This month, we’re diving into
전과자 (Changing Majors).
The October round is open now!
전과자 is a Korean YouTube variety show that reviews university majors all over Korea.
Every episode, the host “transfers” into a new major for a day. He meets the students, sits in on real classes, and spends the day on campus with them. Since Season 6, the host has been KAI of EXO.
The title is a pun. 전과 means “changing your major” and -자 means “person,” so 전과자 is someone who changes majors. In everyday Korean, though, the same word means someone with a criminal record.
Stop understanding Korean
— start participating in it.
Train real reactions, timing, and conversation flow
through real Korean interactions.
A monthly speaking club where you don’t study Korean. You use it.
Learn through real variety show clips → record responses → get personal feedback.
Why this show?
In Korea, college admissions shape students’ lives, and 전과자 is loved for showing what students actually learn in each major. It covers everything from medicine and language departments to math and science majors, and it also visits more unusual ones like animal science and even a hip-hop major.
The best part is that you get to see real classes. You’ll find out what Korean students actually study and what a day in their life looks like.
It also gives you something few other shows do:
both kinds of Korean in a single episode, 반말 (casual speech) and 존댓말 (polite speech).
On this show, students in the same major talk to each other in 반말. Watch how people who’ve only just met use 반말 and get closer.
Then, in the classroom, notice the formal expressions they use with their professors. Knowing which style to use, and when to switch between them, is one of the hardest parts of Korean. Here, you see both side by side.
This month, we’ve already visited Ewha Womans University’s medical school and Soongsil University’s French department, where CORTIS members 마틴 (Martin) and 성현 (Seonghyeon) joined KAI. Every week brings a new campus and a new major.
Why 전과자 is so good for learning Korean
Talk about yourself
"What's your major?" "Why did you choose it?" "What do you learn?" These questions come up in almost every episode, and they're the same questions you'll get when you meet Koreans. Hear how students answer them naturally, then use the same patterns to talk about your own studies or work.
Real students, real talk
The students aren't celebrities. They're regular college students talking in their own words, so you hear how young Koreans really speak: the pauses, the reactions, the way they keep a conversation going.
Real lectures, real listening
Following a professor through a full explanation is very different from catching short lines in a drama. These lecture scenes are great listening practice for longer, more structured Korean.
A new workbook every week
Every week, you get a 50-page workbook, put together like a magazine issue. It's full of the words and expressions from that episode, not just vocabulary tied to the major, but the everyday Korean people actually use in daily life. Every one of them is hand-picked by Minji, drawing on over 10 years of teaching Korean.
Your preview of studying in Korea
Thinking about studying abroad or doing an exchange semester in Korea? This is your sneak peek. See what Korean lectures are really like, how students spend their days, and what campus life looks like before you even get there.
Come learn the most natural Korean there is, straight from real conversations.
This isn't just watching and repeating
One grammar point, learned for real
Every week is built around a grammar point you'll actually use. I go through the episode, pull the clip where that grammar shows up naturally, and build the week around it. So you're not just catching random phrases. You're learning one useful piece of Korean at a time, and seeing it land in a real conversation instead of a textbook example sentence.
By the end of the month, you've picked up several grammar patterns the way Koreans actually say them, not the way a textbook wishes they did.
And the workbook goes deeper than words
Each episode comes with a workbook, usually around 50 pages. It's not just a vocabulary list. Yes, you get the words and expressions that came up in that episode, but you also get the part textbooks always skip: why.
Why did everyone laugh there? Why did that one line make the room go quiet? Why did a guest look so touched by something that sounds ordinary if you just translate it? A lot of Korean doesn't make sense until you understand what's going on underneath it culturally. So the workbook walks you through that too, so you're not just memorizing lines, you're actually getting what's happening.
Each week you get the workbook, the audio files, and the clips to practice with. A new workbook goes up every Saturday, and when you join now, you'll also get the Week 1 and Week 2 workbooks.
Serious about improving your Korean?
If you're a truly dedicated learner, I highly recommend our 90-Day Deep Dive.
Save 10% compared to a standard subscription.
The secret to mastering a language is consistency. Stay immersed and keep getting expert feedback over the long term for a truly deep learning experience.
But does it actually work?
Take a look at how feedback actually goes out to students from our past cohorts.
As you can see, you'll receive personalized feedback on how you actually speak Korean, including your pronunciation, intonation, and sentence structure. Your feedback is delivered in two formats: video (MP4) and detailed PDF notes, so you know exactly what to fix and how to improve.
