Have you ever needed to overcome a language barrier while accessing healthcare in Korea? Many of us have, even those who speak Korean somewhat fluently. Language barriers can be challenging but not impossible to navigate. This blog post offers some tips on how to overcome such language barriers that may help.

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Many of our multinational community members living in South Korea have been wondering about how to register their overseas COVID vaccines in Korea. This blog provides some information on how to register an overseas vaccination in Korea and who is eligible to.

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A Need for Mental Health Campaigns on University Campuses If you attended a college or university, you may understand the mental health struggles that students face. Factors such as academic/social/financial stress, uncertainty about the future, and lack of sleep contribute to increased mental health challenges among students. Throw in a dash of COVID and a sprinkle of language and cultural barrier to the mix, and stress increases exponentially, especially for students studying abroad. Students who experience high stress are prone to developing depression, anxiety, and eating disorders among other mental health challenges. A 2020 study done in France found that 42.8% of students (nearly 30,000 individuals) reported having at least one mental health disorder (Wathelet, Marielle, et al, 2020). Another 2020 study in the U.S. revealed that 48.14% of students suffer from a moderate-to-severe level of depression, and 38.48% suffer from a moderate-to-severe level of anxiety (Wang, Xiaomei, et al, 2020). In South Korea, the mental health and wellness app Gidep, shared that 25% of Koreans experience mental health concerns. In addition to factors that cause mental health challenges, the stigma surrounding mental health often deters individuals from seeking help. Gidep also shared that only 9.6% of people in South Korea report seeking professional help. Realizing the importance of mental health awareness, former Masters in Public Health (MPH) student, Greta Gokey took it upon herself to address the issue for her own university campus in South Korea. Listen to the BlogCast Don’t want to read? Listen to the South of Seoul BlogCast which provides accessible content through the use of AI technology. We don’t have time to read each article but we do our best to make more of our content accessible. If you would like to join our Accessibility Team apply to volunteer with South of Seoul. Please note that the pronunciation of some Korean words may be inaccurate due to AI technology’s limitations. Mind U: Mental Health Week Background How Mind U began In the Fall of 2019, Ms. Gokey, implemented Mind U: Mental Health and Wellness Week at University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC) for her graduate program practicum. This Utah Asia Campus event brought awareness to campus faculty and students regarding mental health challenges that the university community faces. The event allowed students to connect with one another while building a small community of support. Ms. Gokey developed the Mind U: Mental Health and Wellness week to be sustained on campus for future years to come. Unfortunately, when COVID-19 struck full force, Mental Health Week faced many hurdles. COVID restrictions made event implementation difficult as campus navigated new policies to keep the community safely socially distanced. Such changes on the University of Utah Asia Campus impacted students. The University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC) has a population of over 400 students (~85% Korean, ~15% International). The international students mostly live on campus in the dorms while the Korean students live both on and off campus. Due to COVID, UAC implemented online classes which left many UAC students isolated with little opportunity to interact with their classmates. Such isolation added to the difficulties some students already faced. According to the 2021 SOS Public Health Mind U Survey, 42.9% of students reported having experienced a mental health challenge. How ‘Mind U: Mental Health Week’ was revived In 2021, SOS Public Health became aware of student mental struggles and sought to support students at the UAC. SOS Public Health recommended continuing the Mind U program and took up the torch to re-ignite Mental Health Week in collaboration with UAC and Ms. Gokey. In addition, SOS Public Health added practicum opportunities for UAC Public Health graduate students to sustain MindU Mental Health Week. In October 2021, Mind U: Mental Health and Wellness Week was brought back to the UAC campus. The following will chronicle the details of such an event. Mind U: Mental Health and Wellness Week Although May is technically designated as ‘National Mental Health Month‘ (in the U.S.), mental health requires regular attention and care. In addition to this, being an international university, UAC has high student turnover each semester. For these reasons, the UAC and SOS Public Health program organizers felt it necessary to implement events for both the fall and spring semesters. SOS Public Health is currently in the planning stages for the Spring 2022 Mental Health Week activities, but for now, let’s talk about what went down this past fall. Mind U: Mental Health and Wellness Week fell on October 12-15 in the Fall 2021 semester. Because Monday, October 11th was a holiday, the event occurred over a 4-day period. The event also coincided with UAC’s midterm schedule which afforded some pros and cons for scheduling. Mind U focused on two main events with a few smaller stress-release activities included. Such activities encouraged community building throughout the week. To accommodate for COVID restrictions and to include students living both on and off campus, the main Mind U events were held in a hybrid format (in-person and online via Zoom). The smaller activities were scheduled in waves to meet South Korea and UAC’s social distancing policy. The event details are as follows: Tiding Tuesday, Big Event #1 For the Mind U Tiding Tuesday Event, the program coordinators invited three speakers to answer student questions about mental health in a panel discussion. The speakers included: During the two weeks leading up to the event, students submitted questions related to mental health via a Google survey form. This strategy allowed students to submit questions anonymously. The inclusion of speakers with varying levels of mental health certification and backgrounds brought diversity to the Q&A responses. This diversity helped students learn about different approaches to mental health. The Tiding Tuesday event had a low RSVP count prior to the event. However, the final attendance surpassed the RSVP count by 392% for in-person and online events combined. In an on-going mental health survey implemented by the program coordinators, many students, as well as staff and faculty expressed gratitude for this particular event. Woke