The Another Kookmin Person this time is Deung Wang from the so close yet so far country, China. When I first met him, I thought he was very masculine and brusque because of his height and stocky shoulders. However, as soon as I started the interview, I knew that he was an attractive and warm-hearted man with cute smile. Let’s meet Deung Wang, the representative of China with unexpected charms.

Q. Hello! If you don’t mind, can you pronounce “Ikkajit” (which means “such a trifle” in Korean)?
Well, I already pronounced that word many times. I also enjoy watching Non-summit Meeting (a cable TV program) so whenever the pronunciation of that word becomes difficult, I try to pronounce it with the help of my girlfriend and friends. But still, I was not able to pronounce it well. (Can you try it now?) ‘Ikkajit’
(You pronounced it well!) I sometimes pronounce it right and maybe today is a lucky day for me (laugh)! To the Chinese, “Ikkajit” and “Ikkakjit” sound the same. Since “Ikkajit” is one of the hard-to-pronounce words, many Chinese have a hard time pronouncing this word. “Ikkajit!”

Q. Now, please introduce yourself.
Hello, I am Deung Wang from China. I am 23 years old. I started my studies in Korea when I was 20 years old. I first studied in a Korean Language institute in Incheon for about two years and in 2013, I was admitted to Kookmin University. Since my father likes Korea a lot, he advised me to study in Korea. I am also interested in advertising so applied to the School of Communications. Now, I live in Daehangno which is near the university. My hobby is playing basketball. I really like basketball so I often play with many undergraduate students in a small group.

Q. What was your first impression of Kookmin University?
First of all, the campus has a great view of Mt. Bukhan so I thought the campus looked very beautiful. At the beginning of my campus life, I was not yet familiar with the path to the university so I often thought that it was hard to go to school. Nonetheless, the basketball court dismissed such thinking as soon as I stepped inside the campus. It was very impressive to see such professional basketball court and I really like it. Even now, the basketball court is my favorite place in Kookmin University. So whenever I have spare time, I watch basketball games in the court and sometimes I play basketball with other people.

▲ Deung Wang’s (School of Communications) small basketball group ‘Winning’ Deung Wang (bottom-right)
 

Q. You really like basketball!
Yes, I started playing basketball when I was in the 1st grade in middle school. Even now, I play basketball whenever I have spare time. While studying in Korea, I don’t have enough time for myself because of numerous activities but I feel free whenever I get the chance to play basketball. At the general meeting of Chinese students during my freshman year Professor Jun-hyeong Ji suggested that I join “Winning,” a small basketball group for undergraduate students. Since then, I have participated in the group’s activities. Through “Winning,” I can meet other undergraduate students and play basketball with them. I really enjoy the group’s various activities. Unfortunately, we lost in the basketball games many times so I feel sorry about that.
 

Q. You enrolled in the School of Communications thinking only of advertisement. What is your personal reason for choosing an advertising course?
It may be funny but I watched a drama about the advertising business. It was a Chinese drama that depicted many interesting things that happened to the hero and heroine of the advertising industry. I was very impressed while watching the drama so I think I started considering a career out of the advertising industry from that moment.

Q. Do you plan to work in the advertising industry?
I don’t have any specific plan. But I want to work in the advertising industry because the work in this field is very attractive. I am especially interested in copywriting among the many fields of advertisement. I think the essence of advertising is copywriting. It is very important to clearly deliver the meaning and intention through short linguistic expression. I have solid plans for my future career but with my field of expertise learned in the School of Communications, I want to work in the advertising industry either in Korea or China.

Q. Is there any memorable course you took besides advertising?
There are two courses. One is ‘Understanding East Asian Culture’ and the other one is ‘Life Planning and Direction.’ The subject ‘Understanding East Asian Culture’ was taught in Chinese so I was able to understand it well. Also, I was able to understand the overall culture in East Asian countries including Korea and China so it was really helpful. In the ‘Life Planning and Direction’ subject, I visited a silver center together with Korean students and it was very memorable. I talked a lot with many elderly people. Although I could not understand everything, I was really happy that I could help them in some way.

Q. I think you traveled a lot in Korea. For you, what is the best place to visit here?
Me and my friends who studied together in the Korean Language Institute went to Daejeon and Boryeong during the summer to experience Korean culture. It was a one-day trip and we really had a good time. The Boryeong Mud Festival was also memorable. Also, I enjoyed traveling to Chuncheon in Gangwon-do. (What then is the best place in Seoul?)Since my girlfriend also studies in Korea, we visited many places in Seoul. I like Myeong-dong, Seoul Tower and Yeouido Spring Flower Festival the most. Besides Seoul, I went to Everland in Yongin and stayed there all day long having a lot of fun. Although I have traveled a lot before, I will travel even more in Korea. Please recommend good places for me to visit!

Q. Are there any messages that you want to share with other Kookmin People?
I can understand the Korean language in some level but it is still difficult to speak in Korean. Actually, this is my first interview in Korean. Thank you for understanding me well regardless of my poor Korean. There are really many Chinese students in Kookmin University so I hope to have a good relationship with other Korean students. Have a good day!

This is the story of a passionate university student who tries hard to get closer to his dreams while playing basketball in the campus court. . Behind the strong first impression, I was able to see a thoughtful and warm-hearted student. He laughed a lot with his little jokes and he was able to slowly express himself satisfactorily with decent Korean. I thought that I might prejudice foreign students with a certain standard. Another Kookmin Person is one of the Kookmin People who exerts efforts to achieve his/her own dreams and goals. Have you seen the foreign students according to a certain standard as I did? Whether you have or haven’t, why don’t you say something to Kookmin*People and recommend a good place to travel in Korea?

- Web journalist, PR Team

Kookmin Review Ji-won Moon