Penn State Korean Culture Night took place on March 20 in State College. The event featured traditional Korean games, Korean culture clubs, Korean language workshops and performances from some of the student vocal and dance groups on campus.

My sister Kathleen Cempa (a former Tyrone student herself) and I are very interested in Korean culture and language and have attended many events at PSU. The Korean community at Penn State is very active and inviting to anyone interested in learning about Korean culture and language.

When I arrived at the hub and got in line, I saw some of my former Korean teachers. It was nice being able to talk to my Korean teacher once again because we were able to talk about what we have been doing, and even talk about somethings in Korean.

I also was able to reunite with a classmate from my last Korean language class.  We talked about things like Classes on campus, language learning, and things that we are interested in. 

When we got into the event, one thing caught my eye, all of the club tables. As I walked from club table to club table, I saw many different types of clubs such as the Korean Tea drinking club, where everyone meets up in a school building after classes, drink Korean tea, and talk about the history of the tea, and why it is important or an interesting face about the tea.

Because K-Pop is gaining popularity in the US, there were a few clubs centered around learning the moves and then some of the lyrics to some peoples favorite K-Pop songs, as well as practicing to perform at this event.

Alongside the clubs about K-pop choreography, they also had clubs centered around Korean Hip-hop and learning the popular moves and the types of dance move that they use while dancing.

Anyone interested in this fascinating culture and language should visit the Korean International Club Facebook page, the Penn State University Korean Student Association Facebook page, or the Penn State K-Pop Music and Dance Club Facebook page. Also check out the Korean Tea Drinking Club Instagram account @Pennstateteahouse.