Jeju, Korean Island of Drama
See "Longing to Belong" (Horizons section, page 7)Lesson by John Ross
If
you are a fan of the Korean Soap opera "Dae Jang Keum" this week's
story should be very interesting for you. The article tells us about
the island of Jeju in Korea, which was used as the location for the
dramatic ending of the widely popular TV series. Because of
the popularity of the show the island of Jeju is now
attracting
more tourists who want to visit the places that they saw on their
televisons while watching the show. But, it is also popular because it
is a natural and undeveloped place where visitors can get away from
their busy lives in the city.Read through the story using the vocabulary below. There are many idiomatic words and phrases in this story. Then, answer the questions to summarise the information about the soap opera "Dae Jang Keum" and the island of Jeju.
Reading Questions
1) What is the soap opera "Dae Jang Keun" about?
2) Where is the island of Jeju located?
3) How would you describe the island?
4) What are some of the main attractions of the island?
a) ________________________
b) ________________________
c) ________________________
Role Play
After learning about the island of Jeju, you can role play with your firends with one person acting as a travel agent and the others acting as tourists who want to visit the island of Jeju and need some information. Use the following questions to help you get started. Use the 'moreINFO' section to help you with some of the information.
tourist:Good morning. We are interested in visiting the island of Jeju in Korea. Can you give me some information about traveling there?travel agent: Certainly. What would you like to know?
tourist: How can we get there?
What can we do there?
Where can we get some more information?
Discussion Activity
After the role play, think about and discuss these questions about "Dae Jang Keum" and Jeju with your friends.
Are you a fan of "Dae Jang Keum"? Do you think it is a good show?
Why or why not?
Would you like to visit Jeju island?
Why or why not?
How about Korea? Are you interested in visiting other places in Korea, like Seoul for example?
Vocabulary from the article
incarcerated - held in prison
exiles - people who have been removed from society
transformed - changed
haven - a very nice place
hectic - busy
bond with - become one with
dainty - small
impervious - very hard
dampen the spirit - make someone feel bad
persisting - continuing to work
put behind - put away, remove
weathered - survived
dog-eat-dog - very competitive
unveiled - showed
smashing success - something very successfuk and popular
glass screens - refers to televisions
throngs - crowds
diehard fans - poeple who are crazy about somnething
flocking - coming in large groups
shed light on - show
colossal - very big
shopping arcades - malls
peninsula - a piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides
bountiful supply - a lot of
integral - important
revered - very respected
buffeted - hit
ingenious - very clever
minimise - reduce, make less
a cross between - a combination of
myriad - many
apart from - other than, in addition to
wandering - walking around
vast - wide
paragliding - flying in the air while attached to a sail
(see pictures and information here: wikipedia article on paragliding)
go for - choose
hues - colours
mesmerise - amaze
first-timers - people visiting for the first time
wade - walk in the water
craggy - rough
ugly duckling - something or someone that was once thought to be ugly but now is considered to be beautiful
a major facelift - a big change
plethora - a variety of something
insulated - alone, far away from others
windswept - very windy all the time
delectable - nice, pleasing