TEACHER PROFILES
Our faculty members are highly qualified and extremely passionate about their craft. Each and every one of them are dedicated to ensuring each student’s success and will do whatever it takes to provide a supportive and nurturing environment to bring out our students’ utmost potential. Most of our teachers have over a decade of experience teaching Korean and will know exactly how to cater to your needs as an avid Korean learner.
Principal and Head Teacher
Harry Kwak Ha Rim
Mr. Harry obtained his Master’s degree from Yonsei University Graduate School in Seoul, Korea and received his Teaching License for Korean Language Education from the Ministry of Education, Singapore. Even with more than 20 years of teaching experience under his belt, Mr. Harry’s passion for sharing the Korean language and culture has never faltered. He has been teaching Korean to Singaporeans since the centre was established in 2006 and knows exactly how to help them understand and remember his teachings.
Having abandoned his career as a hotshot architect to pursue his dreams of educating Singaporeans about the Korean language and culture, Mr. Harry is no doubt passionate about his craft. He also has a talent for singing and has performed in front of huge audiences, so he might sing for you if you insist enough!
You often hear peals of laughter coming from his classroom as he never fails to add in a dash of humour whenever he’s teaching. He makes sure to put a heavy focus on speaking and conversational skills when he teaches his basic classes and has received endless praise from students for doing so.
Education Director
Grace Shin
Ms. Grace has over 25 years of teaching experience and has taught Korean to students from a large assortment of backgrounds. If you ask nicely, she’ll show you a picture of her and a large group of students she taught for a year in Shanghai, China back in 1996.
She completed the Korean Language Teachers Training Program in Seoul National University and obtained her teaching license from the Ministry of Education, Korea. Having moved to Singapore in 2004, she has established herself as an influential figure among the Koreans in Singapore, even becoming the Vice-Chairwoman of the Korean Women’s Association.
You’ll often see her walking around the centre exchanging greetings with our students and getting to know them better. If you’re not signing up as a Korean language beginner, you’ll be having a chat with her before you enroll as she’s in charge of placement tests and will decide which level you start with.
Seung Mi Reu
Ms. Seung completed her Korean Education Teachers Program at Yonsei University and obtained her teaching license from the Ministry of Education, Korea. Furthermore, she has a double Bachelor’s degree in Korean Language and Literature as well as English Language and Literature. Having such strong foundations in both languages, Ms. Seung knows exactly what is needed to provide her students with a well-rounded and rigorous Korean language education. Having been a Daehan educator since 2011, Ms. Seung has managed to form close bonds with many of her students. She has a tradition of inviting her students that have stayed with her from the first level to the Advance Complete level to her house for a celebration. She believes that developing a strong foundation in Korean grammar is vital to truly picking up the language. During lessons focusing on conversational skills, Ms. Seung encourages the use of real-life examples that her students can relate to, not just the ones provided in their textbooks. When she’s not imparting knowledge to her students in Daehan, she enjoys imparting knowledge to her child at home and participates in various school activities with her child. She’s also an extraordinarily talented pianist, so make sure to ask her to play you something when you get invited to her house!
She has a Master’s Degree in Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language from Kyung Hee University and has obtained her teaching license from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
Ku Ha Ra
Well-traveled and fun-loving, Ms. Ku is one of Daehan’s regular and well-loved teachers. Genuinely interested in her students’ lives and well-being, she makes it a point to ask her students about themselves at the beginning of every class to give them a chance to practice speaking Korean, as well as to get to know them better.
She has a Master’s Degree in Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language from Kyung Hee University and has obtained her teaching license from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
Jang Sa Eun
Ms. Jang has been a devoted teacher of Daehan since 2013 and is known for being gentle, nurturing and warm. She completed the Korean Language Teachers Training Program in Seoul National University as well as obtained the Certificate IV in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Korean Language and Culture from Kyunghee University.
Park Su Jung
Before Ms. Park joined the Daehan family in 2013, she spent 3 years as a Korean language teacher in Nagoya, Japan. She completed the Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language Program and obtained her teaching license from Sogang University Korean Language Centre. In her classes she enjoys placing a focus on conversational skills and believes that continuous practice and repetition will help her students gain the confidence to speak Korean. Ms. Park enhances her physical and mental capabilities through Taekwondo and is a mountain hiking enthusiast. Unfortunately, in Singapore, there just aren’t that many mountains around.
Hur Yoon Mi
When she’s not teaching, Ms. Hur can be found doing volunteer work as well as reading in her free time. She firmly believes that her students should practice speaking aloud whenever they get a chance as ongoing practice will help them gain confidence in their ability.
Noah Yun Sung Han
Mr. Noah is one of Daehan full-time teachers and devotes much of his time and energy to perfecting his teaching style and preparing teaching materials to suit his students’ needs. He is a firm believer that repetition is necessary to learn any component of a language, be it vocabulary, conjugation, grammar or phrases. He studied in the Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language Program in Hankuk University and has been teaching Korean in Singapore for two years now.
He can always be seen with a smile on his face and is always friendly and warm to his students as he believes that maintaining a positive student-teacher relationship is important for building an optimal learning environment.
When he isn’t at the centre, Mr. Noah enjoys cooking Korean food and exploring new recipes. Go ahead and ask him for some tips if you’re planning to cook a hearty Korean meal for yourself and your loved ones. On top of being an excellent chef, Mr. Noah is an avid rock climber, seeing it as a way to train his agility and strength.
Yoo Ju Ha
Ms. Yoo completed the Teaching English as a Second Language programme in Canadian Education College and is in the midst of obtaining her Korean Language Teacher Level 2 certificate. She has also completed the General English course in St. Giles International London.
If you’re a fan of K-pop culture, make sure to strike up a conversation with Ms.Yoo as she’s a K-pop enthusiast as well! She spends her free time practising her graphic design skills.
Kim Yoo Young
Ms. Kim’s love for teaching the Korean language stems from her love of meeting people from all walks of life. Throughout the past five years, she has had students that have come from an array of backgrounds: teachers, students, flight attendants, doctors, baristas, and many more. Bringing these different and amazing people together for a common goal: learning Korean. Ms. Kim is also a highly qualified teacher. She has attained Master of Arts in English Language at Ewha Woman’s University and Bachelor of Art Degree in Education from Sejong University.