Hello everyone, my name is Jacob from jacobteacher.com, and I am here today with Seong Jae, also known
as "Korean Billy."
May I call you "Billy" for the interview?
Yes, you can call me Billy, that will be convenient.
Great, Billy!
Thanks for coming on the show.
And I wanted to ask you before we start—chigeum mo hamen?
(what are you doing, in Korean) Ah, chigeum mo—that's Jeju dialect, isn't
it?
That is Jeju dialect.
So right now, I'm living in Jeju Island, and Billy is living in Seoul, correct?
Right.
So I was just trying to impress Billy with my Jeju dialect Korean skills.
Oh, wow, you've learned some Korean dialect then?
I've learned a little bit of Korean dialect.
And the reason I bring up dialects is because over the last little while, Billy has become
quite popular on Youtube for talking about different kinds of British dialects.
So, Billy, I was wondering before we start here if you could just introduce yourself
and talk a little bit about your YouTube channel.
Okay, so my name is Seong Jae Kong.
That's my Korean name, but I am known as Korean Billy online, and I make YouTube videos
about British culture and British English.
And I usually focus on British dialects, particularly.
So I have become popular, somewhat popular thanks to my british dialect videos, and that's
what I mainly do these days.
Yeah, that's really great.
And again, his YouTube channel is "Korean Billy," So I would highly recommend checking
that out especially if you're interested in learning different kinds of British dialects.
But today, I kind of wanted to talk about becoming fluent in English within the context
of Korean society.
I've been teaching English in Korea for the past year and a half, and you're someone
who grew up in the Korean educational system, so I was wondering if you could explain what
it's like for a student in Korea growing up and learning English—what the average
student experiences.
Well, when it comes to the Korean education—like studying in Korea—well only, just, only
one word pops in my mind—which is just, you know, very tense.
Very tough.
Very tense.
Intense.
So, my student life in Korea was quite tough as well, because, yeah, I was just also one
of the average Korean students, you know, studying in Korean schools.
And yeah, I woke up really, really early in the morning, and I went to bed really late
at night.
Ah, yeah, I studied just literally so much, and I can't really—still, I can't really
understand how I managed to, you know, get by—how I got by, you know, at Korean schools.
So, literally, I studied so much, especially when I was a high school student and including
English subject as well.
Yeah, and it's quite interesting to me because Korean students—they study so hard; they
study so much.
They study English a lot, too, yet very few people reach the level of English fluency
that you've reached.
And I wonder, why do you think that is?
Well I think, ah, just in average, Korean people are quite good at English, but not
very good at spoken English, I would say.
They are really good at like understanding like English texts like reading books or just
English grammar.
They are really good at English grammar.
Or, just, you know, understanding English texts.
But, I think, Korean schools don't really teach, you know, practical English, like spoken
English.
And I could never like practice speaking English when I was at highschool.
So I think that's why like Korean people, you know, get like frozen when they try to,
you know, speak in English—because they've never practiced, you know, speaking English.
And at what point did you notice your own passion for English?
Sorry, come again?
At what point did you notice your own passion for English?
Oh, so, I was—I've been interested in foreign languages since I was very young.
So I think the moment when I found out the English language, when I was like 6 years
old, I think Oh wow.
Just, you know, in my hometown, there were some foreigners, maybe some English teachers
in Korea, I guess?
So when I just first saw them, that was just so interesting to me.
So I couldn't help, you know, approach them, and just said hello, and just tried to just
talk to them.
But I just found out that I couldn't really talk to them because they spoke in like different
language.
So that kind of shocked me and since then I got really interested in different languages
including English language, and I just started to learn, you know, English language.
Just for me, it's just, you know—people speaking in a different language: the fact
that, you know, people can speak in different languages was really interesting to me, so
I just started to learn different kinds of, you know, foreign languages.
Now, I imagine with that attitude you must have excelled in English class as a student
growing up.
So I was wondering—from my personal experience as a teacher, in every class I've taught
there's a very wide range in terms of students' English ability.
There are some students who can speak almost fluently already in elementary school, and
there are some students who can't speak a word of English.
I imagine you were probably closer to the higher fluency range.
Yeah, I think so, yeah.
Because I really enjoyed learning, you know, the English language.
So, I just, you know, asked questions a lot, and I was always just really active about
learning English language.
So, I think so, yeah.
And, ah--we'll have to hunt down some of your old foreign English teachers and ask them.
