Quiz Show Host Promotes Beauty of Forgotten Korean Words

Um Ji-in has been hosting a quiz show about the Korean language on KBS for about a decade. The show enjoys steady popularity and she has gained her own devoted fans over time.

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"Some fans say they watch the show only because of me", Um says proudly. She has received many affectionate gifts such as amateur portraits or sculptures. When she was away for two weeks on vacation in January, her absence even made headlines.

It was quite unusual to see a female host on such quiz shows in 2010, when she first took the job.

She was always well prepared, studying before every show as if preparing for an exam, and now she is enough of an expert to have published a book on commonly misspelled and confusing words. But she says there is still much to learn. "I still come across words that I'm not familiar with".

While raising two children, Um tried to use pure Korean words as opposed to loan words of foreign origins because she was fascinated by rarely used or arcane Korean words which often enfold beautiful meanings inside.

She also published an essay in the form of a glossary about being a mother that uses 100 native words to convey a mother's love for her children.

"When I see people's faces in masks these days, they look so worried and insecure. We're going through a tough time, but when you feel you're losing your composure, take a moment and think of happy and loving faces", she says.