Spilling Tea and Tasting Treats

Starting off this week our navigators got to hear from a special guest lecturer, Ms. Jessica Oak, Editor in Chief of Billboard Korea! Ms. Oak gave us all the tea (that she was allowed to pour) about the industry and answered questions about the idols she’s been able to interview. It was great to hear her perspective about where the direction of the k-pop industry is going. Thank you Ms. Oak for sharing some of your time with us!

The next day, the students had some leisure time to go around Insadong and work on their final projects. Some of us program leaders were able to get a sneak peek at some of the ideas each group had for their music videos, we are super excited to see the finished products! Later in the day, the navigators had the opportunity to go to Itaewon, a hotspot for foreigners, to eat, shop, and explore. Some of our students even found a taco place, which were delicious!

Wednesday night, we all went on a street food tour in Gwangjang Market led by a guide named Jennifer. The navigators got to try many new things like odeng (pressed fish cake), oranda (puffed beans), hangwa (traditional Korean confections), and yakgwa (wheat-based deep fried cookie dipped in honey). After trying these snacks, we made our way to a restaurant where the students were able to try yukhoe! Yukhoe is a raw meat dish made with beef and commonly served with an egg yolk and mixed with sesame oil. It was a new taste for those navigators who were brave enough to try it! They were also able to try modeumjeon, which are an assorted variety of pan-fried delicacies, and bindae-tteok, which are a type of pancake made with mungbean.

It’s been a busy week for our navigators but it isn’t over yet!