How did foreign IDOLS learn Korean so FAST?? (feat. Lisa, Minnie, Felix)

How did non-Korean K-pop idols like Lisa from BLACKPINK, Momo from TWICE, or Minnie from IDOL learn Korean so fast? Do they have some secret techniques for learning new languages quickly, while other people seem to need much more time to study Korean and still not see results that quickly? Today, let's discuss how foreign K-pop idols achieve Korean fluency in a relatively short period of time, and what we can learn from their experience to make progress in our Korean learning. First off, the first reason that they improve so quickly is their significant amount of output. When it comes to language learning, both input and output are crucial. Input meaning listening and reading, and output meaning speaking and writing. But here I'm focusing more on output, because normally, self-study learners tend to lean towards input-based learning, because you know, it's easier to hit grammar books and study by yourself, compared to finding someone to converse with in Korean. It's especially the case if you don't live in the country where your target language is used. And if you've been following us, you might know that Talk To Me In Korean has taught Korean on YouTube for 13 years now. According to our stats, only 7% of our views are from Korea, meaning that 93% of our subscribers are learning Korean outside Korea, and thus probably don't have enough chances to use Korean as much as they need. And that might include you. But what about idols? You'll already know that most of the foreign members of K-pop groups start to take Korean classes since they were trainees. Lisa from Blackpink once mentioned in an interview that her Korean teacher had her to speak only in Korean during the whole class. And they've spent a lot of time with their band members, which gives them enough chances to speak in Korean in a comfortable environment. Now, numerous studies have shown that learners can best practice their speaking skills when their anxiety and stress levels are low. In other words, high levels of anxiety and stress have a negative impact on language acquisition. That is, you can better practice your Korean when you talk with your close friends in a chill environment rather than when you are being evaluated for every single mistake. In that perspective, they must have benefited a lot from always having Korean members around them to talk to in Korean. For most of our learners who don't have fellow band members or Korean friends to talk to on a daily basis, I will introduce two easy methods that you can practice speaking Korean on your own. Number one is to watch a YouTube video and try summarizing it in your own words. For instance, in this video, I talked about four reasons why it seems too hard to make friends in Korea as a foreigner. You can go watch it and summarize the four points verbally in Korean. Actually, the content you're gonna watch doesn't have to be in Korean. Which means you can listen to a podcast in your native language and summarize it in Korean. However, if you could, I think it's always better to consume content in Korean. Because that way, you can pick up some native-like expressions from that video and use them when you summarize it. If this method is too difficult for you for now, an easy way is to think of something fun that recently happened to you and imagine that you're explaining it to your friend in Korean. The second method is reading out loud. Reading out loud is 낭독 in Korean. 낭독 And reading aloud is a very, very good way to improve your reading skills and also vocabulary. But it can also greatly help your speaking. You might think it wouldn't be as effective because you're reading what someone else wrote instead of you forming your own sentences. But muscle memory plays a role in speaking a language too. In order to naturally and fluidly spit out Korean sentences you formed in your head, you need to have said it multiple times so it just rolls off your tongue. And reading aloud can help you with that. So definitely try it yourself. And the second reason is K-pop idols' strong motive to learn Korean. There are two types of motivation when it comes to language learning. One is internal motivation and the other is instrumental motivation. Now when we asked our learners why they learn Korean, the majority of them said they are learning Korean to understand K-pop or K-drama without subtitles. This is called internal motivation, which is the kind of motivation to achieve your goal that comes from within you. If you're learning a new language because you like how it sounds or you want to communicate with native speakers, these are all internal motivations. And having internal motivation greatly helps your language learning. So keep it up! How about idols? First of all, they would have the same motive as you because they must have made up their mind to study Korean in the first place because they were into Korean songs and music. But they also have to be at least somewhat fluent in Korean to fully express their lyrics and build bonds with their Korean fans. And their Korean should be even more fluent if they want to be in dramas or reality shows. These kinds of motives are called instrumental motivation, which means a practical or pragmatic reason for language learning. So foreign idols have strong and various motivations to achieve Korean fluency no matter what. Then what lessons can we apply to our Korean learning from their experiences? It can be a good strategy for you to make pragmatic reasons for achieving Korean fluency other than being able to communicate with Koreans or understanding Korean content without subtitles. To talk about my own experience as an example, I'm also a longtime language learner myself. And when I was job hunting like six years ago, I was intentionally looking for a job that required a high proficiency in English. Back then, I didn't know the concepts of different types of motivations. But I had a hunch that it's going to be really difficult, if not impossible, to always set aside some time for my English unless I have to do so because of my job. That was one of many reasons why I wanted to work at Talk To Me In Korean. Likewise, try making more powerful reasons to keep you motivated to improve your Korean. Lastly, the third factor for non-Korean K-pop idols fluent Korean is systematic and consistent learning opportunities. One-on-one tutoring, group lessons, books, online courses, conversation classes, music labels actively support their artists' Korean learning. And like anything else in the world, having a systematic curriculum to follow will be a great help to make significant progress. And this part is where you could use the help of experts or Korean learning services. Because you know, it's way more convenient to use an established curriculum that professional Korean teachers have made rather than to create your own curriculum by yourself, right? And we'd be very happy if you could consider using our service, Talk To Me In Korean. We have the full Korean curriculum of levels 1 to 10 that is proven to be effective by 1.5 million users. And we also have dozens of books and courses that cater to your Korean learning purposes. So definitely check them out at talktomeinkorean.com. So today, we talked about how foreign idol members have become fluent in Korean quickly and how we can achieve fluency while we don't have band members or music labels that can help us with our Korean. But before I wrap up, there is one thing that I'd like to mention. In fact, when you talk about how fast someone has learned a language, there are many factors, I mean, many important linguistic factors that are often overlooked. For example, one, how close their mother tongue is to Korean. Two, whether an idol is already an experienced language learner. In other words, if they already know how to acquire foreign languages by experience. And three, if they were exposed to Korean during their childhood and so forth. And comparing your Korean learning progress to a certain idol, ignoring all these factors is just not fair for you. And I figured most of the foreign idols have significantly improved their Korean after they debuted and they have gotten better and better as time went by. Just like any of us. Additionally, many idols publicly stated that they have struggling with Korean a lot. Felix, any tips for learning Korean? Will it be hard? I can't say everything's easy at first. I don't know, maybe there are some people that find it really easy. I personally, I find whatever I learned in something new, I find it really hard to learn at the start. Because, I don't know, I just accepted myself as a slow learner. So I believe learning a new language is as difficult for them as it is for us. And I hope none of you who are watching this video feel bad about yourself because you think your Korean is not improving fast enough. It's natural to take time to learn a language, and the key is to not give up and constantly expose yourself to the language and practice. And we at Talk To Me In Korean are here to help you learn Korean in the most fun and effective ways possible. So, 여러분, 화이팅! I hope you enjoyed this video, and if you did, don't forget to subscribe and share this video with your Korean learner friends who are also K-pop fans. 여러분, 그럼 다음 시간에 만나요! 안녕!