Wednesday, Small Event #1 The Woke Wednesday event was hosted by UAC’s Student Leadership Consultants. The Student Leadership Consultants host an event called Café U every week on campus to bring the student community together to discuss specific topics. The UAC leadership graciously worked with our coordinators to focus on mental health stigma for Café U during Mental Health Week. Student leader, Eunice Kim, put together an excellent presentation on mental health stigma. Through Ms. Kim’s guidance, this event provided a safe space for students (and staff and faculty) to participate in an open discussion about mental health stigma. The event began with a collective group discussion. Then, Ms. Kim broke the group into smaller teams to discuss a specific mental health stigma-related topics in more detail. Café U events typically turn out about 7 student attendees each week on average due to busy student schedules and COVID restrictions. As with the Tiding Tuesday, RSVPs for the Woke Wednesday event were quite low (6 RSVPs). However, the Woke Wednesday event turned out a 314% increase in attendees on the day of the event for in-person and Zoom attendance cobmined. Such a great turnout seemed to reflect the importance of open discussions about mental health. Thoughtful Thursday, Small Event #2 + Big Event #2 Thoughtful Thursday included two events: (1) a lantern making activity and (2) an open mic night. For lantern making, students gathered in a shared space on campus to craft paper lanterns. This activity provided students an opportunity to connect with their fellow classmates. The event also gave students a break from their rigorous midterm study sessions. Mental Health Week coordinators prompted students to write a mental health challenge that they experienced (if they were comfortable doing so). Then, these lanterns were used to “shed light” on mental health challenges the community faces during the Thursday evening event. The evening event titled, Open Mic Light the Night, brought students together for a more intimate gathering. The event opened with a few student performances followed by an open mic session where students could take the stage and share their mental health experiences. As with previous events, the event had a very few RSVPs for both events combined. Fortunately, 259% more students showed up to the actual event than had RSVPed! Students reported that they enjoyed the Thoughtful Thursday evening event. Several students even expressed interest in performing or speaking at the 2022 Fall Mental Health Week Open Mic Night Event. Feelgood Friday, Small Event #3 To close out the week’s events, UAC and SOS Public Health hosted a chill get together for students to destress with some stress-free slime making and slushies. UAC’s wonderful Program Coordinator, Molly Kinder, led this slime making event. Students reported really enjoying this event. This event offered another opportunity for students to connect with one another and make new friends. Feelgood Friday attendance increased 208% above the RSVP count. The overall lower participation rate for this event was due, in part, to many students traveling for the weekend. However, the event turnout still came out excellently for an in-person event in the midst of COVID. SOS Public Health’s continued support for Mental Health Awareness on campus Community support is important for individuals, especially during COVID. Support is especially important for students living in a world with COVID while studying abroad in an unfamiliar country. When asked if Mental Health Week had any value for this international campus community, 97.1% of students expressed that the Mind U Events offered a level of value. SOS Public Health and UAC are dedicated to the continuation of Mental Health Week on not only at Utah Asia Campus, but also at other universities within South Korea. How can you get involved with improving Mental Health Awareness on school campuses? Special Thanks and Recognition SOS Public Health would like to recoginze the efforts of all UAC volunteers and participants involved in bringing togeher the UAC community during the Mind U: Mental Health and Wellness Week. This event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our amazing Mental Health Week Volunteer Team. Special Thanks go out to: Lisa Peck, MPH, CPHMs. Peck graduated from the University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC) in Incheon with a Master’s in Public Health and her Certification in Public Health (CPH). Ms. Peck also holds a Bachelor’s Degrees in Linguistics and one in International Studies with a Global Health emphasis. Ms. Peck is Korean American and speaks both English and Korean. She has moved between the US and Korea since childhood, finally settling in Korea after graduating from UAC. In 2021 Ms. Peck founded the South of Seoul Public Health Program which focuses on research and initiatives regarding the health and wellness of multinational residents in South Korea. Additionally, Ms. Peck oversees the SOS Public Health Graduate Student Practicum Program which provides mentorship and training for Master’s in Public Health students. The program works with two students a semester with a focus on ethical UX research design, survey development, and initiative implementation. www.southofseoul.net

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Why would I need to have my COVID vaccination certificate printed in English? The vaccination process in South Korea has been picking up speed over the last couple of months, particularly among our expat teacher community. If you completed both doses of the COVID vaccine in South Korea, then you should have received a vaccination certificate similar to the one pictured below. Your vaccination certificate is also available on the COOV app which you have access to if you have a contracted Korean phone number under your name. While you can use this certificate and the COOV app as proof of vaccination within Korea, you CANNOT use it when traveling abroad. Some countries that accept vaccinations completed in Korea require an English version of the certificate. So, how can you get access to your English translated certificate? Read the extremely long and detailed instruction manual below to find out! Listen to the BlogCast Don’t want to read? Listen to the South of Seoul BlogCast which provides accessible content through the use of AI technology. We don’t have time to read each article but we do our best to make more of our content accessible. If you would like to join our Accessibility Team apply to volunteer with South of Seoul. Please note that the pronunciation of some Korean words may be inaccurate due to AI technology’s limitations. Prerequisites for printing your vaccination certificate via the KDCA website The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) allows residents to access their vaccination certificates directly from their website. Through the KDCA website you can view and print the Korean version as well as the English version of your certificate. HOWEVER, in order to access your certificate, there are a two requirements. NOTE: Accessing anything on Korean websites can be a long, confusing, and frustrating process. Getting to your English COVID vaccination certificate on the KDCA website will require some time and patience. Bare with me. I have done my best to lay out each instruction step by step with screenshots for the entire process. If you don’t want to bother with the roller coaster of Korea’s online platform, skip to the bottom of this blog to see another option for obtaining your English COVID vaccination certificate. 