[Adult Class - F2F] Week 6

안녕하세요! 잘 지냈어요?

내일은 눈이 많이 온대요 (~ㄴ대요 : I heard/ somebody said~). 모두 운전 조심하세요! (safe driving tomorrow!)

I had a really really busy week last week (we didn't have daycare for the whole week, so my husband and I had to take turns to take vacation). I'm sorry for not providing feedback on your writing home so late, and if I looked a bit disorganized. (Also let me know if I haven't got back to you yet regarding your homework!)

Please remember, no class next week (3/9). Enjoy your day off and I'll see you the week after, 3/16

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As for the origin of Korean flag, and the meaning behind it, it says:

The Taegeukgi was designed during the late 19th century, a period when Korea (then Joseon) was opening up to foreign relations. In 1882, during the signing of the Korea–United States Treaty of Amity and Commerce, Joseon needed a national flag for diplomatic purposes. At that time, Joseon did not have an official flag, prompting the government to discuss its creation. Officials such as Park Yeong-hyo played a key role in its development.

The Taegeuk () symbol originates from the East Asian philosophy of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, which represents the balance and harmony of the universe. The blue section symbolizes Yin (negative, passive energy), while the red section represents Yang (positive, active energy)—together, they depict the dynamic balance of opposing forces in nature.

Meaning and Selection of Geon-Gon-Gam-Ri

The four black trigrams surrounding the Taegeuk—Geon (☰), Gon (☷), Gam (☵), and Ri (☲)—are derived from the I Ching (Book of Changes, 周易), which describes the fundamental principles of nature through eight trigrams (Bagua). These four trigrams were selected for their symbolic significance:

Geon (☰) – Heaven (天): Represents strength and creativity
Gon (☷) – Earth (地): Represents receptivity and nurturing
Gam (☵) – Water (水): Represents wisdom and adaptability
Ri (☲) – Fire (火): Represents brightness and passion

These four trigrams symbolize the four cardinal directions (East, West, South, North) and the four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter), reflecting the harmony and cyclical nature of the universe. They also align with Confucian values, which were deeply ingrained in Joseon's ideology.

Hope this answers your question that you had during the class!

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Also I mentioned the program I often used to studying English listening (called wheelplayer), I guess this program is "too old" to work properly on newer versions of Windows - my apologies!. There are a lot of similar apps/programs out there (search by repeat autio programs for language learning, etc).

TOPIK audio files are often used to give you some guidance, providing standard/structured Korean pronunciation. Feel free to explore and see if you can take advantage of it! (website like this provides free files : https://www.topikguide.com/download-83rd-topik-test-papers/)

고마워요!

유나