"Got a Government Job with Korean Learned to Sing Big Bang Songs" [Korean Language Era④]

Sejong Institute Outstanding Student Sasha Shaipani
Passionate About Studying Korean to Overcome Employment Challenges
"Communicating with Busan City Hall Staff to Handle Tasks"
"I Want to Be Like a 'Gateway to Korea'"

Sasha Shaifani is a civil servant at Surabaya City Hall in Indonesia. She is in charge of managing sister cities in the International Cooperation Team. The cities she is responsible for are Busan, Liverpool in the UK, and Seattle in the USA. She handles business agreements and interprets from Korean or English into Indonesian during international visits.

Sasha Shaifani, working at Surabaya City Hall in Indonesia
Photo by Sejong Institute Foundation

She first learned how to read Hangul from a classmate when she was in middle school in 2011. At that time, learning Hangul was a trend. She wanted to sing along well to the K-pop she enjoyed listening to. "I started enjoying K-pop because I liked the group Big Bang. A friend who listened with me was proficient in Korean. One day, they taught me how to read and write. Amazingly, I was able to read and write Korean in just one day. That was my friend's name."

Shaifani did not forget Korean even after entering Airlangga University. While majoring in International Relations, she self-studied Korean. "In the International Relations department in Indonesia, there is an unwritten rule that you must learn one foreign language besides English. At that time, most people studied French or Chinese. I also initially took Chinese classes. But memorizing the characters was difficult and I lost interest. Naturally, I turned my attention to Korean. I enjoyed learning it while listening to K-pop and watching Korean dramas."

Sasha Shaipani teaches Hangul to the citizens of Surabaya whenever she has time.
[Photo by Sejonghakdang Foundation]

Since graduating from Airlangga University in 2020, she has been passionate about studying Korean. This was because the COVID-19 pandemic caused severe employment difficulties. Wanting to learn properly, she looked for a suitable academy and registered at the Sejong Institute on a friend's recommendation.

"When I self-studied, I couldn't tell which parts were wrong, so I made many grammar mistakes. It was also hard to practice speaking because I had no one to converse with in Korean. After attending the Sejong Institute, I could clearly identify my weaknesses. The teachers precisely pointed out and corrected them. The most improved skill was speaking. As I kept trying to have conversations in Korean with friends, my skills naturally improved. At some point, I was able to watch Korean dramas without subtitles."

Her rapidly improving Korean skills directly led to job opportunities. Shaifani passed the recruitment for teachers at 'Rumah Bahasa (House of Language),' operated by Surabaya City Hall. She taught Hangul to citizens, recalling her Sejong Institute teachers. She also planned related cultural events and managed social media. Occasionally, she provided interpretation services for tourists.

Sasha Shaipani also handles interpretation duties for sister city officials visiting Surabaya City Hall.
[Photo by Sejong Institute Foundation]

Her excellent Korean skills combined with diverse experiences made her well-qualified to work at Surabaya City Hall. In 2022, she joined the International Cooperation Team as a contract worker and passed the exam to become an official civil servant within about a year. "At the time of hiring, my superiors highly evaluated my Korean ability. They thought it would be a great help in handling tasks related to the sister city Busan. In fact, I communicate smoothly with Busan City Hall staff in Korean and handle work efficiently."

Shaifani hopes that many more cases like hers will arise. Therefore, she teaches Hangul to Surabaya citizens whenever she can. Although unpaid, she feels a quiet sense of fulfillment. "I want to be like a 'gateway to Korea' for citizens who want to work or study in Korea. I will open the path to achieving dreams through Korean."