Hei Sook Yoo

Hei Sook Yoo

Hei Sook Yoo

Adjunct Faculty

Korean: Korean Linguistics, Language Assessment, Digital Literacy, Online Education, History and Language Interdisciplinary Pedagogy

Hei Sook Yoo has dedicated her career to teaching and researching the Korean language and culture in the U.S. and Korea. She earned her Ph.D. in Teaching Korean Language and Culture as a Foreign Language from Korea University and previously served as an assistant professor at Georgetown University before joining George Mason University. She has taught students from K–12 to graduate level, as well as professional groups, in diverse educational settings.

Dr. Yoo has developed multiple textbooks and media materials for Korean language and culture through The International Korean Language Foundation and The Korea Foundation, and is a published author of original storybooks. She contributed to the Korean Dictionary for both Daum.net and Naver.com, developed the official TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean), and holds the National Teaching License for Teaching Korean Language and Culture conferred by the President of Korea. She is a certified ACTFL OPI tester, OPI rater, WPT rater, and AAPPL rater, and currently serves as a senior lecturer at the Embassy of Korea in Washington, D.C., and director of the National Korean Spelling Bee Committee in the U.S.

She also earned a second Master’s degree in Online Pedagogy and Technology Integration from George Mason University. Her current research focuses on developing Korean language and history curricula and assessments using digital media literacy and educational technology. She received a national CIBER Business Language Research and Teaching Award funded by the U.S. Department of Education to create online and blended curricula.

Selected Publications

 

  • Hei Sook Yoo (2025), Introduction to Korean Sociolinguistics, Mutangypublishing.     
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2025), Today's Dialog, Mutangypublishing.
  • Hei Sook Yoo et al. (2025), "A Study on the NAKS-ACTFL Teacher Certification Program for Enhancing Professionalism of Korean School Teachers in the United States," Journal of Korean Language Education 36-3, The Korean Language Education of International Association for Korean Language Education.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2025), "For whom the tests take: Perspectives on Assessing Korean Proficiency," Journal of Korean-American Education 40, The National Association for Korean Schools. 

  • Hei Sook Yoo et al. (2024),  Learning Korean with HistoryBot, Hankookmunhwasa Publisher.

  • Hei Sook Yoo et al. (2024),   “User Characteristics and Compilation Strategy of the Encyclopedia of Modern Korean Publications,” Korean Cultural Studies 105, Research Institute of Korean Studies.

  • Hei Sook Yoo (2024), "Fostering Korean Language, History, and Cultural Identity: Innovative Teaching in the Metaverse and Artificial Intelligence Environments," Journal of Korean-American Education 39, The National Association for Korean Schools.
  • Hei Sook Yoo et al. (2023), “Issues of Compiling an English Dictionary of Korean Studies for Overseas Korean Studies Majors: Focusing on the case of <English Dictionary of Modern Korean Publications> compilation,” Journal of The Society of Korean Language and Literature 96, The Society of Korean Language and Literature.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2022), “Exploring Teaching and Learning Methods for Korean Vocabulary in Metaverse Environments,” Journal of Korean-American Education 37, The National Association for Korean Schools.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2022), “Book Review_Business Korean 비즈니스 한국어. The Routledge Course in Business Korean 1st Edition. 2018,” Global Business Languages 22, GW-CIBER. 
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2021), "A study on the Improvement of Vocabulary Education for Korean School Learners-focusing on the Korean Spelling Bee Contest at NAKS-," Journal of Korean-American Education 36, The National Association for Korean Schools.
  • Hei Sook Yoo et al. (2020), "Development of Various Course Models for the Unification Era-focusing on Korean Schools and Communities in the US," Journal of Korean-American Education 35, The National Association for Korean Schools.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2019), “A Study on Blended Learning for Language, Culture, and History for Korean Heritage Education toward 21st Century Digital Literacy,” Journal of Korean-American Education 34, The National Association for Korean Schools.
  • Hei Sook Yoo et al. (2019), “Exploring the Ways on How to Write Commentaries for Foreign Students in Korea-Focusing on Text Expansion and Comparison,” Journal of the General Education 13-3, The Korean Association of General Education.
  • Hei Sook Yoo et al. (2015), “An Analysis of Korean college students' and Korean learners' Meta-cognitive Strategies in Writing,” Journal of the International Network for Korean Language and Culture 12-3, The International Network for Korean Language and Culture.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2015), “Analysis of Learners' Preferences and Needs in Korean Language and Culture Education using Media: A Study based on Business Korean classes in the U.S.,” Korean Cultural Studies 67, Research Institute of Korean Studies.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2011), “The Current Status and Its Future Prospects of Non-Regular Korean Language and Culture Program-Based on the Program at The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the U.S.A..,” The Language and Culture 7-1, The Korean Language and Culture Education Society.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2008), “A Sociolinguistic Study on the Construction and Organization of Conversations in the Korean Language Textbooks-focusing on analyses of construction and sociolinguistic elements of the dialogues-” Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Korean Language & Literature, Korea University.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2008), “A Sociolinguistic Study on the Constructing of Conversations in Korean Language Textbooks-focused on the Organization of Telephone Conversations-,” Bilingual Research 36, The Korean Society of Bilingualism.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2007), “An Analysis of English Native Speakers’ Needs and Strategies in Learning Chinese Characters,” Bilingual Research 34, The Korean Society of  Bilingualism.
  • Hei Sook Yoo (2007), “A study on Greeting Expressions in Korean Language Textbooks and Effective Teaching Methods for them,” Journal of Korean Language Education 18-1, The Korean Language Education of International Association for Korean Language Education.
  • Hei Sook Yoo et al. (2002), “Korean Language Policy for Unification Period,” in How to Unify South-North Korean Language, Kookhak Publisher.
  • Hei Sook Yoo et al. (1999), “A History of the Studies on Socio-linguistic Dialects,” in A History of the Studies on Modern Korean, Pagijung Press.
  •  

