From K-dramas to K-Speech Contest win: “Learning Korean changed my life”
For many, learning a new language is a practical endeavour - a tool for travels, or unlocking opportunities at work. For Lindy Coxon, it became something far bigger: a path to reconnecting with herself after decades of putting others first.
Having sparked an interest watching K-dramas with her daughter, Lindy enrolled in a Korean course with the SOAS Language Centre during lockdown. This decision would lead, four years later, to winning the Foreign Representative category at the 29th K-Speech World Contest.
We caught up with Lindy to discuss her win and her language learning journey with SOAS.
Lindy, congratulations on winning at the K-Speech World Contest! What was the subject of your speech?
"My speech was about how Korean helped me find myself. Learning Korean changed my life. For the past 30 years my life was focussed on being a wife, mother, daughter and employee. I looked after everyone else’s needs first and made sure their lives were on track, while I turned into a middle-aged non-person. I lost who I was.
As I learnt Korean and ignored everyone who didn’t “get” it, I began to wake up. I met fascinating people who felt the same as me, which gave me courage. My brain kicked into gear and I realised I could do it – I was not amazing but good enough and I loved it. This courage, alongside my children leaving home and my husband retiring, gave me more time. I wanted to see how far I could go and what could I achieve.
I decided to apply to university – I wanted to show the kids who ‘Lindy’ was, not just ‘Mum’. Thanks to Korean I am now studying at uni and I am loving that too.
I decided to apply to university – I wanted to show the kids who “Lindy” was, not just “Mum”. Thanks to Korean I am now studying at uni and I am loving that too. I am not an A* student, so it’s not easy, but I wanted to show others that if you really want something, go and do it, even if not everyone understands it at first!
What prompted you to take up learning Korean?
"My daughter got into K-pop at university and was listening to BTS and K-Dramas. When she came home during the university holidays, I had to listen to BTS and watch K-Dramas, too. This piqued my interest. We planned a holiday to Seoul and I decided I couldn’t go on holiday somewhere that I couldn’t read or understand the language. So I started to learn the Hangul alphabet.
"I realised how slow my brain had become, but I absolutely loved the challenge and despite all my family and friends thinking I was a bit weird, I persevered. When lockdown came, I looked up online classes and came across the course at SOAS. My teacher Hakkyoung was wonderful and we had a great group of keen and interesting students. It just went on from there."
How did you prepare for the competition?
"It took me 3 months from writing the speech to start to learn it. I learnt it one line at a time each day and then once I knew it, I practised every day. Walking along to work or getting the train, I would say it in my head. I had some practice sessions with Hakkyoung and she also arranged a ‘dress rehearsal’ at her Church just before I left, which really helped. The nerves are a killer – they make your brain go blank at unexpected moments, so the more practice in front of people you don’t know, the better."
What have you taken personally from the experience?
"I took part in the competition to improve my language skills, however it wasn’t until I started writing the speech that I realised how the joy of learning Korean slowly encouraged me to make changes in my life. I wanted to use this opportunity to show others that if you care enough about something and have the courage to see it through, you can achieve whatever you want. The competition was extremely stressful, and I was scared about messing up, but the warmth and kindness of all the other participants helped me through.
It wasn’t until I started writing the speech that I realised how the joy of learning Korean slowly encouraged me to make changes in my life.
"Winning the prize made me feel very proud but the biggest “win” was the support from the other participants. After my speech, I received a couple of comments from young students who said my speech had inspired them too. I thought they would not be interested, as I had aimed it more at middle aged women – but to hear that younger people also “got” it was amazing. A truly unexpected bonus, which makes me feel very humbled."
What are your plans for study going forward?
"I’m currently studying Chinese and Linguistics at the University of Westminster, so I can’t put as much time into my Korean as I would wish. Having done 4 years of mainly Korean grammar learning, I’m now looking to find Korean students or friends to practise Korean conversation. I want to be more fluent in everyday language and focus on that, rather than learning more grammar points.
"I’ll be in Beijing next year with my university studies, and that is only a short hop to Seoul, so I hope to get over to Korea as often as possible. I also hope I will be able to get Korean lessons in Beijing as part of my degree."
Enrolment for the October-December 2025 term at the SOAS Language Centre is open until 23 September. Courses are open to all adults aged 18 and over, with learners 16+ welcome subject to parental consent. Discounts of 25% are available to SOAS staff and students, with a 10% discount for SOAS alumni and University of London staff and students.
