Korean Language and Cultural Studies Journal

An investigation of utilize the grammar 아/어서and 고 in Korean language from Thai learners

Minthita Thanapiboonroj — 2025-12-12

This study investigates the use of the Korean connective endings 아/어서and 고 among Thai learners, who often face difficulties due to their semantic and functional similarities. A total of 60 test items—30 requiring 아/어서 and 30 requiring 고—were designed based on Korean textbooks commonly used in Thai universities, supplemented with additional sentences unfamiliar to the learners. The participants were 275 undergraduate students from nine universities in Thailand. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted, drawing on Processability Theory (Pienemann, 1998) and Complexity Theory (Larsen-Freeman, 2012).

The quantitative results revealed an overall accuracy rate of 63.81%, with higher accuracy in sentences requiring 아/어서 (65.44%) compared to 고 (62.18%). Minor variations were observed across academic year, but the general tendency remained consistent. Qualitative findings showed that learners more accurately applied 아/어서 when the two clauses expressed a clear causal or sequential relationship, while errors frequently occurred when using 고 in contexts where verb clauses lacked explicit semantic connection.

The findings indicate that Thai learners demonstrate relatively better command of 아/어서 than 고, yet persistent errors occur in complex sentence structures and in contexts not explicitly covered in textbooks. The study highlights the pedagogical need to enhance Korean language instruction through explicit comparisons of semantically overlapping grammatical forms and the development of diverse instructional materials to improve learners’ grammatical accuracy and communicative competence.

Influence of Korean phonetic associations on the pronunciation of Thai by Korean learners

Kornnapha Boonphisudsilp — 2025-12-12

This research aims to study the influence of Korean phonetic linkage on Thai pronunciation of Korean learners. The research methodology is to explore the concept of phonetic linkage in Korean. To analyze the factors affecting pronunciation and then study the vocabulary in the Thai language textbook set “태국어표준교재 A1, A2, B1, B4” Then, it is organized into a table that classifies words by pronunciation to be used as teaching aids.

The research results found that there were 2,480 Thai words that could be obstacles to pronunciation for Korean learners. Most of those words are linking sounds between vowels and consonants, (연음) with 1,476 words, accounting for 59.52 percent. The next is the word with a nasal connection, (비음화), with 827 words, or 33.35 percent and the number of words with a connection that causes the sound to change to a side-tongue sound, (유음화), is 177 words, accounting for 7.14 percent. The researcher has also provided an example of a comparative table of Thai sounds and the pronunciation of the Korean sound connection to be used as a teaching tool for Thai pronunciation for Korean learners.

A Study of Bullying Problems in South Korea through the Series "Revenge of Others"

Sirivijit Pantrakul — 2025-12-12

This article focuses on studying the issue of bullying in the series “Revenge of Others” by applying the concept of binary opposition to analyze characters, which are divided into two groups: 1) perpetrators and 2) victims. The study finds that the key problems in schools are violence against LGBTQ+ students and violence between students due to differences in social status. However, the problem of violence against LGBTQ+ students is considered the most complex. Because society does not accept this group, the presentation of these characters' stories is complex and layered. This series also presents the root causes of issues that are debated in society or various media regarding violence in schools. The causes of the problem stem from family, society, various organizations in both public and private sectors, and politics. But one of the most important factors is the legal issue. Because the country’s laws do not have serious penalties for youth under 14 years of age, violent acts occur repeatedly and affect the safety of students’ lives, and this problem has become a silent threat to society.

The Social Impact of the Novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 on the Radical Feminist Movement in South Korea

Jidapa Kitisomprayoonkul — 2025-12-12

This research article, The Social Impact of the Novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 on the Radical Feminist Movement in South Korea. The research aims to understand the social impacts of the novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 on the development of radical feminist movement in South Korea. This study utilizes qualitative research methodologies, mostly relying on documentary analysis. The primary text examined is the Thai edition of Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, initially published in Korean in 2016 by author Cho Nam-joo and subsequently translated into Thai by Trongsiri Thongkhamsai in 2020. Supplementary data include academic articles, news reports, theses, and related research drawn from electronic databases concerning radical feminist movements in South Korea. The analysis and synthesis are informed by feminist theory and new social movement theory.

Findings indicate that Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 had significantly contributed to raising awareness to individuals about gender issues and discrimination because of being a woman, also a broader societal impact on how people talk about gender issues in society. For example, it had an effect on the high-profile case of prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun's public testimony about sexual harassment at work, which was similar to the #MeToo movement. It has also led to changes in politics, like the writing of the ‘Kim Ji-young Law’, which is a response to the novel that shows how it has affected politics and supports the goals of the #MeToo movement.

In conclusion, Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, along with the actions of radical feminist groups such as ‘MEGALIA’ and ‘WOMAD’—especially their strategic use of silence to highlight women's collective voices and experiences—illustrates the novel's profound social impact and its function as a catalyst in the radical feminist movement in South Korea.

