The first koreanculture.org site I went to was based in New York. I wanted something local, so I found the Los Angles Korean Culture website. The Korean Culture Center of Los Angeles (kccla.org) site is organized with categories to learn about Korean culture. Much of everything on the site is currently set up to learn virtually during our current pandemic.    

Categories include the arts, sports, Korean language program, food, and virtual seminars/field trips. The field trips include virtual tours of local historical memorials, like the Friendship Bell and a Korean Memorial Hall. The other seminars include history lessons. My main interest in the site was the performing arts categories. With sections for theater, K-Pop and the visual arts, there is much to be learned and admired. The performing arts sections showcase Korean songs, instruments, dances and performances. Local masters young and old can be viewed.

I particularly liked the Storytelling category. Korean folk tales are read in English from books that show both languages in written form. I think this is a great place to start with Early English Learners as they can see familiarity whilst listening to a story in English.

There is a collection of art-based videos that teach about specific art pieces, or styles like Minhwa, and even a how-to video on Bojagi. Bojagi is the art of wrapping presents with reusable cloths for the intentions of fortune and blessings. I think this is a simple, yet great inspiration to teach our youth. A lesson on recyclable wrapping materials can teach some shocking information. Such as: tissue paper and foiled/glittered wrapping paper can’t even be recycled. A discussion lesson can be added on how Americans used to conserve wrapping paper in the early 1900s. Then, teaching the students some beautiful folds of Bojagi will be influential to the next time they have to wrap a gift. They may think about the conservation before choosing their means of wrapping a gift…I know I have. I can assume some will even add the extra gift of teaching the one they are giving a gift to about Bojagi.