Map: (Yuwon Building, Room 1613, City Hall Subway Station, Line 2, Exit 9) https://maps.app.goo.gl/EEezUMQnkE68rBJM7
Soojung Kang
Title: Singing and Learning English with Adult True Beginners from North Korea
Abstract:
This exploratory qualitative case study was conducted over one academic year at an alternative school for North Korean defectors in South Korea and involved eight adult female learners. Most participants entered the supplementary, remedial class with minimal exposure to English literacy, including limited recognition of the Eng-lish alphabet. The study aimed to examine pedagogical approaches and instructional materials that facilitate initial access to English learning for highly at-risk adult EFL learners.
Due to limited background information about the learners’ prior educational experiences, the researcher adopted a flexible, learner-responsive approach. Findings suggest that slow-paced, melodic English songs selected by the students functioned as an effective entry point, improving engagement and self-efficacy. With songs the stable materials, the students practiced letter-sound mapping with food-related loan words. Data were collected through class observation and end-of-course semi-structured interviews and analyzed qualitatively.
While the study does not claim generalizability, it offers analytically relevant in-sights into early-stage EFL instruction for adult learners with interrupted or minimal prior schooling. The findings highlight the importance of understanding learners’ developmental starting points as a prerequisite for designing customized curricula for marginalized EFL populations.
Bio: Soojung Kang, a doctoral candidate at Sookmyung Women’s University, focuses on curriculum development for North Korean defectors through the lexical approach and cognitive linguistics. With
a year of teaching experience with true beginner–level North Korean defectors, she hopes her work supports renewing English education in preparation for reunification.
Daniel Svoboda
Abstract:
Calling all foreign faculty: this workshop is a field guide to building tangible financial security in Korea. Daniel has spent two decades in Korea (in both Daegu and Seoul) balancing classrooms with boardrooms (HUFS faculty, corporate translator/editor for blue-chip Korean firms, freelance translation/editing/lectures), and raising a family.
Title: Financial Success as an Educator
How do you get ahead without jumping ship? We’ll map out a practical, educator-first playbook:
The power of starting early (saving first, always) and investing later—safely—prioritizing low-risk gains.
A multi-pronged approach: (a) cost-cutting that doesn’t feel like deprivation, (b) boosting income with side expertise, (c) interest income via time deposits and low-drama investments, (d) smart, right-sized real estate choices, and (e) maximizing the the National Pension/Teachers’ Pension/private pension contributions.
And if you're thinking of jumping ship someday, “The grass isn’t always greener”: the reality of higher corporate pay vs. lifestyle tradeoffs.
Special considerations for foreign faculty in Korea: marriage, kids, remittances, retirement planning, and the monthly rent vs. jeonse calculus—explained in plain English.
Bio:
Daniel Svoboda is an Assistant Professor of Korean-English Translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and has worked as a professional translator/editor since 2009. Previously, he taught at the Daegu Catholic University and served as a coordinator for the Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Education. He has worked with major Korean corporations and institutions, and is a contributing author to educational publications for the King Sejong Institute and the International Korean Education Foundation. Last year, he co-authored Copywriting in English (Gilbut Publishing), Korea's leading guide to English marketing copy.