An analysis of relationship between pre-university Korean language learning and academic performance in university: focusing on Burapha University, Thailand

Kitae Kim — 2025-12-12

This study examines relationship between prior Korean language learning before university admission and academic performance (GPA) after admission. Data on prior learning and academic performance were collected from 47 freshmen who enrolled at Burapha University in 2024. The average GPA after admission was obtained from the Burapha University Academic Affairs website.

According to findings, freshmen who entered Burapha University in 2024 had studied Korean for about 3-4 years before entering university. Their Korean proficiency ranged from Level 2 in TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) to scores between 40 and 70 in the A-level Korean exam.

Analysis of relationship between prior learning and GPA shows that students who studied Korean at Thai middle and high schools received more stable GPAs compared to those who studied Korean through self-learning. In contrast, GPAs of self-taught students varied widely, ranging from 2.00 to 4.00.

Students who scored Level 1 on the TOPIK generally received GPAs between 3.00 and 3.49, while those who scored Level 2 mostly had GPAs between 3.50 and 3.99. Students who scored in the 40s on the A-level Korean exam generally had GPAs between 2.00 and 3.50, while those who scored 60–70 points received GPAs of 3.50 or higher.

Among the second-year students, the one with the lowest average GPA (GPAX) had studied Korean through self-learning for about one year and had scored in the 40s on the A-level exam. On the other hand, students with a GPA of 4.0 had studied Korean for more than four years before entering university.

ความหมายของชีวิต ความตาย และมิติทางสังคม ใน หนังสือความเรียงเรื่อง Things Left Behind บทเรียนสุดท้ายที่ผู้ตายไม่ได้บอก

Nachitsiita Sutthinawaphan — 2025-12-12

หนังสือความเรียงเรื่อง Things Left Behind บทเรียนสุดท้ายที่ผู้ตายไม่ได้บอก เป็นงานเขียนของ คิมแซบยอล (김새별) และชอนแอวอน (전애원) นักเขียนชาวเกาหลี เป็นหนังสือสร้างแรงบันดาลให้กับซีรีส์ชื่อดังอย่าง Move to Heaven ทาง Netflix (คิมแซบยอล และ ชอนแอวอน, 2565, น. ปก) เนื้อเรื่องเล่าถึงเรื่องราวต่าง ๆ ที่เกิดขึ้นกับผู้เล่า ชายวัยกลางคนซึ่งประกอบอาชีพพนักงานเก็บกวาดข้าวของของผู้ล่วงลับที่เหลือทิ้งไว้ในสถานที่เกิดเหตุซึ่งเป็นอาชีพที่ไม่ได้รับการยอมรับจากสังคม ต้องทนต่อการถูกดูแคลน เหยียดหยาม และถูกปฏิบัติอย่างไม่ได้รับเกียรติในหลากหลายรูปแบบ อาชีพของเขาต้องเดินทางไปทำความสะอาดยังสถานที่ที่มีผู้เสียชีวิตในรูปแบบต่าง ๆ ไม่ว่าจะเป็นผู้สิ้นลมหายใจอย่างโดดเดี่ยวลำพัง ผู้ปลิดชีวิตตนเอง หรือแม้กระทั่งสถานที่เกิดเหตุคดีฆาตกรรม ในวรรณกรรมผู้เล่าเริ่มถ่ายทอดเรื่องราวเส้นทางอาชีพนี้จากการสูญเสียเพื่อนรักคนสำคัญในชีวิตตั้งแต่สมัยวัยรุ่น จนกระทั่งได้เข้ามาทำงานในสถานที่จัดพิธีศพอย่างไม่คาดคิด และกลายมาเป็นผู้อำนวยการฌาปนสถานอายุน้อยที่สุดในเกาหลี สุดท้ายได้เปลี่ยนเส้นทางเดินอีกครั้งกลายมาเป็นเจ้าของบริษัทเก็บกวาดข้าวของของผู้ล่วงลับ ทำให้ชีวิตของเขาเกี่ยวข้องกับความตายจนเคยชิน แต่ในความตายเหล่านั้นได้สะท้อนแง่มุมอันหลากหลายของชีวิตผ่านเหตุการณ์และสถานที่ที่เขาได้เข้าไปทำความสะอาด ผู้เล่าพยายามแสดงให้เห็นคุณค่าของชีวิตและปัญหาสังคมที่ตกตะกอนผ่านผู้คนและเหตุการณ์ต่าง ๆ ในชีวิตที่เกิดขึ้นทั้งก่อนและหลังการจากไปของผู้ล่วงลับซึ่งเขาได้พบเจอมาตลอดเวลากว่ายี่สิบห้าปี

ถ้อยแถลงจากบรรณาธิการ

Paphonphat Kobsirithiwara — 2025-12-12

สารบัญ

Paphonphat Kobsirithiwara — 2025-12-12

ข้อแนะนำในการส่งบทความเพื่อตีพิมพ์ในวารสารภาษาและวัฒนธรรมเกาหลีศึกษา

Paphonphat Kobsirithiwara — 2025-12-12