But what was that like being in a classroom with such a wide range of, ah, English ability.
Ah, in Korea?
Hmmm, well, How can I say?
Could you repeat the question again?
Yeah.
So being a student who was pretty good at English at a young age, what was it like being
in a classroom with students who weren't at that same skill level as you?
Like, I know as a teacher, for me, it's very hard to kind of find the balance between,
uhm, helping some of the students who need more help, who aren't as strong in English,
and teaching some of the more advanced students some other stuff that challenges them.
So, what was that like, in that situation?
Oh, right, so I think, ah when I was at like middle school or high school a lot of my classmates
just, you know, asked some questions about English language and they just tried to just
follow me--I don't know why.
It could have been possible that there could have been some students who were jealous,
but thankfully there were like nobody who were like jealous about my English fluency.
So I just enjoyed learning English language with my classmates.
And for English teachers, they--I think they just found out that, you know, I really liked
English language, and my English skill is like somewhat really great.
So they really looked after me very well.
And they, yeah--they just took care of me actually.
And just giving me some extra care, and they taught me more about, you know, English language,
and like even on the graduation day some English teachers, you know, came to me and gave me
some special presents, even though they were not my homeroom teachers.
So, yeah, that was--so I really enjoyed, you know, the English classes at my schools, and
I didn't really like, you know, math classes.
So I think the only class I enjoyed was the English class.
It sounds like you were quite the model student.
Yeah, hahaha.
So, I was wondering, ah, when did you feel like you took your English to the next level,
and what sort of things did you do on your own to study and to become--ah, to get to
the level of English fluency that you're at right now.
Well I think the reason why I, ah, started to learn the English language is because I
really wanted to talk to people, and I really wanted to go to, you know, America and Britain.
So I just tried to, you know, I just tried to imagine that I am actually in a country
where people speak in English.
So I just tried to change my life.
I just tried to change everything in English, you know, in my ordinary life--and tried to,
like, think in English.
And I also kept my diary and, yeah, I just practiced a lot.
I just, you know, spoke to myself as well, and I just tried really a lot to get really
familiar with, you know, speaking English, because I thought just, you know, being familiar
with speaking in one language is like making a habit.
So, I'd practice a lot like, ah, training, like physical training.
And after that I got relatively familiar with speaking English, because I got, like, used
to it.
So that really helped me.
Also, like, it took a lot of time for me actually.
so I practiced a lot.
I just tried to, you know, repeat after some, you know, movie characters or drama characters.
And I also, just, you know, just whatever I seed, I just tried to you know think in
English or just, you know, describe what I see in the real life in English.
So I did, like, almost everything in English.
And that helped me, really, really a lot to get familiar with, you know, using the English
language.
I like what you said about comparing it to, kind of, working out or something physical,
and creating that habit.
I think that's a really useful analogy.
And I wanted to ask you: you have your channel now on YouTube, you've experienced quite a
bit of success with that, besides all that, what has been the--in what way has becoming
fluent in English benefited you?
What has been the biggest benefit besides the success you've experienced on your YouTube
channel?
Well, obviously, thanks to my fluency in English I can communicate with many, many more people
in English, right?
Because if I could have been, you know, able to speak in only Korean, I just would have
been able to--I would've just ended up, you know, talking to Korean people, only Korean
people.
But now I can speak in English as well, and I can read English, and I can write in English--I
can just communicate with people almost all over the world, like almost everybody in the
world, because almost everybody can use English somehow.
So that really helped me a lot to meet new people, and meeting new people inspires me
a lot, and gives me a lot of new ideas--and it just literally broadens my world.
So, just by being able to speak in English, you know, my life has just become really exciting,
rather than just, you know, being able to speak in Korean, only speak in Korean.
So, yeah, that just, you know, improved my life actually.
And why British English?
I know, ah--since I've started blogging online, I see so many people that really, really want
to learn not only English, but British English.
And I confess--personally I also love the sound of British English, but why do you think
it is that so many people want to learn British English?
Well, for me, I am also--I think I also had a, like, typical reason, like when it comes
to like being interested in British English.
When I was a high school student, I just watched some British TV shows and British films, and
at the time, Harry Potter was really popular.
So, I don't know.
Like, just when it comes to the English language itself, I've been studying English for almost,
like, 20 years.
But, after studying English for a few years, I just found out--I just tried to, you know,
take a look at, you know, different English materials.
