countries had a claim to land in Korea known as Manchuria. 이것을 ‘러일전쟁’이라고 합니다. It was known as the Russo-Japanese war. 그 뒤에 중국과 일본은 다시 한국 내에서 전쟁을 벌였고, 일본이 이긴 뒤 결국 한국은 일본의 식민지가 되었습니다. Korea remained neutral in the conflict, and when Japan won the war, a treaty was signed making Korea a colony of Japan. 일본은 1910년부터 1945년까지 한국을 지배했으며 이 시기를 ‘일제강점기’라고 합니다. Japan ruled over Korea from the years 1910 to 1945, known as the Japanese Colonial period. Korea was therefore known as Chōsen during this period. 이에 맞서 한국은 1919년 3.1운동과 같은 수많은 독립운동을 벌였습니다. Korea also attempted to fight back, such as in the March 1st movement of 1919.
1945년 8월 15일 2차 세계대전이 끝나며 한국은 독립을 되찾았습니다. On August 15 1945, Korea gained independence. 당시 제 2차 세계대전에서 소련은 만주를 침공하려 했고, 일본의 나가사키와 히로시마에 미국의 원자폭탄이 투하되었습니다. This was during World War II, and two big things happened: The Soviets had attempted to invade Manchuria which had constant Soviets and Americans on Manchuria, and the atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. 이로 인해 일본은 연합군에 항복하게 되었고, 한국은 독립을 이루게 되었습니다. This caused Japan to surrender to the allies, which gave Korea independence.
한국은 주변국의 침략과 전쟁으로 많은 어려움을 겪었지만, 이를 이겨내며 오늘날의 발전을 이뤄낸 것은 매우 놀라운 일입니다. It is truly incredible how hard they have worked to overcome obstacles such as the Korean war, among other things. 물론 한국과 일본이 항상 좋은 관계를 유지하는 것은 아니지만 봄이 오면 피어나는 벚꽃이 일본 식민지 역사의 흔적을 상기시키는 선물이자 상징이 되기도 합니다. Korea and Japan are not always on the best terms, though. But when in spring, the cherry blossoms bloom, perhaps a gift, or a reminder, of the 1905 Japanese invasion.
한국의 역사를 더 공부하면서 끈기의 중요성을 알게 되었습니다. This has helped me grow and taught me such perseverance, and I think we can learn from how Korea has always kept going, even despite such obstacles. 한국은 수많은 어려움에도 불구하고 끊임없이 앞으로 나아갔습니다. Despite so many difficulties, Korea continues to prevail. 현재도 북한과 남한으로 나뉘어 있지만, 하나의 한국으로 다시 나아가기를 바랍니다. It practically has a conflict within itself, between North Korea and South Korea. 결국 끈기와 노력으로 빚어낸 오늘날의 한국이 계속 발전하기를 바랍니다. But I think that Korea shows how perseverance has brought them to where they are today.
감사합니다. Thank you.
“How does kimchi represent Korean culture while highlighting global connections and the power of shared traditions?“
As globally enlightened citizens, how can we contribute to the well-being of our global community?
THE BEAUTY OF COMPASSION
Now, I wish to say that I thought it up late into the night, recalling the beauty of being with friends, the beauty of community. However, the answer is no. It was a decision to find a word that meant the sense of community and unity we were asked to portray. So I looked it up and got compassion. And though the way I got the word isn’t very pretty, I feel the idea is quite neat. The meaning is a sense of sympathy for those of whom are sad; it tells a tale of understanding, and how we can help each other not with superpowers fighting off a powerful all-seeing eye hivemind, but by understanding how others feel.
But a word is just a word. I painted a whole darn picture. With a sentence on it that explained some of the importance of compassion. ANd the painting– that! My goodness, I don’t know what to think– bad, good, perhaps just simply mediocre. But I personally have a lot of things I like, and a lot that I feel falls flat. It’s simple: two buildings, a sunset, and a billboard attached to the building: “compassion”, Korean above the English. In the upper left, you’ll find that sentence that explains the importance of compassion as mentioned earlier. But why did I choose to make it this way? Well, I wanted a sunset. I knew that before paintbrush met wood, and further back when Gesso met wood. I just found the sunset blend of red and yellow so beautiful, I had to do it! So I did it. I thought the city might compliment the sunset in a way, but also shows that sense of community I was trying to portray. So that was the main symbolism I was trying to portray. I hope this may have been helpful in understanding my decisions- turning them from questionable to slightly less confusing.
“All About Me” Video Project
My School Life
안녕하세요, 저는 정태영이에요. 저는 오학년 학생이에요. 우리 학교는 하와이에 있어요. APIS라고 해요. 학교의 여러 장소들을 소개할게요.
여기는 힙홀이에요, 여기서 공부도 하고 쉬기도 해요. 책, 우크렐레, 탁구, 화장실, 소파, 체육관도 있어요.
LC1예요. 농업과 미술 교실이 있어요.
LC2예요. 게임 개발과 영어 시간이 있어요.
LC3예요. Advisory 수업이 있어요.
LC4에서는 수업이 없어요.
LC6예요. 사회, STEM, 수학 수업이 있어요.
LC5예요. 한국어 수업이 있어요, 점심시간에 밥을 먹게 되는 곳이에요.
파빌리온 Pavilion이에요. 함께 밥을 먹는 곳이기도 해요.
운동을 하는 곳이에요. 농구, 배구, 가가볼, 축구, 테니스, 피클볼도 여기에서 하게 돼요.
방과 후에는 카하나 베이 비치 공원에 가서 카누를 타기도 해요.
그리고 보태니컬 아트와 한국 요리 시간도 있어요.
지금까지 제가 참여하는 학교 생활이었어요. 여러분의 학교 생활은 어떤가요? 너무 궁금해요, 꼭 들려주세요.
제 이야기를 시청해 주셔서 감사합니다.
Korean Composition – My Family
Korean Composition – My Room
안녕하세요. 저는 정태영이에요.
제 방에는 탁자가 두 개 있어요.
탁자 사이에 침대가 한 개 있어요.
선풍기도 있어요.
침대 위에 선풍기가 한 대 있어요.
감사합니다.
I really feel like the presentations were an afterthought. They were the main point, but nobody cared! They just wanted to eat kimchi. I feel like maybe we could’ve put the kimchi buying station behind the trifolds? That would give incentive to walk through them, and it might create a natural urge to check out what was written. But I feel like that was a big problem with any presentations giving out stuff: people want the free stuff, take the free stuff, ignore the presentation. But I really think that the kimchi was good. It was quality kimchi! Furthermore, I have learned about myself and about Korean culture. I have learned vocabulary and verbs throughout this project, plus conjugation and grammar. I’ve learned so much Korean, and I’m very proud of myself. This was a pretty great first semester. Also, just as a little thing, I feel like the kimchi project pushed out more actual Korean learning, but I don’t think it matters that much. Really.
Thank you, Jamo, for your thoughtful feedback and reflections! Your suggestion about placing the kimchi buying station behind the trifolds is an excellent idea—it would naturally encourage attendees to engage with the presentations more meaningfully. I appreciate your awareness of this dynamic and will consider it for future projects. It’s wonderful to hear that you feel proud of what you’ve learned this semester, especially in vocabulary, grammar, and conjugation. Your dedication is clear, and it’s fantastic that you’re reflecting on both the strengths and areas for improvement in the project. While I understand your point about the balance between cultural projects and language learning, both are integral to a comprehensive understanding of Korean culture. Your ability to critically evaluate the experience is commendable, and I’m excited to see how you continue to grow next semester!