The language exchange will be held at Hana Korean language school.
This is the address: 20 Kramat Lane #05-05 - Singapore 228773

At the event, attendees can engage in practical language use, whether they're beginners or fluent speakers. The event will be facilitated by one of Hana's Korean teachers, and students of all proficiency levels will be in attendance. From new learners who know basic greetings to advanced speakers who can discuss Korean drama at length, everyone will find someone at their level to converse with. Light Korean refreshments will be served, creating an immersive cultural experience. The event capacity is 50 participants to ensure an engaging and intimate setting. While pre-registration is optional, it is recommended to secure a spot.

Hana Korean's founder, Candy Lee, emphasises the importance of this in-person event. "Many of our students join live Zoom classes every week, and that works really well. But it brings a fresh dose of energy to connect in person from time to time, and we thought, 'why not open it up to everyone?'", she says.

In the near future, Crystal Learning intends to open their doors to the general public for language exchanges on a regular basis. "We believe that language is the bridge that connects cultures. If more people can understand even a little bit of a new language, it will help build a better world", says Crystal Learning's co-founder Alex Lim.

The popularity of Korean language in Singapore

Korean is gaining popularity as a third language in Singapore. Crystal Learning, which runs language schools specialising in Asian languages as well as English, notes that Hana Korean, its Korean language school, ranks third in terms of student volume, only behind its Chinese and English language schools.

An obvious reason for the popularity of the Korean language in Singapore is Korean pop culture. Many of Hana Korean's students share a passion for K-pop and K-drama.

The shared passion for Korean culture means that Korean learners tend to stick together as a group, form friendships and continue learning for longer than is the case with most other languages.

Besides language courses, Singapore has seen a growth in Korea-themed courses pop up focusing on Korean cooking, dance and make-up.

Korean is also a friendly language for beginners. Traditionally, Koreans wrote mostly with classical Chinese characters. The hangul writing method was designed in the 15th century to make the language easy to learn and raise literacy rates among the poor. It's also relatively easy to learn the fundamentals of spoken Korean and start having conversations.

Learning a new language: Conversation beats grammar

Hana Korean recognises that learning a language is much more than mastering grammar and vocabulary from a book. The most enriching learning experiences come from real-life conversations. To encourage conversation, Hana Korean keeps its classes small, with a maximum of 8 students per group, whether the class takes place in-person or on Zoom.

About Hana Korean and Crystal Learning

Crystal Learning is a collection of language schools, each of which focuses on one specific language. Established in 2012 as Yi Mandarin, it has gradually expanded its portfolio of languages to include English Express, IndoSlang, Hana Korean, Taiyo Japanese, Sawadee Thai and Vietnoi Vietnamese.

Lessons take place in small groups with at most 8 participants per session, either in person at its Orchard centre, or in Live Zoom sessions. The goal is always to encourage language learners to speak in a foreign language as quickly as possible and spark a passion for learning more.