College student bridges Korean, Vietnamese cultures

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Mon, October 2, 2023 | 00:36

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College student bridges Korean, Vietnamese cultures

Posted : 2020-12-17 13:08

Updated : 2020-12-17 16:55

Jeon Hyung-jun poses in a radio booth at Voice of Vietnam (VOV) World, a Vietnamese public broadcaster, where he used to work as a radio producer in 2019. / Courtesy of Jeon Hyung-jun

By Lee Hyo-jin

Jeon Hyung-jun, 26, has helped more than 2,000 Vietnamese expatriates in Korea over the past seven years by offering free interpretation services using his bilingual skills.

The undergraduate student at Sogang University majoring in Global Korean Studies serves as a volunteer at BBB Korea, a consulting service for foreigners in the country.

Jeon is on the hotline 24/7 to provide interpretation services in various situations: at police stations, hospitals, banks, COVID-19 testing sites and so on.

"Being an interpreter is not only about delivering words, but sometimes I become the mediator bridging two cultures by helping them understand their cultural differences," Jeon told The Korea Times.

He recalled a recent incident in which he had helped out an international married couple going through conflicts due to language differences. He helped them to understand each other through deep conversations for over three hours on the phone.

Jeon's fluency in Vietnamese makes it hard to believe that he first learned the language at the age of 17 when he entered Chungnam Foreign Language High School in Asan, South Chungcheong Province.

"I acquired the language relatively easily by actively communicating with Vietnamese friends that I made via social media. And I visited the country whenever I had the chance," said Jeon, adding that he has traveled to Vietnam more than 20 times.

He worked as a radio producer for a year in 2019 at Voice of Vietnam (VOV) World, a public broadcaster in Hanoi. Based on his experience, Jeon, along with two Vietnamese friends, opened a media platform in March called "Xinchao Kimchi" through which they delivered useful information on the COVID-19 pandemic to the Vietnamese community in Korea.

"A lot of my Vietnamese friends were confused where to buy masks or on self-quarantine rules. I realized there wasn't an integrated platform offering up-to-date information on the pandemic situation in their language, so I decided to make one myself."

They also invited Vietnamese guests onto the radio show to share their thoughts and discuss the hardships they experience in Korea.

As the program was aired by VOV World, their works were recognized by the Central Propaganda Department of the Vietnamese government, which awarded Jeon with a special award for international press in July.

Graduating in February next year, Jeon plans to continue his studies in public relations or diplomacy. He then wants to become a journalist and run his own media platform in Vietnam.

"I want to become a leading expert on Vietnam, and contribute to developing bilateral relationships between the two countries. And my ultimate goal, one day, is to be an ambassador to Hanoi," Jeon said.

lhj@koreatimes.co.kr