Because this is private 1:1 coaching, you'll get focused, personalized guidance in a supportive and fully private environment. Students have been highly satisfied with the feedback, and many saw consistent improvement week by week.
Not ready to commit? Start with a workbook.
Not quite ready to jump in? No problem.
You can get selected past workbooks from previous Beyond the Script sessions on their own.
Each one is built around a real variety show and focuses on how Korean actually gets spoken in real life, so you get the real scenes and natural conversations, the expressions Koreans actually use, and the cultural context behind why people say things the way they do. It's a perfect way to try the method before joining the full program.
Note: These are workbook-only products. Personalized feedback is available inside the monthly program.
Why conversations still feel hard
You don’t lack vocabulary.
You don’t lack grammar.
You lack experience using Korean in motion.
You understand sentences.
But conversations don’t wait.
When a Korean speaks to you, you search for what to say.
By the time you find it, the moment is gone.
You never trained what happens after someone answers you.
So you stay stuck between understanding and speaking.
Why this club is different
I learned this the hard way.
Everyone told me to shadow actors.
So I did.
I could repeat lines almost perfectly.
But the moment a real person responded, I froze.
Not because I didn’t know English.
Because I didn’t know what to do next.
I had trained sentences.
I had never trained interaction.
So I changed one thing.
I stopped studying what people say
and started studying how conversations move.
Hesitation.
Overlap.
Short reactions.
Tone shifts.
Adding a thought after you speak.
I wasn’t memorizing lines anymore.
I was learning what usually comes next.
Then something strange happened.
Native speakers stopped complimenting my English.
They just… kept talking to me.
Long conversations.
Jokes.
Opinions.
Disagreements.
I later spoke live on English radio in Korea — without preparation.
But that wasn’t the real change.
The real change was this:
I stopped preparing English.
I started responding in it.
Most language learning never trains that moment —
the moment after someone answers you.
That’s why this club exists.
Why variety shows work
Dramas teach memorable lines. Real life requires usable reactions.
Scripted conversations sound good. Real conversations continue.
People hesitate.
They overlap.
They soften tone.
They adjust mid-sentence.
That’s what makes someone sound natural.
Most learners study Korean as finished sentences.
But conversations are moving patterns.
Beyond the Script trains that exact skill.
Not memorizing expressions — understanding how conversations move.
How you’ll actually practice
This course is designed to solve the exact struggles beginners face.
Step 1 — Watch
See how Koreans actually respond in real situations
A curated variety show clip with key expressions and patterns.
Step 2 — Build your response
Practice saying what you would say — not repeating lines
Use pattern notes, grammar cues, and cultural hints to create answers
Step 3 — Personal Feedback
I tell you why your response sounds natural — or doesn’t
Pronunciation, intonation, tone, and conversational appropriateness
This is the actual material
you’ll practice with each week.
Every submission receives detailed correction like this.
Some reviews are several minutes long and include a written summary you can revisit anytime.
What starts to feel different
At first, nothing dramatic happens.
But what you notice begins to change.
Because now you have patterns, context, and cultural cues
working together instead of searching for grammar.
And one day you notice —
Instead of delivering one memorized line,
you naturally continue the conversation.
That’s when learners usually realize they’re not practicing Korean anymore.
They’re participating in it.
Shadowing trains reproduction.
Active pattern training builds conversation ability.
After months, the difference isn’t pronunciation.
It's how long you can stay in the conversation.
What you practice each month
• Real variety show lesson
• Pattern-based speaking practice
• Voice recording assignments
• Personal correction & feedback
• Learner community
• Growing lesson archive
Not just submissions — conversations.
Talk about the show, ask questions, and see how others answered the same moment.
I’m there regularly too.
Before You Join
Q. Do I need to be fluent?
Q. What level is this for?
Q. Is this shadowing?
Q. What if I’m shy about recording?
Q. How often do I need to study?
Q. Will I get personal feedback?
Basic
$29
Start anytime. Stay as long as it helps you speak.
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Curated variety show scenes explained in real context
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Key speaking patterns you can reuse immediately
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Personal feedback on how you actually sound
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Cultural meaning behind reactions and tone
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A space to talk about Korean, not just study it
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A community that keeps you using the language
What learners noticed
You don’t need more study time.
You need response experience.
You don’t join because you’re ready.
You join to become ready.
Start participating in Korean.
