Entertainer Kris Johnson has been on ‘Wordsmith Mr. Kook’ on KSI YouTube channel since last June. Created under the theme, ‘learning authentic Korean through episodes,’ this is a fun chance to learn about simple but tricky words while also having a glimpse of the characteristics of Korea. The interviewer from KSI sat down with Kris the “wordsmith” who is an expert on Korea, to listen to how he became engaged with this country as well as his thoughts on the Korean language and culture.

Watch the KSIF YouTube Wordsmith Mr. Kook

Hello, Mr. Kris Johnson! You are doing excellent at Wordsmith Mr. Kook on KSI channel. Please introduce the program and how you feel about the experience!

Wordsmith Mr. Kook shares some fun and easy ways to distinguish confusing terms for international viewers who are learning the Korean language. As a foreigner ‘sunbaenim’ (laughs) who came to Korea and learned how to speak the language before they did, I’m doing my best to help them out throughout their beautiful process of learning Korean. I feel immensely honored for having been given the role as Wordsmith Mr. Kook. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to King Sejong (laughs).

I’m curious about what made you learn to speak the Korean language. Tell us about how you became engaged with the country and how you started appearing on Korean television.

It was 2009 when I first came to Korea. I was an exchange student at Yonsei university for one semester. I decided not to use English during my stay in Korea, and soon fell in love with the Korean language and culture and started absorbing everything like a sponge. Then, I happened to meet my beautiful Korean wife, got married and now we have two daughters. I’ve been living in Korea for 12 years now. And about the television show, I won a prize at a World Korean Language Speech Contest for Foreigners and the interview I had there was shared on a web portal. Then, I started receiving calls from television companies, which was how I got involved in this industry. That led to a TV commercial for a mobile carrier in 2014, and since then, I’ve been devoted to the entertainer job as a reporter, MC, and guest on several shows.

introduces Korean terms that have two different meanings. I thought that it would be very confusing if you don’t have any understanding of the cultural context. As a language teacher, have you experienced any connection between language and culture?

Language is culture and culture is language. It is never enough to repeatedly stress that the language and culture of a nation cannot be separated from each other. I believe that you must adapt yourself to the local culture of a country if you wish to speak like the natives, and this is how you can learn a language in a natural way. You need to deep dive into the new culture and enjoy yourself through the learning process! In my case, I was able to pick up the Korean culture a lot from Korean dramas and movies. Now, I’m learning it directly from my daily life.

There is growing attention being given to Korean culture and the language, which sparked from K-pop. I’m curious whether you sense the changed presence of Korean culture and the language, and whether K-wave will be able to receive more love in the future.

I feel a huge difference in the global attention towards Korea compared to when I first arrived here in 2009. The Korean language has become much popular as a second foreign language. In particular, my American friends and family showed a big reaction to last year’s Squid Game. And I felt proud of myself when they asked me questions like, “Do you understand what they are saying in Korean? How is it different from the English subtitles?” I feel pride as a foreigner who studied the Korean language even before the K-wave craze existed like these days!

I also heard that there are 244 KSI locations across 84 countries. Knowing that they are teaching Korean in many countries makes me believe that there will be an enormous synergy that is created with the K-wave. Seeing people who learned Korean within their country through KSI coming to Korea and showing off their language proficiency, I’m highly impressed by their outstanding performances. They give me a lot of positive influence.

Lastly, introduce for us your YouTube channel, Kris Issue, as well as your future plans.

I currently have my private YouTube channel titled Kris Issue. It contains entertaining content where I invite funny foreigner friends who are fluent Korean speakers to do an interview or a mukbang, or talk about issues related to the US and Korea. I would like to try acting and create a sitcom with my foreign friends, and also become a friendly ajeossi for both Koreans and foreigners. I want to promote Korean and create more fresh and meaningful content as KSI’s Wordsmith Mr. Kook and as a YouTube creator. I appreciate your support, and I will work harder with a greater sense of responsibility as an American laying my roots in Korea. Thank you.