Everyone who watched “Squid Game” knows the episode Gganbu. I can neither confirm nor deny screaming, “GFF! Gganbu friends forever!” at the end of that episode (and then crying somewhere, sniff).
Well, thanks to the success of “Squid Game,” millions of people across the world are wondering about both the Korean language as well as Hangul, the writing system of the Korean Language.
The world is currently being blessed with untranslatable Korean words like Gganbu, Hyung, and Oppa. By untranslatable, I mean they are words that you just have to learn and incorporate into your vocabulary because there is no English equivalent.
KOCONUTs can attest that when watching K-Dramas, it is basically a prerequisite that you learn the words Oppa, Hyung, Noona, Eunnie, and Dongsang. Every K-Drama is filled with these words.
These words are in all K-Dramas but, in my opinion, are best highlighted in romantic comedies, so to see if you can catch Oppa, Hyung, Noona, Eunnie, or Dongsang said in a K-Drama, try watching “One the Woman,” “Dali and the Cocky Prince,” “Oh My Venus,” and “She Was Pretty.” They aren’t the thrillers that “Squid Game” is, but they are a nice fun romp to destress afterward (which you will need, let me tell you).
Now on to Hangul! Hangul, or Korean Script, was invented by King Sejong of the Joseon dynasty so that all the people of Korea could become literate. Before Hangul, only the upper class, or noble class, were literate because Koreans used the Chinese writing system to read.
King Sejong wanted to give Koreans an easy to understand Korean alphabet to read their own language based on the way each sound is pronounced.
It is absolutely fascinating how he decided to create this alphabet and is worth looking into even if you aren’t a linguist or history buff. I am neither, and I loved finding out about it.
In my drama watching opinion, one of the best introductions to learn about Hangul and the journey it took to reach the people (because it was a journey!) is to watch the dramatization of its creation in “Tree With Deep Roots.”
“Tree With Deep Roots” is a thriller on the creation of Hangul and was a hit in Korea because it took the representation of King Sejong and Hangul seriously while keeping the tension up, up, up!
There are assassins, evil politicians, and romantic love interest all combined in a spine-tingly way to keep the foot on the pedal of anticipation and excitement.
If you watched “Squid Game,” then you know how the tension was kept high throughout the entire show. Well, “Tree With Deep Roots” does the exact same thing. From the opening image to the closing scene, this show does not slow down one bit.
Another reason to watch is because King Sejong is played by two very talented actors. The older version is played by Han Seok Kyu, who has recently been in the fabulous “Dr. Romantic” series, and the younger version is played by Song Joong Ki before he ignited to superstardom in “Descendants of the Sun” among many other dramas.
Would you like some good news? All these shows are available to start watching right now on KOCOWA. So get your popcorn ready and start your binge today!
