신과함께 (Together with Gods)

It's pretty much undisputed that extensive reading in your L2 is one of the best ways of improving language ability. Due to my relatively low reading level in Korean, I've preferred children's books lent from a friend or translations of stories where I already know the basic plot. But there's also another great tool out there if you're looking for some L2 reading practice, and like me, just think the newspaper is too difficult... 만화 (comics!). I started reading 크레용신짱 (Crayon Shin-chan) a while back, and have enjoyed reading comics in Korean ever since. Top reasons why reading comics can improve your Korean?

* It's fun, so unlike other methods of studying, it doesn't feel like punishment!

* Vocabulary are usually useful in real life, and grammar patterns tend to be popular in speech.

* Picture clues help you decode unknown words.

* Vocabulary are often repeated, helping you learn new words.

I could name more, but those are the most prominent ones for me. Recently, Husband recommended I start reading 신과함께 a web-toon hosted on Naver. If you have a smartphone, you can download the Naver web-toon app (search "네이버웹툰") and read anywhere. It's awesome! I installed a Korean/English dictionary on my smartphone, so I can flip back and forth, searching words I'm unsure of as I'm reading. My dictionary also happens to have a history function, so I can look back for frequently occurring words that I've already looked up.

So why do I love 신과함께 so much? To start, the story is interesting and fast-paced. 신과함께 explores the Korean mythology of what happens after you die. The story follows two sets of characters, a middle-aged recently deceased Korean man and his afterlife lawyer, and a team of afterlife police-type characters. Hard to explain, but very interesting. The comic has humour, emotion, and creativity. The characters are well-developed and loveable. The art style is simple and expressive. It's really just a fun read. 

Honestly, I would recommend this comic to everyone if it was in English too, but since it's in Korean, I really hope you'll check it out if you're studying. Also I heard a movie is in the works, so you better get reading!

If you have any other recommendations for Korean reading, let me know!

Ashu