{"691648":{"#nid":"691648","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Exploring Korean Arts and Culture Through Feel the Korean Beat ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis summer, a new group of Georgia Tech students embarked on Georgia Tech\u0027s annual five-week artistic and cultural journey, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/modlangs.gatech.edu\/lbat\/feel-korean-beat\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFeel the Korean Beat\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/modlangs.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Modern Languages\u003C\/a\u003E study abroad program in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/a\u003E. This international experience offered students an opportunity to explore South Korea\u0027s rich artistic traditions and contemporary culture while reflecting Georgia Tech\u0027s broader commitment to global engagement through the arts. That commitment is also reflected this summer through Georgia Tech\u2019s partnership with the Korea Foundation on the international exhibition \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kf.or.kr\/kfEng\/ru\/cnts.do?srchOrdtmOperAt=\u0026amp;srchTxt=\u0026amp;sysId=kfEng\u0026amp;langTy=KOR\u0026amp;resveMasterSn=14401\u0026amp;language=Korean\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECrossing Grounds: Art, Design, and Technology\u003C\/em\u003E in Seoul\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELed by Associate Professor of Korean \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/modlangs.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/yongtaek-kim\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDr. Yongtaek Kim\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Cem\u003EFeel the Korean Beat \u003C\/em\u003Eintroduces students to Korean arts and culture through vibrant, immersive activities. Students spend their summer exploring Korean music, dance, history, and daily life while engaging in cross-cultural studies, gaining a deeper understanding of the country\u0027s creative landscape. From a \u0022K-pop pilgrimage\u0022 to outdoor adventures on Jeju Island and tours of South Korea\u0027s major media organizations, students experienced firsthand the value and appreciation for traditional arts through the ways they shape contemporary Korean culture.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe experience is designed for students with no prior proficiency in Korean, removing the language barrier as an obstacle to cultural immersion. Rising sophomore Natalie Ferry, who \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/natalie.is.abroad?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet\u0026amp;igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Edocumented her journey\u003C\/a\u003E on social media as part of a class assignment, felt that the English-medium programming helped deepen her comparative understanding of Eastern and Western art.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Korean folk music really serves as a historical record,\u201d explained Ferry. \u201cOf course, we see that with Western music too, but the influence of Korean folk music is still being advanced to this day. BTS\u0027 \u0027Arirang\u0027 is a great example of this: how folk culture is honored in modern art as a way of reminding people, \u0027Remember this. These are our roots.\u0027\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe cohort\u2019s journey through Seoul, Cheonan, Daejeon, and Jeju Island concluded on Jindo Island, where students learned and performed Samulnori, a traditional Korean percussion art form, at the renowned Jindo National Gugak Center. One of Ferry\u0027s biggest takeaways from training in Samulnori was discovering how closely Korean folk music is connected to the country\u0027s geography:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Samulnori was made to be done in the [rice paddy] fields,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt\u0027s working music\u2014it\u0027s loud, it\u0027s rambunctious; it\u0027s meant to be heard over long distances. It also varies across each region; the music is inspired by the landscape. In Seoul, for example, it\u0027s become more experimental, being near the capital, which differs from rural areas where the rhythms are smoother and more delicate.\u0022 The program was partially supported through a partnership with Namseoul University in Cheonan, where students lived and studied during their second week abroad. While the campus experience felt familiar in many ways, it also allowed students to understand university life from another perspective.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFerry said the similarities often stood out more than the differences. The hospitality she experienced from professors, she said, reminded her of the \u0022Southern hospitality\u0022 she had grown accustomed to in the United States.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat hospitality extended beyond the classroom, which informed Ferry\u2019s understanding of how the Georgia Tech name shows up outside of Atlanta.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It was cool to learn how Georgia Tech is kind of a known entity in Korea,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it makes sense. South Korea is heavily invested in AI in a way that mirrors Georgia Tech\u0027s investment. They both value being at the forefront of technological innovation, and almost every single person I met valued being on the cutting edge.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the \u003Cem\u003EFeel the Korean Beat\u003C\/em\u003E cohort did not directly overlap with the opening of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kf.or.kr\/kfEng\/ru\/cnts.do?resveMasterSn=14402\u0026amp;\u0026amp;mi=2188\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECrossing Grounds: Art, Design, and Technology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, both initiatives celebrate Georgia Tech\u0027s growing engagement with South Korea through arts and culture. The exhibition, co-curated by Assistant Professor Hyojin Kwon and Georgia Tech Arts strategist Birney Robert, with assistance from Santana Nash, brings together 16 projects by Georgia Tech artists that explore the intersections of art, design, and technology.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETogether, these efforts demonstrate how arts-integrated experiences can strengthen international partnerships, broaden cultural understanding, and encourage students to engage in unfamiliar places with curiosity, creativity, and confidence.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELearn more about \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/modlangs.gatech.edu\/lbat\/feel-korean-beat\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFeel the Korean Beat\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech students explored South Korea\u0027s artistic traditions and contemporary culture this summer through \u003Cem\u003EFeel the Korean Beat\u003C\/em\u003E, a five-week study abroad program led by the School of Modern Languages. The immersive experience highlights the Institute\u0027s commitment to global engagement through the arts and complements broader international collaborations, including Georgia Tech\u0027s partnership with the Korea Foundation on the \u003Cem\u003ECrossing Grounds: Art, Design, and Technology\u003C\/em\u003E exhibition in Seoul.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Feel the Korean Beat study abroad program gave students an immersive introduction to Korean arts and culture while highlighting the Institute\u0027s growing commitment to international artistic exchange."}],"uid":"36758","created_gmt":"2026-08-13 16:01:03","changed_gmt":"2026-08-13 16:11:54","author":"LaKenya Norris","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680857":{"id":"680857","type":"image","title":"Korean-Beat.png","body":null,"created":"1786637376","gmt_created":"2026-08-13 16:09:36","changed":"1786637376","gmt_changed":"2026-08-13 16:09:36","alt":"Korean-Beat photo","file":{"fid":"265186","name":"Korean-Beat.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/13\/Korean-Beat.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/13\/Korean-Beat.png","mime":"image\/png","size":381470,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/13\/Korean-Beat.png?itok=9zkYv_qV"}},"680858":{"id":"680858","type":"image","title":"Korean-Beat_2.png","body":null,"created":"1786637430","gmt_created":"2026-08-13 16:10:30","changed":"1786637430","gmt_changed":"2026-08-13 16:10:30","alt":"Korean-Beat photo","file":{"fid":"265187","name":"Korean-Beat_2.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/13\/Korean-Beat_2.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/13\/Korean-Beat_2.png","mime":"image\/png","size":233671,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/13\/Korean-Beat_2.png?itok=uJJhuODq"}},"680859":{"id":"680859","type":"image","title":"Korean-Beat_3.png","body":null,"created":"1786637477","gmt_created":"2026-08-13 16:11:17","changed":"1786637477","gmt_changed":"2026-08-13 16:11:17","alt":"Korean-Beat photo","file":{"fid":"265188","name":"Korean-Beat_3.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/13\/Korean-Beat_3.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/13\/Korean-Beat_3.png","mime":"image\/png","size":267620,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/13\/Korean-Beat_3.png?itok=v9uNyHyE"}}},"media_ids":["680857","680858","680859"],"groups":[{"id":"145331","name":"Georgia Tech Arts"},{"id":"660380","name":"GT Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}