15 July 2026. Learning ‘K-’ in the UK: Reimagining MFL Education from a ‘Trans-’ Perspective

Learning ‘K-’ in the UK: Reimagining MFL Education from a ‘Trans-’ Perspective.

Korean's extraordinary rise in UK classrooms is driven by Hallyu (the Korean wave) but risks confining learners to fantasy — Alfred Lo argues for a 'trans' approach in which learners are given opportunities to explore Korea’s language, history, and everyday culture alongside their enjoyment of pop culture.

By Alfred W. T. Lo, University of Oxford (DPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies).

In 2022, the Victoria and Albert Museum opened the landmark exhibition Hallyu! The Korean Wave, celebrating South Korea’s pop culture and creative industries. The global rise of ‘K-’ culture, showcased in the heart of London, marked a milestone in recognising how Korea has been warmly embraced in the UK. Historically influenced by its imperial past and the global dominance of English, the UK has maintained a language ideology that privileges English while marginalising linguistic diversity.

Against this backdrop of linguistic inertia, the rise of Korean language learning appears to be an extraordinary anomaly. Unlike traditional European languages that have struggled to maintain enrolments, Korean has captured the imagination of British learners. Britons are embracing a non-European language voluntarily, suggesting a significant shift in attitudes. Following the success of Squid Game in 2021, the UK saw a 76% surge in new Korean learners on Duolingo within two weeks, with under-22 learners, often referred to as Generation MZ, leading the increase (Blanco, 2023). Korean has become one of the fastest-growing languages studied in Britain. The fact that an Asian language with no colonial or geographical ties to Britain is thriving demonstrates how cultural appeal can challenge the English-only mindset.

What makes Korean different? In a word: Hallyu (the Korean Wave). The rise of K-pop, K-drama, and Korean film has created a cultural ecosystem that draws learners through emotion and imagination. Hallyu challenges the assumption that foreign languages must serve purely economic or career-oriented purposes. Many fans use Korean phrases such as oppa, unni, and fighting in everyday life, performing linguistic participation even without formal study (see Kiaer & Lo, 2025). Korean pop culture has unlocked new forms of intrinsic motivation among learners, particularly Generation MZ (Blanco, 2023), who pursue languages out of enjoyment and personal interest rather than utilitarian necessity, which now appears increasingly outdated. British youths are choosing to study Korean voluntarily because they are motivated by a desire to engage with a global cultural community. This self-directed movement reveals how ‘K-’, as an affective and symbolic force, can revitalise language learning in a society historically resistant to multilingualism.

However, Hallyu’s popularity also carries risks. Idealised portrayals of Korea can lead to unrealistic expectations, leaving fans disappointed when reality does not align with fantasy. Viral social media posts from visitors who felt ‘catfished’ after travelling to Seoul (The Economic Times, 2025), alongside debates over the Netflix film K-pop Demon Hunters, criticised as ‘too Americanised’ or ‘not Korean’ (Kho, 2025), reveal a shallow understanding of ‘K-’. Fans may adore Korean pop culture whilst knowing little about Korea’s history, society, or values. In the UK, where Hallyu captivates many young people, there is growing awareness that cultural enthusiasm should translate into deeper understanding (Yoon, 2011). Korean commentators have warned that Hallyu’s soft power could weaken if fandom remains confined to fantasy. For the Korean Wave to make a sustained impact on MFL education in the UK, British fans must be given opportunities to explore Korea’s language, history, and everyday culture alongside their enjoyment of pop culture (Kim, 2020). This is where the idea of a ‘trans-’ perspective, balancing fixity and fluidity, becomes significant.

A ‘trans-’ perspective transcends national, institutional, and disciplinary boundaries while maintaining a balance between fluidity and fixity. ‘Fluidity’ refers to keeping the global spread of Korean culture flexible, inclusive, and adaptable. It acknowledges that as Korean culture travels internationally, it will inevitably be reinterpreted and integrated into new contexts such as the UK. ‘Fixity’, by contrast, involves providing a stable and authentic cultural foundation amidst the excitement of the pop culture wave. In other words, whilst riding the Hallyu trend, engagement with Korea should also incorporate the richness of the country beyond its pop-cultural exports. This entails promoting aspects of Korean culture that are not limited to glossy global products, but include the history, traditions, and lived realities that underpin them. By anchoring Hallyu in cultural depth, engagement in the UK can mature from superficial fascination into informed appreciation.

In conclusion, the trans approach cultivates a two-way exchange between the UK and Korea. Korea shares its creativity and heritage, and the UK interprets and values them in locally meaningful ways. This synergy transforms the Korean Wave from a cultural trend into a lasting bridge between two nations. The UK case may offer a global blueprint for promoting language learning, demonstrating that even a language once perceived as difficult in the West can cultivate sustained international interest.

References

Blanco, C. (2023) ‘2023 Duolingo Language Report’, Duolingo Blog, 4 December. Available at: https://blog.duolingo.com/2023-duolingo-language-report/

Kiaer, J. & Lo, A. W. T. (2025). Fandom Language Learning: A Digital Transformation of Language Education in the AI Age. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

Kho, P. (2025) ‘K-pop is not Korean’, The Chow, 5 August. Available at: https://www.thechow.net/p/k-pop-is-not-korean

Kim, H. (2020) ‘Hallyu illusions: K-dramas, soft power, and the global gaze’, Asian Research Journal of Arts and Culture, 7(2), pp. 55–72. Available at: https://arc.ungjournals.org/articles/216

The Economic Times (2025) ‘‘I wish to leave immediately!’ American woman disappointed after failing to find K-drama boyfriend in Seoul’, The Economic Times, 23 February. Available at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/i-wish-to-leave-immediately-american-woman-disappointed-after-failing-to-find-k-drama-boyfriend-in-seoul/articleshow/118393384.cms

Yoon, H. (2011) ‘Mapping out the K-pop fandom in the UK’, paper presented at New Korean Wave: Asia and Beyond, Asian Pop Culture Forum Conference, 1–2 September, Seoul, Korea. Available at: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/31196

Biography

Alfred W. T. Lo is a DPhil candidate in Linguistics and East Asian Studies at the University of Oxford. He is the Founding Tutor of the first Korean programme at the Oxford University Language Centre and serves as Pronunciation Consultant (Hong Kong English) for the Oxford English Dictionary (OUP). He is the co-author of Fandom Language Learning (Bloomsbury, 2025). He is the Winner of the 2024 System Early Career Researcher Award (Elsevier) and has received a ‘First Prize’ Award from the Korean Embassy in the UK for academic excellence in advancing Korea–UK relations through MFL education and cultural initiatives.

LinkedIn: Alfred W. T. Lo