1. You must have a Korean phone number associated with your ARC number These days, in Korea, your alien registration card (ARC) number is attached to EVERYTHING, including your Korean phone plan. If your ARC number is not associated with a contracted Korean phone number, accessing anything online can be difficult. Korea’s online security requires a ton of verifications before allowing access to sensitive personal information. So, if you have a phone that is under someone else’s ARC number, then you will not be able to access your certificate through the KDCA’s website. 2. You must have an accredited certificate of authentication aka a digital certificate of authentication aka official ID certificate (공인닝증서 [gong in injeung seo]) This certificate is referred to by many names in English. I will refer to it as a digital certificate. Most folks, like myself, acquire a digital certificate of authentication through their mobile banking app or bank website. Digital certificates via a banking app/site are free, take only a couple of minutes to set up, and must be renewed every year. Some people purchase digital certificates for a small fee. You can learn how to set up a digital certificate here. This digital certificate can be used across different websites that deal with sensitive personal information, like the KDCA website. You will need to make sure to copy and save your digital certificate on the device you wish to use to access the KDCA website. You can copy and save the digital certificate to multiple devices (i.e. cell phone, desktop, USB). If don’t have a digital certificate saved to the device you want to use for the KDCA website, you won’t have access to your vaccination certificate. How to access the English version of your vaccination certificate Once you have a Korean phone number associated with your ARC number and a digital certificate set up, you can start the process for printing your vaccination certificate in English. Just a little warning, this process may get confusing. Take your time, read the instructions below carefully, and you will have your English vaccination certificate in no time. Step 1: Register for an account on the KDCA Website When you click into the website link, you will see a popup screen. Close this screen. In the top right-hand corner of the screen, you will see a black button that reads 회원가입. Click this button (see image below). Scroll down a bit. Check the boxes labeled 위 이용약관에 동의합니다 and 동의합니다 to accept the website’s terms and conditions for registration. Then click, the grey box at the bottom labeled 동의 as shown in the image below. Verifying your phone number On this page you have a choice between verifying via your cell phone or an i-PIN. I am not sure how the i-PIN works. I have never been able to acquire an i-PIN. However, if you have an i-PIN continue on by clicking the blue button labeled i-PIN. Otherwise, click on 휴대폰 인증 to complete a cell phone verification process. After clicking the cell phone verification button, you will get a pop up screen that looks like the image below. Select your cell phone service provider. Click the “Full Consent” check box. Then, you can either choose to verify via PASS or SMS. Choose whichever works best for you. With PASS, you will need to download the PASS app if you haven’t already done so and verify according to your PASS app instructions. For SMS verification, you will receive a text message with a numeric code to input. I find this to be the easiest option. See below for SMS verification steps. Below is what the SMS verification screen looks like. You will need to enter your name as shown on your Alien Registration Card (ARC) as well as the first 7 digits of your ARC number. Then, enter your phone number, type in the captcha code and click “Confirm.” You will receive a text message to your phone with a six digit code. Enter the code on your verification screen and click “Confirm.” Creating your user name and password After verifying your phone number, you should be redirected to the page shown below. This is where you will create your user name and password. Your user name should be between 6-10 characters. If your user name isn’t accepted, try typing it in all lower case letters. Korean sites often don’t distinguish between capital and lower case letters. Your password should be 9 or more characters long and include alphanumeric (letters and numbers) text as well as a special character. The ACCEPTABLE special characters include !@$%^&* (any other special characters will be rejected. Once you’ve created your user name and password. Re-enter your phone number and click 확인 to confirm. You successfully created an account if you see the below prompt pop up. Click “OK” and you will be redirected back to the main page of the KDCA website to log in. Now you can log into the KDCA website to access your COVID vaccination record. Step 2: Update your personal profile with your digital certificate Now that you have registered an account on the KDCA website and you are logged in, you can access your English COVID vaccination record. Just follow the instructions listed below. First, after logging in, find the button on the top right hand corner of the webpage labeled 회원정보 수정. Click it. Then, on the left hand side of the page, find and click on 회원부가정보 입력. NOTE: Remember the digital certificate (공인증서) we talked about all the way at the top of this blog? You will need that certificate for this next part. So, if you didn’t have a chance to get one set up already, here is another opportunity. Just follow the instructions on this blog post and you will be ready for the next step. Scroll down to the bottom of the KDCA page. Enter your information as shown below. You will upload your digital certificate on the last row of this table where it says 인증서 등록 . Uploading your digital certificate When you click on 인증서 등록, you will get a pop up screen that looks like the image below. You may need to click on a few buttons before you find it, but search for your digital certificate and enter the password associated with your digital certificate. I found my digital certificate listed under the button labeled 하드디스크 (hard disk). Click 확인 when you have finished entering your credentials. If the digital certificate row reads 등록되었습니다, then you can click 회원정보 수정 at the bottom of the page to save your information. You will know it saved correctly if you see the pop up message below. Click OK. Step 3: Access your English COVID vaccination certificate