Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

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One of my favorite Korean word I think is “chu-eok”. In my experience “gi-eok” is used more by Koreans to mean “memory”, but I think maybe this is because of the higher demand that “chu-eok” can ask if used. I read about chu-eok first in an article by Aldrin Lee who was then the director of the University of the Philippines-Diliman Korea Research Center, and utilized it in an essay of mine using that word as the title and the primary theme—an essay of mine which won the 2019 ASEAN-Korea Academic Essay Contest. 

And I think the beauty of the relatively hidden word that is chu-eok contributed much to such award being given to me. Chu-eok, as described by Lee (2017) in that article, “is special because it keeps you attached to a life moment and allows you to relive that experience. It’s not simply recording something into your memory... Chu-eok instead binds you to the moment, allowing you not just to recall but also to re-experience the past” (p. 120). In the end, because of that essay, I was able to go to Korea and explore Seoul and Busan with my friends from ASEAN and Korea and made memories that up until now bring smile to my face.

Reference: 

Lee, A. (2017). How to say “bittersweet” in Korean and create long-lasting memories. Asian Studies, 53(2), 120-121.