FSI Korean Headstart Course

Korean, primarily spoken in North and South Korea as well as pockets in China, Russia and Central Asia, has around 77 million speakers. It is a language isolate, meaning it is unrelated to any other living languages, and it is a fascinating tongue to study.

South Korea is a country that is at the same time highly conservative and uncompromisingly modern. Nowadays, K-pop and Korean soap operas are fashionable throughout East Asia and further abroad, and learning the language will give you access to the latest trends as well as to a much more traditional culture that stretches back centuries.

If you travel to South Korea, you will find that English is not widely spoken and that being able to speak some of the language will greatly enhance your stay. North Korea, on the other hand, is all but off-limits to visitors, but learning the language will give you an insight into the situation on the Korean peninsula and may even inspire you to join a North Korean tour.

Whatever your reason for wanting to learn it, this free online Korean course will give you a good grounding in the language, allowing you to function confidently in a wide range of situations. It will provide you with a solid foundation on which to build your knowledge of the language, and if you are planning a trip to Korea, it will give you all the communication skills you need to make the most of your trip.

Course Details

What is Korean Headstart?

The Headstart courses were originally created by the US Defense Language Institute to provide military personnel with a way to learn the languages of the countries where they were posted. The focus is on learning the necessary words and phrases for effective communication rather than trying to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the language and its grammar.

Korean Headstart was first published in 1984 and consists of eight language units made up of three or four lessons each. Every unit is based on a particular situation that you might encounter in Korea, such as shopping or asking for directions, and teaches you the necessary language required to deal with that situation confidently.

The course is also accompanied by extensive audio recordings that give you all the instructions you need while also helping you perfect your Korean pronunciation.

There is also a further module that deals with the Korean writing system. This is considered optional, but since Korean writing is quite easy to master, students are also encouraged to try.

Finally, there is a comprehensive introduction to Korea and Korean culture that, although now a little dated, contains a wealth of information concerning Korean customs and life in the country.

How can you use Korean Headstart?

Since the Headstart courses were designed for autonomous study, you can work through these materials in the way they were originally intended.

After studying the section at the beginning concerning the pronunciation of the language, you can then study Units 1-8 in the order you choose. Start each unit by reading the objectives, then listen to the audio and follow the instructions it gives you.

The new language for each section will be presented in the form of a dialog, after which you will find exercises for practicing and internalizing what you have learned.

After this, there is a section called “Say in Korean” that prepares you for the Self-Evaluation Quiz – and if you can complete “Say in Korean” without any problems, you can then check your knowledge with the quiz.

Communication rather than grammar is considered key in this course, and although you will find some grammar notes, you don’t need to memorize them. Rather, the notes are there for you if you find them useful – but if they’re not useful for you, there’s no need to worry.

This course is designed to be flexible, so you should work through it at your own speed and in a way that allows you to gain the maximum benefit from the materials. If you find that something works for you, then that’s the best way to study.

You may find the course is a little heavy on terms related to the military, but don’t feel you need to remember everything – instead, just focus on the language you think is most relevant to you.

Taking it further

Student Text

Cultural Notes

Unit 1

Unit	Audio
Lesson 1	Tape
Lesson 2	Tape · Tape
Lesson 3	Tape
Lesson 4	Tape

Unit 2

Unit	Audio
Lesson 1	Tape
Lesson 2	Tape · Tape
Lesson 3	Tape

Unit 3

Unit	Audio
Lesson 1	Tape
Lesson 2	Tape · Tape
Lesson 3	Tape

Unit 4

Unit	Audio
Lesson 1	Tape
Lesson 2	Tape · Tape
Lesson 3	Tape

Unit 5

Unit	Audio
Lesson 1	Tape
Lesson 2	Tape · Tape
Lesson 3	Tape

Unit 6

Unit	Audio
Lesson 1	Tape
Lesson 2	Tape · Tape
Lesson 3	Tape

Unit 7

Unit	Audio
Lesson 1	Tape
Lesson 2	Tape · Tape
Lesson 3	Tape

Unit 8

Unit	Audio
Lesson 1	Tape
Lesson 2	Tape
Lesson 3	Tape
Lesson 4	Tape · Tape