Recently, I came across an article about a unique village in the U.S. where only Korean is spoken. This village, called "숲 속의 호수" (Lake in the Woods), is part of the Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota. Today, I'd like to introduce you to this fascinating Korean-language village.
What is "Lake in the Woods"?
Located about four hours northwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota's largest city, is a small town called Bemidji. Here, along the lakeside, you'll find the Concordia Language Villages, a non-profit organization established in 1961 by Concordia College to promote language and cultural education. The village offers immersion programs in 14 languages, and the Korean Language Village, known as "Lake in the Woods," was launched in 1999. The program primarily serves children and teens, offering two- to four-week courses during summer breaks.
What Makes This Village Unique?
"I want to break the notion that Korean is only for Koreans. 'Lake in the Woods' is not just for Koreans, but a global program that allows anyone to learn Korean."
– Daphna Zur (Korean name Ju Da-hee), Professor at Stanford University and Head of the Korean Language Village
As you'd expect from a place called the Korean Language Village, all signs and notices are written in Korean, and participants are required to speak only Korean during their stay. Every morning, students gather in an auditorium and start their day by pledging, "오늘 하루 종일 한국말만 하겠습니다." (I will speak only Korean all day.)
In this village, speaking Korean is part of daily life. To enter the dining hall, students must answer a question in Korean, and even when purchasing snacks or other items, they must communicate in Korean. In fact, students even use Korean won instead of U.S. dollars for transactions. Some of my students struggle with the larger denominations of won compared to the dollar. So I think this might be helpful.
Participants also engage in various cultural activities like Taekwondo, K-pop dance, and Korean cooking—all conducted in Korean. It's easy to see how this immersive environment helps students improve their language skills quickly.
Challenges and Limitations
In its early years, "Lake in the Woods" mainly attracted second- and third-generation Korean-Americans who didn’t speak the language fluently, so there were often empty spots in the early 2000s. However, with the rise of the Hallyu (Korean Wave) in the past decade, interest has surged, and now the program has a waiting list despite its relatively high tuition fees.
Other language villages have dedicated facilities and operate year-round, but the Korean Language Village shares space with the Russian Language Village and can only run its programs in the summer. Fortunately, five years ago, thanks to a large donation from a Korean entrepreneur working in the U.S., the village was able to build a new facility in traditional Korean architecture. However, due to ongoing financial constraints, only half of the planned dormitories were built, reducing the village’s capacity to just 60 students. This means the waiting list for the Korean camp will likely grow even longer.
➤ I was amazed to learn that such a village exists in the U.S., offering an immersive Korean learning experience in such a beautiful natural setting. It’s unfortunate, though, that the number of students they can accept is so limited compared to the demand. Despite this, the village is making progress, and I’m hopeful for the future. With more support, I hope many more students will have the opportunity to learn Korean in this wonderful environment.