Phew! Are you still with me? If you are, I am proud of you for making it this far. Korea’s online systems require a lot of verifications to ensure that your information remains secure from hackers. It can get super frustrating to navigate this system, but once you get set up, it gets easier. Okay, so you should now be back to the main KDCA page. On the right hand side of the page, you will see a button panel (see image below). Click the top button on the panel labeled 예방접종증명서 신청. Click on 영문 for the English version of your COVID vaccination certificate. Then, click the button next to your name labeled 증명서 신청. Fill out the form with your information as shown below. The digital certificate pop up window will appear. Find your digital certificate. Enter your digital certificate password. Then, click 확인 to confirm. The below message means you are good to go. Click OK. Step 4 (Hallelujah!): Printing your English COVID vaccination certificate Select the dates from when you received your first shot to when you received your second shot. Then, click 검색. Your vaccination certificate will appear in the table below. Click 문서출력. A pop up window will appear with instructions on how to print your COVID vaccination certificate. After skimming through the instructions, close out of the instructions window to view your English COVID vaccination record. Click on the printer button on the top right corner of the page and there you have it! Congratulations if you made it through this crazy long blog on how to print your English COVID vaccination certificate. You are a trooper! If you went through all of these instructions and still weren’t able to get access to your vaccination certificate, there is another way. What if I can’t (or don’t want to) access my COVID vaccination record online? If you couldn’t access your COVID vaccination online after going through the entire process above, you have two other options for getting a COVID vaccination certificate appropriate for travel outside the country. Visit your local health (보건소) or community center (주민센터) Not all health centers and community centers offer this service, so it would be wise to call ahead to double check if yours does. However, some local health centers (보건소) or community centers (주민센터 aka 동사무소) will print an English COVID vaccination certificate for you if you visit in person. Just copy and paste these names (보건소 or 주민센 터 or 동사무소) into Naver or Kakao maps to find a location near you. Make sure you bring your Alien Registration Card (ARC) with you when you visit. Get your Korean certificate apostilled On a call with a 1339 COVID call center representative, I was informed that you can get your Korean COVID vaccination certificate apostilled to verify it for when you travel outside the country. Before starting this process, always check the rules and policies for the country you are traveling to. Make sure that an apostilled copy...

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What is a language barrier? Before we jump into the challenges of language barriers, we need to understand what a language barrier is. There are several definitions for language barriers that essentially say the same thing. For the purpose of this article we will use Google’s Oxford Languages Dictionary. According to Google’s Oxford Languages Dictionary, a language barrier is “a barrier to communication between people who are unable to speak a common language.” This is a pretty simple, standard definition of a language barrier. If you don’t speak the same language as someone else, it can be difficult to communicate. So, to solve this language barrier problem, you can simply learn the other person’s language, right? Well, not exactly. If you break down the definition a bit, you will realize the complexity of language barriers. Listen to the BlogCast Don’t want to read? Listen to the South of Seoul BlogCast which provides accessible content through the use of AI technology. We don’t have time to read each article but we do our best to make more of our content accessible. If you would like to join our Accessibility Team apply to volunteer with South of Seoul. Please note that the pronunciation of some Korean words may be inaccurate due to AI technology’s limitations. Let’s break it down Common Language Let’s begin at the end. What is “common language?” The term ‘common’ describes something that is “shared by….more than one” [person/group/entity]. The term ‘language’ encompasses “the principal method of communication, consisting of words used in a structured and conventional way and conveyed by speech, writing, or gesture.” Therefore, a ‘common language’ can be defined as a shared method of communication conveyed by speech, writing or gesture. This definition seems pretty straightforward. If you share a language, you should be able to communicate well with one another. At least, that is the overarching assumption. However, if you think a little deeper, I’m sure you can tell me about time when you’ve experienced a miscommunication with someone who shares your language. Here is my experience: I once visited a friend in Tennessee. My friend invited me to go skiing over the weekend… It was the middle of summer with no snow in sight… Thoroughly confused, I agreed to go. When we arrived at the lake, it became clear that he meant WATER skiing. I asked, “if you call water skiing, ‘skiing,’ then what do you call skiing in the mountains?” He replied, “oh, that’s SNOW skiing!” In Utah, which was my place of residence at the time, skiing (without the adjective in front) meant snow skiing. If we were on the water, then, we would specify water skiing. A simple, harmless miscommunication, but a miscommunication nonetheless. Although we spoke the same language and were from the same country, our cultures influenced the way we communicated verbally. Sharing a common language doesn’t exempt us from experiencing language barriers. Communication Communication is defined as “the imparting or exchanging of information or news” or “the successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings.” As mentioned above, communication can be conveyed by speech, writing, or gestures. Is it as simple as that? You guessed it… the answer is no. Think about the different ways you communicate with someone. How many did you come up with? If you do a quick Google search on different modes of communication, you will find an array of results. This blog by Team Leverage Edu explains 16 Types of Modes of Communication. Our culture and environment shape how we choose to communicate. Having various communication methods means more ways to experience language barriers. For example, in many countries such as Sweden, China, Japan, Romania and Russia, gift-giving is a form of communication. Gift-giving within each culture communicates different things. Read more about what gift-giving communicates to different cultures here. Korea practices gift-giving as a style of communication as well. When someone invites you to their home in Korea, you should always bring a gift. Bringing a small gift communicates your respect and gratitude for the invitation. Not bringing a gift may make your host feel like they offended you in some way, even if you didn’t mean to. Your host will never voice their opinion out loud, but they will internalize their feelings about the situation which may cause tension in your relationship. Communication mistakes will occur and that’s okay. These types of communication styles won’t necessarily be written in black and white. However, there are ways to learn about and overcome these communication barriers. One way would be to research cultural etiquette. More tips on how to overcome language barriers to come in a future blog! Barrier ‘Barrier’ is a much more straightforward term to define compared with the terminology above. A barrier is simply “a [figurative or literal] fence or other obstacle that prevents movement or access.