Utilising K-culture for Korean college students writing identity essays: online class cases

ABSTRACT This research, conducted in the particular space–time of university classes transitioning online due to a global pandemic, describes a kairotic moment particularly concerned with the accessibility of learning resources, pedagogical interaction, and students’ mental health. Our research was conducted with a focus on online general education electives delivered across all undergraduate years at a university in South Korea, to formulate online facilitation methods for identity formation writing using the universal cultural framework of K-culture. We asked students to read K-webtoons, to understand the relation between self-esteem and self-doubt, and to diagnose their current situations. Then, we asked them to write a self-examination essay using the media literacy of K-pop to induce empathy. In their rough drafts, we observed their will to overcome their obstacles, even though their writing described negative experiences from the past and the limitations they currently faced. During virtual office hours, we instructed students to think critically about the structure of Korean society, beyond their personal self-examination, and in their second, edited drafts, we found a heightened sense of civic awareness. This research is significant, therefore, because it provides a detailed account of the abstract process of writing identity essays utilising K-culture media literacy, and the process of seeking a method of communication for critical awareness of social structures and action in a community through virtual office hours.