Learning Dduck-gook and K-pop

This article was originally published on The Korea Times on December 8, 2020.

On December 5, 2020, ASIA Families held its Korean Culture School Fall semester closing ceremony with Korean adoptees and their adoptive parents. The ceremony was held online using Zoom with 50 adoptive families. During the ceremony, EunJoo Oh and JangMe Baek who have been volunteering with ASIA Families for the past 3 years were acknowledged for their dedication to service and students from Selah Art Institute (President: JeongHee Kim) for their K-pop dance performances. ASIA Families’ program director, Hyun Kim, taught how to cook Dduck-gook and each adoptive family made it in their own kitchens. As the closing mark of the ceremony, ASIA Families’ executive director, Grace HwaGang Song announced that the 2021 Spring semester of Korean Culture School starting in February will be online only due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Korean Ministry of Education has been sponsoring the Korean Culture School.

After the closing ceremony, Ms. Song and ChanSoo Kim, the Korean Culture School Advisor, along with other volunteer teachers shared holiday gifts with Korean adoptees and their adoptive families at Wheaton Regional Park, Maryland. The holiday gifts were distributed via drive-thru and total 41 adoptive families joined the event. Rhee Brothers (Owner: SeungMan Lee, ChoonOk Lee) donated $1,500 worth of Korean ramen and snacks for the gift packages. Ms. Kim thanked the owner of Rhee Brothers and WonShil Shin who donated $300 for gift packages.

Translated by Sun Chan