Seo Dong-ju recalls living in China with ex-husband: 'I learned Chinese from the cleaning ladies'

Broadcaster and lawyer Seo Dong-ju candidly shared her experience of living alone in China during her marriage to her ex-husband. Reflecting on those times, she noted that while she had to adapt to an unfamiliar environment without knowing the language, she ultimately learned Chinese through real-life social connections rather than through private tutoring.

On the 16th, a video titled "The language barrier Seo Dong-ju felt while living in the US? The reason why Korean is actually harder" was released on Seo's YouTube channel.

During the video, Seo introduced various cultural differences and linguistic experiences she encountered while living abroad in countries such as the United States and China.

Recalling an episode from China, she said, "I am unexpectedly 168cm tall. If I wear heels, I am over 170cm." She added, "In China, when I walked down the street, people would often ask me to take a photo or ask for an autograph."

She continued, "Once, someone saw me and asked if I was actress Choi Ji Woo," adding with a joke that drew laughter, "I don't look like her at all, but I thought to myself, 'I wish I did,' and said thank you. Perhaps it was a strategy to get an autograph."

She also revealed that the differences in lifestyle culture were significant.

Seo recalled, "It might be different now, but back then, there was an atmosphere where it felt like you had to get angry to communicate. Perhaps because I looked like a foreigner, when I took a taxi, they wouldn't even turn on the air conditioner properly."

Most difficult of all was the long period she had to live essentially alone in China.

"At that time, I was in China with my ex-husband, but my husband was so busy," she confessed. "We would see each other maybe once a week at most. At some point, I felt like I had been left alone in Beijing."

The situation of being in an unfamiliar city without being able to communicate made adaptation even harder.

Stating that she "went there without knowing any Chinese at all," she said she initially began learning the language through private tutoring.

However, the real learning began in unexpected places.

"I took about ten lessons from a tutor to learn conversational Chinese. But after that, I would go to the ladies who cleaned the building where I lived during their break times to talk and hang out with them."

She explained, "By becoming close with them, I naturally learned Chinese."

It wasn't just about learning the language.

Seo said, "Whenever I tried to go out, the ladies would ask me where I was going. If I said, 'I'm going to buy something,' they would say I'd get ripped off if I went alone and would personally come with me."

She expressed her gratitude, saying, "We went to the market together and kept talking on the street. They would bargain for me and help lower the prices. They were people with so much affection."

This experience demonstrates that language acquisition is not merely a process of memorizing grammar and vocabulary, but a process of learning culture and lifestyle through actual relationships with people. In second language acquisition theory, real-life interaction and social exchange are evaluated as one of the most effective ways to improve language ability. Seo's revelation that she learned Chinese through daily conversations with locals rather than tutoring can be seen as a representative case of this "implicit learning."

Seo married a Korean-American businessman in 2010 but divorced in 2014. Approximately 11 years later, she remarried a non-celebrity who is four years younger; her husband is known to be a former manager of broadcaster Jang Seong-gyu. Currently, she actively communicates with viewers through broadcasting and YouTube, utilizing her unique, honest wit and diverse overseas experiences.