“ A language barrier consists of various obstacles that you must overcome to gain understanding and access to your community. Language barriers occur not only among those who speak different languages, but also among those who share a common language. Barriers to language and communication are complex. They may be difficult to manage at first. However, we can all overcome barriers if we put in a little effort. Language barriers in Korea Many of us living in Korea have experienced a language barrier at some point in time. I am half Korean and have intermediate to advance level conversational Korean proficiency, and I constantly face language barriers. Below are some examples of my personal experiences with language barriers. “Have you eaten, [insert meal time]?” One night, I met with a Korean friend at 10pm, and they started the conversation with “have you eaten, dinner?” Where I am from, when you ask if someone has eaten, it generally means that the person who is asking is hungry and wants to grab a bite. That is not always the case in Korea. Instead, it is a common greeting to show that your friend cares about your well-being. “Would you like some chips and “Seolsa?” About 8 years ago, I was shopping at Homeplus. I planned to make some crispy black bean tacos for dinner and needed to purchase salsa. I couldn’t find any salsa in the sections that I searched so I flagged down a store worker and asked for help. “Do you, by chance, sell salsa?” I ask in Korean. She gives me the most confused look and asks, “What are you looking for?” I repeat, “Salsa, it’s a sauce you dip tortilla chips in…you know, salsa.” Then, I show her a picture. “OH!” she replies with a look of relief on her face. She directs me to the aisle where I found my salsa. Later that day, I told my Korean friend about this experience. She laughed hysterically. It turns out Korean pronunciation is extremely important. I was apparently asking the store worker for some diarrhea (pronounced Seolsa 설사) rather than salsa (살사). My bad. “Can I [insert request]?” “I don’t know, can you?” I went to the bank to open an account. The teller spoke English, so in English, I asked “Can I open a bank account?” She replied with a smile, “Yes, you can.” Then, the teller sits and stares at me. I ask, “Can you open a bank account for me?” The teller replies, “Yes, I can.” She sits there and stares at me. I was very confused as to why she didn’t start the process to open an account for me. Then, I realized I needed to rephrase my question. “Open a bank account for me, please,” I say. Then, she proceeds with a smile to open a bank account for me. In America, when you ask “Can you [insert request]?” it is implied that you want an action completed. In Korea, if there is no direct request for action, the question is taken simply as a question to gain knowledge. The teller thought I just wanted to know if it was possible for me to open an account. She didn’t realize that I wanted her to actually open the account at that moment. The nuances between the request for “can you” and “will you” are very distinct in Korean. When translated to English and without cultural context, the request can be misunderstood. Putting it all together While words themselves are important to consider when talking about language barriers, culture, environment, and life experience are just as important. All of these things influence the way you communicate. It is important to understand how complex language is in order to overcome barriers to communication. Some language barriers are very obvious and straightforward, like when you don’t understand a Korean vocabulary word or a sentence said with a regional accent. Others are less obvious because they are ingrained in the culture such as the differences between “can you” and “will you.” However, all of these forms of communication matter and are crucial to your understanding of how to overcome the obstacle of language barriers. Now that you understand the complexities of language barriers, you are ready to take the next step to overcoming your language barrier challenges in Korea! Stay tuned for our next blog on tips for overcoming language barriers. Lisa Peck, MPH, CPHMs. Peck graduated from the University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC) in Incheon with a Master’s in Public Health and her Certification in Public Health (CPH). Ms. Peck also holds a Bachelor’s Degrees in Linguistics and one in International Studies with a Global Health emphasis. Ms. Peck is Korean American and speaks both English and Korean. She has moved between the US and Korea since childhood, finally settling in Korea after graduating from UAC. In 2021 Ms. Peck founded the South of Seoul Public Health Program which focuses on research and initiatives regarding the health and wellness of multinational residents in South Korea. Additionally, Ms. Peck oversees the SOS Public Health Graduate Student Practicum Program which provides mentorship and training for Master’s in Public Health students. The program works with two students a semester with a focus on ethical UX research design, survey development, and initiative implementation. www.southofseoul.net

