Getting to Korea

Although I may not look like one, I have Korean blood running through my veins thanks to my mother who hails from Pyeongtaek. Growing up in the UK, she almost single-handedly cultivated my huge interest in all things Korean thanks in great part to her insistence on communicating with me in Korean in an age when many thought speaking two languages at home might ¡°confuse children.¡± This set me apart from other half British, half Korean friends I knew who could barely utter two words of the language and rarely travelled back to their mother¡¯s homeland, save for a death in the family or some other not-so-savory event. Thanks to my mom¡¯s stubbornness, I would go back with her on our at least biennial trips during the summer holidays growing up, and these memories of sultry Augusts spent with cousins, aunties and uncles on seven hour trips to Busan instilled in me a great fondness for the place I now call home.

After graduating from University in the UK back in 2004, I felt that instead of the backpacking gap year, some time spent living independently in Seoul would be much more fitting and beneficial. So when the opportunity to work at a British English private institute presented itself in the fall of that same year, I jumped at the chance. Although teaching in a private institute didn¡¯t ignite my passion for English education, my stay in the country, living alone as an adult did spark a desire to live here that took three years back in London working for a small Korean trading company to realize.

In the late spring of 2008, with no set plan, apart from wanting to try a different route than English teaching, I set off for the land of the morning calm with no accommodation, a love interest in Seoul, and only the hope of a bit of goodwill and a temporary roof over my head from family. To say things clicked into place quickly would be more than an understatement. Within a week, I had started to work at a small sport marketing firm, officially started dating my wife-to-be and had moved into a friend¡¯s unoccupied apartment on the outskirts of Seoul.

Succeeding in Korea

As an English boy, I had always dreamed of being a footballer and my new job allowed me to study for my FIFA football player¡¯s agent and match agent license which gave me the opportunity to arrange national matches for the Chinese national team against Jordan and Kyrgyzstan. But the highlight of my one year at the marketing firm was surely arranging for the legendary golfer, Annika Sorenstam, to come to Korea for a one day golf clinic in the spring of 2009. Star struck is not the right word for when someone smashes a tiny ball 200 yards into a waiting baseball glove.

Getting used to the company culture in Korea can be a struggle for those used to a more work-life balance oriented European mindset, and this led me down the path of pursuing more freelance work, which in turn led me to an interview with TBS eFM for a radio guest position on their English station. My recent sports background helped me secure a spot as a sports reporter for a morning show there, and the rest as they say is history, despite a nervy start when I was thankful it was not TV where I found myself first. I quickly found myself working at EBS and Arirang radio, as a host at the latter, teaching Korean to foreigners on ¡°Cuppa Korean.¡± TV work followed at Arirang and EBS, as a reporter and English teacher respectively, as well as an introduction into the world of voice acting, where I soon realized British accents were in short supply.

Using my British background to make a niche for myself both in terms of English teaching at EBS, and voice acting through a plethora of English Education content and commercials for big Korean companies, was like living in an almost alternate universe, where Peter Bint was not a Biological Sciences major with little real ambition to work in the broadcasting field. Doing my work predominantly in English certainly gave me the confidence to take the next step in my career that culminated in taking on a co-host role at EBS FM¡¯s flagship English entertainment/learning show ¡°English GoGo¡± in 2013. Paired with the ever-funny Sun Kim, I sharpened both my Korean skills and humor while presenting the show bilingually.

Living in Korea as a foreigner can sometimes be a tricky and difficult-to-navigate experience, but with a firm knowledge of the language, it can be a completely different story. All throughout my time here, it has been my ability to communicate freely, enhanced by a three month stint at Yonsei Language Institute that has enabled me to come across so many varied and, sometimes completely random, opportunities. A TV show on JEI English named ¡°Peter¡¯s Real Talk Talk,¡± doing the voiceover for Namhansanseong Fortress¡¯ UNESCO application video presentation, appearing in a commercial for fried chicken and landing a job as a reporter for NHK World News in Korea, all would not have been possible were it not for a mastering, beyond the basic, of both annyeonhasaeyo lingo and obvious bowing etiquette.

The sense of jeong, meaning emotional attachment, may not be unique to these shores, but the brand that Koreans possesses is one that I have yet to see replicated anywhere else in the world. A trip over for my parents for what should have been celebrations for their grandson¡¯s first birthday turned into a living nightmare as my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the first class treatment he received here, not only from the hospitals but from all those I had worked with was unforgettable. Complimentary stays in five-star hotels, an understanding from broadcasting stations when I was needed to assist in hospital visits, and genuine concern for the outcome blew me away perhaps more than any job offer or meal I been treated to. A return to the UK in 2014 was only ever going to be a temporary one to spend some time with family when they needed me most.

To Be Continued in Korea?

Since coming back to the capital in 2016, it has felt as if I never left. Picking up where I left off at Arirang, TBS efm, EBS, NHK World, with added appearances on KBS radio and even MBC TV thrown in for good measure, has left me feeling blessed beyond belief. Working hard and being genuinely nice is definitely the best piece of advice I could give to anyone in any field as the connections it leads to can last a lifetime, or at least the duration of my life in Korea.

A fantastic opportunity to host an English teaching show aimed at seniors who hadn¡¯t completed their education in earlier life due to one hardship or another has been the highlight of my time in Korea. Hosting it with the super talented comedian Kim Jiseon has taught me a whole other level of professionalism and wit, but seeing the sincere gratitude of grandmothers and grandfathers in their 70s and 80s even when they cannot quite get their tongues around the letter R or F, has been both heartwarming and humbling. Nowhere else have I hugged so many elders with such big smiles on their faces, happy to be learning a new language while closing in on the big 9 0.

It may sound tired and cliché but Korea has given me so much; my mother and wife for starters, but also a true motivation in life to succeed in what I have discovered is my passion for the broadcast media. Living in one of the most technologically advanced, customer-service driven places on the planet is something I try not to take for granted when going about this sprawling city of Seoul on my daily business. It is a country to which I feel I owe more than just a debt of gratitude, which is why continuing to teach and inform people both inside and out of the country is a priority that I don¡¯t want to lose sight of.

Through my two-hour Arirang radio show, #Dailyk, our team strives to introduce Korean culture to people living across the globe, and pique their interest in this wonderful land. Introducing as many aspects of Korea every day from its varied cuisine to its wide range of travel destinations is much more than just a job, and is something I pride myself upon doing both professionally and also with the required level of humor and entertainment to keep listeners coming back for more.

As the face of media changes ever more rapidly from the traditional powerhouses of TV and radio, keeping up with social media trends and increasing a YouTube presence is the next big challenge for many of the shows I appear on, and a personal challenge I relish also. As part of the old guard transitioning into new platforms, it seems that Korea is finding itself at the forefront of new media with one-person creators becoming the number one aspiration for young Koreans. With that in mind the content I create on more flexible platforms whether it be streaming video services like Yanadoo or podcast forms of radio shows, needs to be with the audience in mind. Never straying into the territory of clickbait or saying something for shock value is something that I hope I can adhere to long into the future with a steady stream of the new generation of listener/viewer/subscriber.

Lastly, as the father of two young children I cannot say for sure that this will be our home forever, but I can recognize that Korea has helped shape them for the better. The balance of East and West in their upbringing in terms of culture, language and education has made them into truly well-rounded individuals, and that is something I strongly feel everyone can benefit from; a blending of backgrounds, as diverse as possible.