Behind the Scenes of Korean Learning Books: A Visit to Darakwon in Seoul
저는 며칠 전에 엄청 바쁜 24시간을 보냈어요.
A few days ago, I had an incredibly busy 24 hours.
수요일 오후 4시: 집에서 홍대로 출발! 서울에 살지 않는 저에게 서울에 가는 건 작은 여행과 같아요. 너무 멀어서요! 😂
4 p.m., Wednesday: I left home for Hongdae! Since I don't live in Seoul, going into the city feels like a little trip. It's so far away!
Picture on the left: Hyunwoo at TTMIK, me, Minji Teaches Korean, Korean Morning, Inae at Like a Korean
저녁 7시: SNS에서 한국어를 가르치는 크리에이터들과 만났어요. 함께 먹고, 마시고, 한국어 교육에 대해 이야기했어요. 정말 즐거웠어요.
7 p.m.: I met up with some creators who teach Korean on social media. We ate, drank (no alcohol 😂), and talked about teaching Korean. I had such a great time.
밤 10시: 모임 끝! 지하철을 타고 집에 갔어요.
10 p.m.: The get-together was over! I took the subway home.
자정: 집에 도착하니 12시였어요. 😭 “하지만 괜찮아요. 푹 자면 되니까요.”라고 말하고 싶지만 그럴 수 없었어요. 왜냐하면…
Midnight: By the time I got home, it was midnight. I wanted to say, "But that's okay. I can just get a good night's sleep." Except I couldn't. Because...
목요일 아침 7시: 알람이 울렸어요. 🔔🔔🔔 서울에 있는 다락원 출판사와 미팅이 있었거든요.
7 a.m., Thursday: My alarm went off. I had a meeting with Darakwon, a publishing company in Seoul.
오전 10시: 한국에서 가장 큰 어학 분야 출판사 중 하나인 다락원에 도착했어요.
10 a.m.: I arrived at Darakwon, one of Korea's largest publishers specializing in language-learning books.
(If you've bought a lot of Korean-learning books, you probably own a few of their books!)
한국어 출판부의 초대를 받아 방문했어요. 사무실 구경도 하고 책도 구경했어요.
I was invited by their Korean-Language Publishing Team. I got a tour of the office and, of course, checked out lots of books.
그리고 한국어 읽기 책에 대해 아주 많은 이야기를 나누었어요. 한국어 출판부 분들과 점심을 먹으며 또 이야기하고, 또 이야기했어요. 😂
And we talked a lot about Korean reading books. Then I had lunch with the Korean Publishing Team, and we talked some more... and some more.
그리고 집에 돌아오니 오후 4시였어요. 엄청 바빴던 24시간이었어요.
By the time I got home, it was 4 p.m. What a busy 24 hours!
😉 😉 😉 😉 😉
참고로, 다락원에 사무실 구경만 하러 간 건 아니었어요.
By the way, I didn't go all the way to Darakwon just to tour their office.
그럼 뭐 하러 갔냐고요? 쉿! 🤫 아직은 비밀입니다.
So what did I go there for? Shhh! 🤫 It's a secret for now.
곧 좋은 소식을 전할 수 있기를 바라며 이번 글을 마칠게요.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to share some good news with you soon. I’ll leave it here for now.
Volume 2 of I See Your Heart comes out this Wednesday, August 26! I hope you're excited for the second part of this Korean-learning novel series.
My reviewers say the story gets even more exciting after all the buildup in Volume 1. 😉 I'll be back in your inbox on release day!
Written by Saehee Um
Saehee Um is the creator of ToonToon Korean and the author of illustrated novels for Korean learners. Her books combine binge-worthy storytelling, real-life dialogue, and cultural insights to make learning Korean engaging and fun.
She writes Korean learning novels presented in a K-drama-style script, helping learners improve their Korean through dramatic stories and immersive dialogue.
