"Korea was Founded by a Bear?!" And Other Free-Talk Topics This Week

Table of Contents

This past week was a whirlwind of holidays.

Sunday, October 3rd was National Foundation Day in Korea, which celebrates the mythological founding of the country some 4000 years ago by the son of a bear-turned-woman.
Saturday, October 9th was Hangul Day, which celebrates the invention of Hangul, the Korean alphabet by a legendary king in the 15th century.
Much less dramatically, today (October 10th) is Double Ten Day in Taiwan, which commemorates a historic revolution.

All of these are public holidays, which means you can ask about cultural aspects to them as well as what our students did with their days off.

As always, we’ve listed out questions to spark conversations and curated relevant vocabulary (bolded) that students will be delighted to learn.

National Foundation Day 🐻

The Korean name of National Foundation Day is gaecheonjeol, which translates to “the festival of the heavens opening.” Learn about why it means that as well as the rest of the legend in this video by Arirang News:

Can you tell me the story behind National Foundation Day?
Are there any special events for National Foundation Day?
How important do you think National Foundation Day is compared to other Korean holidays?

National Foundation Day is a good time to discuss Korea’s ancient history. If you have students who are history buffs, make sure to ask them about Korea’s tens of thousands of stonehenge-type structures that date back to the New Stone Age.

A stone monument in South Korea that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site

I heard there are lots of ancient stone structures in Korea. Do you know anything about them?
Why do you think ancient peoples around the world made stone structures like these?

However, keep in mind that to most of our students, National Foundation Day functions mainly as a much-needed day off.

What does National Foundation Day mean to you? How did you spend it?
Do you have any fond memories of National Foundation Day?

Hangul Day ✍🏻

Prior to the invention of hangul in the 15th century, the Korean language was written using Chinese characters. However, this system was inefficient and difficult for the masses to learn.

I heard that the Korean language was written using Chinese characters for a long time. How often are Chinese characters used in Korea today? Do Koreans still know how to read or write any Chinese characters?
Which do you like better: hangul or Chinese characters?

King Sejong invented the hangul script to make literacy possible for all of his people – not just the social elite – and he’s now considered a national hero.

What do you think about King Sejong? How is he portrayed in history classes?
Besides King Sejong, do you know some other respected figures in Korean history?
Do you feel grateful that hangul was invented? Why? Why not?
How long does it usually take kids to learn hangul?

A statue of King Sejong in Seoul with his name inscribed in hangul

If you’ve ever been curious about the Korean alphabet, here’s a guide to learning hangul in 15 minutes! You can go through it with your students and ask them to write your name for you in hangul.

Can you write my name using hangul please?
I just tried writing my name in hangul. How is my handwriting?
Is there hangul calligraphy?

National Day 🇹🇼

Finally, today is National Day in Taiwan, more commonly known as “Double Ten Day.” The name comes from the fact that the holiday is held on October 10th in commemoration of October 10th, 1911 when a revolution started in China with the goal of establishing a democratic republic in place of thousands of years of monarchy.

Depending on who you ask, Double Ten Day is considered Taiwan’s birthday or the anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China or – since Taiwan experienced minimal effects of the revolution under Japanese rule at the time – a holiday that shouldn’t be a holiday at all.

Given Taiwan’s complicated history, it’s best to stay away from questions about the significance of the holiday and simply focus on students’ plans for the long weekend.

How will you spend your long weekend?
Do you have any fond memories of Double Ten Day from when you were a kid?

The celebrations involve performances, speeches, and a parade that starts at the Presidential Office and proceeds through the capital.

What do you think of the National Day parade and the performances? Is it common for people to watch the celebrations?
Do you have a favorite parade float?

In recent years, celebrations have focused on highlighting diversity. The main event has been co-hosted by immigrants from different countries, the national anthem has been sung by a chorus of 30 immigrants from Southeast Asia, and every year, there are performances by indigenous peoples as well as other ethnicities. You can get an idea from the following video:

I noticed that the celebrations for National Day highlight a lot of different ethnicities in Taiwan. Can you tell me about the ethnic make-up of Taiwan?
What languages do people in your family speak? What other languages are spoken in Taiwan besides Mandarin?
Can you tell me about the indigenous peoples of Taiwan?

Some students may share how they feel about the day, which is fine, but we probably don’t want to initiate this discussion ourselves. We could open quite a can of worms!

👋 That’s It For Now!

We hope you got a taste of some topics you might want to bring up with students. Happy tutoring!