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The 2021 South of Seoul Public Health Survey found that putting effort into developing cultural competence may improve your perceptions of your own healthcare in South Korea. Let’s talk about this. Listen to the BlogCast Don’t want to read? Listen to the South of Seoul BlogCast which provides accessible content through the use of AI technology. We don’t have time to read each article but we do our best to make more of our content accessible. If you would like to join our Accessibility Team apply to volunteer with South of Seoul. Please note that the pronunciation of some Korean words may be inaccurate due to AI technology’s limitations. The Hard Parts of Ex-Pat Life Living in a foreign country can sometimes be difficult, frustrating, and lonely. It can feel like ‘everyone’ is working against you. Feelings of intense anger toward yourself and/or the culture around you may surface. You feel that you may never fit in or feel at home in the foreign country. You may find that this sentiment is common among ex-pats around the world and it has a name: culture shock. Culture shock might not be the only hurdle you face, but you can take action to overcome it. Therefore, addressing culture shock is a great place to start when tackling your integration journey. South of Seoul founder, Lanae Rivers-Woods, who has lived in South Korea for over a decade, detailed some tips she uses to overcome culture shock in her excellent blog (5 Tips for Conquering Culture Shock). Nobody needs to do it alone. The barriers that you face with culture shock can affect not only your day-to-day activity but also your ability to access healthcare in Korea. For this reason, building cultural competence is a vital skill to overcoming such barriers. What is ‘cultural competence’? Cultural competence. This technical term may invoke feelings of belittlement. Reading the term, ‘competence,’ in certain contexts may make you feel like your intelligence is being challenged. However, ‘competence’ is simply a term. If we remove the negative connotations that surround this term, we can be more open to understanding the full concept of cultural competence. Definition Many people have cultural knowledge, cultural awareness, and cultural sensitivity. These traits, however, should not be confused with cultural competence. Cultural knowledge, awareness and sensitivity make up only a part of the definition. They lack a key aspect that truly defines cultural competence: action and structural change. The CDC has a great definition of cultural competence. They define cultural competence as: “…a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations. ‘Culture’ refers to integrated patterns of human behavior that include the language, thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups. ‘Competence’ implies having the capacity to function effectively as an individual and an organization within the context of the cultural beliefs, behaviors, and needs presented by consumers and their communities.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, October 21). Cultural competence in health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://npin.cdc.gov/pages/cultural-competence. Human Services Edu has a more concise definition that reads: “The term cultural competence describes a set of skills, values and principles that acknowledge, respect and contribute to effective interactions between individuals and the various cultural and ethnic groups they come in contact with at work and in their personal lives.“ Admin. (2021, July 8). Cultural competency: Human services education. Human Services Edu. https://www.humanservicesedu.org/cultural-competency/. Both of these definitions imply that, to build cultural competence, you must take action or make structural changes to your belief system. Stepping outside your cultural beliefs for a moment to understand another’s allows you to have effective interactions with your community. This, however, doesn’t mean you need to give up your own cultural identity. Application Building cultural competence means taking a break from your personal thoughts and emotions to view your interactions from another perspective: putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, so to speak. Although it may come easily for some, building cultural competence takes time and practice. For instance, customer service differences between cultures remain one of the biggest points of contention for many foreigners in South Korea. Some foreigners have trouble practicing etiquette that seems rude in their home country but is not considered rude in Korea. Personally, I struggled with calling out across the room to waitstaff. This action felt horrifically rude until I took a second to look at the situation from the Korean waitstaff’s perspective. Korean restaurants (particularly small local ones) have very few waitstaff, if any. If the waitstaff had to check up on each table every five minutes (as they do in many U.S. restaurants), they would never get anything done. Calling to waitstaff when we need something allows them to efficiently do their jobs while serving their customers. Even now, I feel weird calling out, but I do it anyway because that is what the culture calls for, and I am able to get what I need more quickly. Why is cultural competence important for accessing healthcare in South Korea? Minor cultural adaptations such as my restaurant experience above can be handled fairly easily and improve the quality of daily life. Our recent SOS Public Health Survey confirmed a correlation between an individual’s level of cultural understanding, their level of integration into Korean society, and their accessibility to healthcare in Korea (shown in the below table). Where cultural competency gets spicy is when you have to deal with the high-stress experience of healthcare. In a healthcare setting, like a doctor’s visit, we deal with our own culture shock and cultural competence but also the Korean healthcare providers’ culture shock and gaps in their own cultural competencies. So, building cultural competence is a team effort. We will talk about our own cultural competencies in this blog since working on ourselves is what we have the most power over at any given moment. If we can increase cultural competence among patients and healthcare providers alike, we can increase equitable access to healthcare. In other words, if you build trust and respect regardless of the differences between you and your healthcare provider and vise versa, then you each will feel more comfortable interacting with each other. If you and your physician are able to work beyond your cultural differences, this can lead to: Cultural Competence in the West Countries designated as part of the “Western World” such as Australia, England, and the U.S. have very diverse populations. These countries have had quite some time to adapt to diversity and cultural issues (though many places in the Western World still have some ways to go on this). Due to the high levels of diversity among demographic populations (i.e. race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.) in the ‘West,’ healthcare providers have adapted cultural competence trainings as part of their onboarding process for new employees. Now, not all healthcare providers require this training which is unfortunate. Nonetheless, the implementation of cultural competence training continues to grow and evolve in the ‘West.’ Cultural Competence in South Korea Before we dive into cultural competence in Korea, we need to understand the makeup of the international population living here. In Korea, globalization is still a fairly new thing. Korea has experienced enormous growth among its international population over the last 20 years. In 2000, the foreign population count was at 491,234. By 2020, the population reached over 2 million. It can be difficult to keep up with the growing health needs of the international population with this kind of growth rate. Furthermore, the diversity that we see in Korea cannot be compared with the diversity seen in the West. In Western countries, diversity is high, but the majority of cultural groups tend to be members of the same nationality (i.e. Korean American, Black American, Mexican American). The culturally ethnic groups may differ, but each group shares some sort of base understanding of American culture as a whole. Therefore, Korea has to deal with not only people of varying racial/ethnic backgrounds but also people of varying nationalities. Each country has its own healthcare culture. The difficulty of managing patients from all these different cultural backgrounds can be overwhelming. Although it may not be fun or easy for any of us, it will take time for the South Korean healthcare system to learn how to manage this social shift; we all have to still manage our healthcare through this difficult time. Korea is known for making great strides for the growth of the country. I have no doubt that Korea will find ways to adapt to the cultural changes. However, they can’t do it alone. Healthcare workers need our patience and understanding. It is up to us to make the first move by building on our personal cultural competence about Korea and advocating for our health needs. When we practice conscious, cultural competence it allows others around us to more easily reciprocate. The fact of the matter is that this sounds easier than it is. Being present and aware of our own cultural competencies during vulnerable interactions, such as healthcare, feels overwhelming, and often we will fall off the wagon. The feeling of anger may overwhelm us. Fear may lead to our perceptions being skewed. Frustration may make us unwilling to observe things objectively. However, all is not lost when you find yourself buried by culture shock. Feel those feelings. Address those feelings. Explore what experiences caused those feelings. Advocate for yourself by learning what cultural differences could have caused this, and advocate for change where change is needed. In short, build up your cultural competence a little at a time. How do I build cultural competence to improve my comfort level in South Korea? You can build cultural competence in a variety of different ways. Here are a few tips on how I started when I first moved to Korea. Tip # 1 Learn the language Learning a new language, especially one like Korean which uses characters that look nothing like that of your native language, can be daunting. However, don’t let the Korean language scare you. It is more straightforward than you might expect. You also don’t have to become fluent. Just learning how to read can change how you view the world around you. Many people are able to get by in Korea using translating apps and interpreters. Even knowing how to speak Korean, I still use Papago occasionally for more difficult language exchanges. However, this method of communication is less personal. When you learn the local language, even if only a couple of useful phrases, it shows that you are making an effort to understand the community. When the local community can see your efforts, they may be more open to connecting with you and lending a helping hand. Furthermore, in a health setting, learning a few technical health-related words and phrases can help you navigate your hospital visits with more ease. Even in your native language, medical terms can be difficult to understand and explain, right? Understanding a few Korean medical phrases can help reduce some of the stress that results from misunderstanding. I know I feel more comfortable visiting a doctor when I at least know some of the basic medical terminology my doctor uses. As a testament to the importance of language, our SOS Public Health survey revealed that a high level of language proficiency is correlated with a high level of integration and access to healthcare. The survey results are listed below. More to come on language barriers and healthcare access in a future blog. Tip # 2 Make at least one local friend This tip is a major one that I will always recommend no matter where in the world you live or travel. Making local friends opens up so many doors. A local friend can show you their culture from a “behind-the-scenes” perspective by giving you the exclusive scoop on how to interact with other Koreans. Moreover, learning about...

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This meal was filled with 정 and deliciousness.  Recently I was asked this questions, “What makes a good mom & pop restaurant in Korea?” When I first arrived here it was one of the most perplexing things for me and I never thought I would ever be good at it. Everything looked the same and I couldn’t deduce what was good and what was bad. I felt helpless when it came time to pick a place to eat. My solution, just start walking into any place I saw and just eating there.  After years of this I’ve finally developed that sixth sense that tells me a shop is going to be magic. It feels good to have crossed that barrier of entry. Of course, trying to put this into words is harder than it sounds. Today I’m going to do my best give a few pointers that might help you get more comfortable deciding where to eat. 1.  Are their hand written signs in the window for special dishes? I’ve found that busy windows full of specials are a good sign that the people in the kitchen care about making delicious things and not just a menu list. They are cooking for season and not just what’s pre-decided. These specials are usually fantastic as well. 2. How busy is the restaurant at meal times? The number of cars in the parking lot or the number of people in seats is always a good sign. Especially if those seats are filled with grandmas and grandpas. If the seats are only filled with construction workers than maybe it’s just cheap. 3. Is the word 고향 (hometown) in the name? Mom & Pop restaurants offering hometown cooking really do have a higher rate of deliciousness and better side dishes. Also, if they specifically mention a region of Korea. 4. It’s not a brand or a chain. Although many brands and chains are individually owned and can have great things, their side dishes are often boring and lack a distinct flavor. To find chains or brands that do have a good mom and pop flavor, refer to rule number one. 5. Lot’s of side dishes in the pictures. Side dishes are my jam. I LOVE a good 백반 (look for this and order this) option. This means that the meal is primarily side dishes. 6. Boxes of fresh veggies piled around. When I see piles of cabbage, radish, and greens stacked outside the shop or just inside the door, I know it’s going to be a good meal. 7.  Warn out but also clean. Great places often look tired, but also really loved. Families often grow up in these restaurants. They are as much homes as they are businesses. We aren’t done yet though, once you have found what feels like the perfect place – how do you know the food is top notch? Let’s look at that now: 1. Rice. This is a BIG deal.  