So, I just accidentally happened to watch British TV shows as well, and I just found
out there were different kinds of English as well.
So that really fascinated me.
And also I really liked British TV shows, and British films, and British culture, like
British pop music.
So I just naturally got fascinated by British culture and British English, and since I really
wanted to go to the UK and experience the real culture and real life in the UK, I started
to learn British English really hard, and I've been studying British English for now
about 8 years up to now.
Yeah.
Ah, and that leads me nicely to my next question.
What is--if you had to pick just one--your favorite English word, idiom, or phrase?
I'll tell you--I've been studying Korean for the past year and a half now.
My favorite Korean word is "seon mok," that's the word for "wrist" in English.
And when someone described it to be the first time I thought it was such an interesting
way to describe "wrist" because the literal translation of "seon mok" is "hand neck,"
so that sounds so interesting to me as an English speaker--very poetic, actually.
And, uhm, yeah, I was wondering--do you have a favorite word, or idiom, or phrase?
Whether it's in a certain British dialect or just in English in general.
I would say just for general British English, ah, my favorite word would be "cheers."
Cheers?
Yeah, "cheers."
Right, now, people, in English they cheers, like when you're having a drink you cheers,
but what is it in British English?
Like, they obviously say cheers when they try to drink and make a toast.
But they also say cheers when they, like, celebrate something, or when they try to say
"thank you".
So I heard British people say "cheers" like, so many times, in the UK, so, I think cheers
is one of the most British word or expression.
And for dialect word I would say, "brekkie."
What's that?
That is the Liverpool dialect word, and that means, "breakfast."
Oh, wow, yeah I had no idea.
Yeah, so like, Liverpool people say, like, "I want some brekkie," like, "Shall we have
some brekkie, la?"
They say stuff like that.
That sounds like Hebrew to me, almost.
Yeah, for me it sounds like German, or stuff like that, yeah--European language.
So that was really interesting to me, because that shows very, very different accent.
Yeah.
Yeah the Liverpool accent, so that was really interesting to me, and I even use this word
when I go to Liverpool, so that's a really interesting word to me.
I'm sure that's a huge hit--when they see a Korean man speaking perfect dialect.
So you've had all of this success now.
You're doing really well.
What are you most proud of?
Well, hmm--when I first started my YouTube channel my first goal was to go to the UK
out of my YouTube channel.
Yeah I hoped that my YouTube channel would enable me to go to the UK.
Financially, you mean?
Ah, yeah, financially, or just, you know, physically--any way, actually.
And I managed to go there last month.
And that was--I was, like, really, really proud of myself that I managed to go there
thanks to my YouTube channel.
And, ah, I don't know--like, Korean people, because I really, really like British culture:
now I make videos about British culture and British English, and I can see lots of Korean
people get really fascinated by British culture and, you know, British English as well.
And just, you know, by seeing them, I just find it really, you know, great, and I feel
kind of proud because, like, sharing what I really like is a great thing for me.
And I just feel really happy and proud when I see, like, people say that they are now
really fascinated by British English and British culture as well.
So, I--just the fact that my YouTube channel is a place where Korean people can enjoy what
I like together, and also for also British people like join my YouTube channel and they
just share their culture together.
And just, yeah, by seeing everything I just feel so proud.
And, yeah, I just feel really encouraged and think that I've done something really valuable.
So, yeah, I feel very proud in many different ways these days.
And what does the future hold for Korean Billy?
Oh, wow--so there are many other different dialects I haven't covered yet.
There are around, like 30 dialects in the UK, so there are still many other dialects.
I should, ah, do research and I should learn, at which I really enjoy.
So I'll do--I'll make more videos about different UK dialects, and in the end I can also try
different dialects from different countries, like American dialects and Australian dialects.
Yeah, hopefully I will do that.
And I am also, like, trying to do some, like, different platforms, like, podcasts, or blog,
or just Korean channel, or some English channel--English teaching channel for Korean people.
So, yeah, I'm just really enjoying trying new things.
So, I'll see just what happens after trying everything.
It sounds like you have quite a bit on the horizon.
And I'm very excited to see what you come up with.
Billy, thanks so much for the interview, and again if you haven't checked out Billy online,
go to YouTube right now, search "Korean Billy," and check out his videos.
They're really awesome and you will love them.
Billy, thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
Have a good night.
Thank you!
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