It also should never be dry or taste stale. The rice that comes to your table should be so delicious you can enjoy it by itself. The best restaurants also don’t serve just white rice. They serve bean rice or a mixed rice because it’s more nutritionally balanced. No self-respecting mom and pop shop servings bad rice. This is often where restaurants near the military bases let you down. They buy the cheap rice and it truly ruins the meal. 2. Lettuce. It shouldn’t be wilted and it should be bitter. If you are in a meat restaurant where the lettuce is sagging, that’s just a no.  It’s a real deal breaker for me. 3. Vegetable quality. The veggies should be fresh and rich in flavor. In the states we are now used to our fruits and veggies being flavorless, but that should happen here. Carrots should be sweet, cucumbers fresh and juicy, tomatoes sweet and tangy, etc. If there are bowls of things everywhere being washed, you’ve nailed it. It’s going to be great. 4. Depth of flavor. The broths shouldn’t be one dimensional. The majority should be dynamic and carry a wide variety for flavors. There are simpler dishes, but you usually add dynamic flavors to them on your own to bring out their full personality. They are like a blank canvas with the base paint added but you get to do the rest. 5. Diversity of side dishes. Pyeongtaek is bad about this, but ideally you want there to be diversity in your side dishes. A balance of nutrition and taste. If there are three dishes it’s ideal if they aren’t all similar. Sometimes I let this pass when the main dish is extraordinary but I’m always a little bitter about it. 6. You eat it and even though you don’t understand it you still think, “OMG! Where have you been all my life?”  7. Finally, beyond the food you want to feel 정 (Jeong). Which sounds super crazy, but after you are here for a bit you start to know what it means and how important it is. It’s a particular feeling. A sense of warmth, a kindness extended across the divide. It might be a soda given as service. A special side dish brought out after they see you eat all the others. It’s usually reserved,but emotionally palatable. It’s also a part of the Korean experience and once you start to see it or recognize it you know you are on the road to understand not just the food but also the hearts of Korea. You can download the South of Seoul App from:

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Pro tip: (2인분) means it serves two people. Can’t order for an individual. 식사류 = Food Menu  보리밥 = BoriBap 제육뽁음 = jeyugbokk-eum 된정찌개 = doenjangjjigae 동대찌개 = dongdaejjigae 부대찌개 = budaejjigae 라면사리 = Ramon noodles 공기밥 = Rice with beans 삼겹살 = Korean bacon 소고기벗건골 = sogogibeosgeongol 닭도리탕 = dalgdolitang 주류 = Drink Menu  소주 = Soju 맥주 = maekju (Beer) 청하 =cheongha (low alcohol soju type)백서주 = baegseoju (rice alcohol flavored with herbs) 산사춘 = sansachun (wine made from the red fruits of the sansa) 막걸리 = maggeolli (rice wine)

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For years now, I’ve been looking for a samgyeupsal restaurant near AK Plaza that made me want to come back. I’m not saying I haven’t eaten meat downtown town and thought it was fine, but none made me dream of a return trip. (Yup, I’m a meat snob now. I never even saw it coming.) Not until now. Which is why taking a vacation is so important. With more time to meet up with friends and just chill out, I found the motivation to give the city center one more try. While prepping for dinner with Jennifer and Sue of Pyeongtaek Korean tutors I did a bit of research on Naver and found this new gem. Zip (as I’m going to call it since that’s what is in English) is located next to the cute little park with the water feature a few blocks from the AK Plaza. The place is newish, bright and clean with tables and chairs so no sitting on the floor was required. Their grills are big and spacious with plenty of room for all the different items included in their affordable set menus. Since I like my kimchi and my garlic well grilled this system works for me. The meal itself boasts a variety of balanced flavors, fresh ingredients, and quality meat cuts. The samgyeupsal is thick cut and gorgeous. There is only one other place in Pyeongtaek that I have round comparable meat quality (for a reasonable price) and it’s not well vented so most folks wouldn’t feel comfortable eating there. One thing I can’t remember.. if anything was in English. Don’t worry though, any set you order will be delicious so just order for a price range and dig in. As an added bonus, it’s a great place for an evening date. You can finish up dinner and then go watch the water and lights dance out front before a stroll along the river walk a few blocks away. *** This listing and all other restaurants reviewed by South of Seoul can be found in the South of Seoul app which can be downloaded from Google Play and the Apple App Store. *** For the address and a map CLICK HERE for the MollaKorea.com Listing.

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Shabu Shabu (샤브샤브) is one of the most delicious things you can eat. Originally from China, but also famous in Japan, it is often called “hot pot”. In Korea it has many delightful variations that involve a fusion of different cultures. In the Pyeongtaek area we have eaten almost as much Shabu Shabu as we have eaten Budaejjigae so we’ve done our research. These are our favorite styles thus far, as well as our favorite place to eat each one. This list is in no particular order and summarizes our favorite places and styles.  Click through to the full blog for additional information and addresses. We are too lazy to put it all here. This is what we eat when we are craving crazy amounts of veggies. At this particular restaurant, you not only get veggie but you also have unlimited meat. So come hungry. Click here for full review. 1. Pumpkin Duck Shabu Shabu Go here hungry because the side dishes are a meal in themselves. You will be feasting on shaved pork and duck cooked in pumpkin. Then you will be left wondering how you lived before eating this meal. Click here for full review. 2. Seafood Shabu Shabu with Udon Sometimes we aren’t feeling like a lot of meat, so we choose seafood shabu shabu which is lighter… well, it would be lighter if we didn’t our body weight in side dishes. This particular restaurant is nice because the pot is split in half. So you can actually order pork and seafood at the same time and cook them separately. Click here for full review. 3. Beef Shabu Shabu with Homemade Noodles The full blog for this restaurant will come along in a few weeks, but it needed to be on this list. This restaurant does not serve side dishes with their shabu shabu, instead they rely on one of the most delicious broths I’ve ever tasted. This particular restaurant is a chain, but they are not all created equal. The one in Anjung-eup is one of the best meals I’ve ever had and non of the other versions of this chain come close. Since there isn’t a bigger blog for this yet. Here is the name and address. Name: 등촌칼국수 Address: 경기도 평택시 안중읍 안중로18번길 Nave Map: http://me2.do/5PqAbmnV

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