Grants and Fellowships

 

  • Conference Fund from The Academy of Korean Studies, June 2024
  • Travel Awards, CHSS Interdisciplinary Programming Support Fund, George Mason University, March 2024
  • International Grant for Korean-English Translation Dictionary of Pre-Modern Korean Media Publications from The Academy of Korean Studies, November 2021-2024
  • International Award for the Jikji, the World's Oldest Original Metal Type Print, The Jikji Cultural Foundation, July 2021
  • Online Course Development Grant, The Sterns Center, George Mason University, 2021
  • Mason Core Award, George Mason University, 2020
  • National Grant for the 2019 CIBER Business Language Research and Teaching Awards, the 15 CIBER’s U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) Title VI grants, 2019
  • International Funding Award for the International World Korean Educators Conference, The King Sejong Institute Foundation, July 2019
  • Conference Travel Grant, The Korean Studies Center, George Mason University, June 2019
  • Grant for Departmental Professional Development/Conference, The Asian Studies Program in School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, January 2017

 

Courses Taught

 

  • KORE 101 DL: Elementary Korean
  • KORE 102: Intro to the Korean Language
  • KORE 110: Elementary Korean
  • KORE 201 (210): Intermediate Korean 1
  • KORE 202: Intermediate Korean 2
  • KORE 301 DL: Advanced Korean Language and Culture
  • KORE 305: Business Korean (Major Core)
  • KORE 305 DL: Business Korean Distance learning
  • KORE 331: Literature and Media
  • KORE 370 DL: Intensive Digital Writing (Mason Core, WI Major)
  • KORE 410 DL: Special Topics in Korean Linguistics: Korean Language in Society

 

Education

 

M.Ed., Division of Learning Technologies in Schools, Specialization in Blended and

           Online in Schools, Graduate School of Education, George Mason University

Ph.D., Korean Linguistics, Concentration in Teaching Korean Language and Culture as

          a Foreign/Second Language, Korea University

M.A., Linguistics, Korea University

B.A.,  Linguistics, Korea University 

 

Recent Presentations

 

  • July 2025, “A Study on the NAKS-ACTFL Teacher Certification Program for Enhancing the Professionalism of Korean School Teachers in the United States” was presented at the 35th International Conference on Korean Language Education of International Association for Korean Language Education Conference (IAKLE).
  • June 2025, “Report on the Current Status and Cases of Korean Language Proficiency Assessment and Evaluation-Focusing on Educational Institutions in the Metropolitan DC Area, US.-,” was presented at the 17th Annual Conference (Türkiye) of The International Society of Korean Applied Linguistics (ISKAL) 2025.
  • June 2024(a), “A Case Study on the Current Status of Course Offerings and Curriculum for Korean Majors and Non-Majors in the United States,” was presented at the 16th Annual Conference (Madrid) of The International Society of Korean Applied Linguistics (ISKAL) 2024.
  • June 2024(b), “The Compilation Strategy and Utilization of 《English Dictionary of Modern Korean Publications》 for Overseas Korean Studies Majors,” was co-presented at the 16th Annual Conference (Madrid) of The International Society of Korean Applied Linguistics (ISKAL) 2024.
  • November 2023,  “How to Boost Learners' Community Engagement in Metaverse Environments” was co-presented at the 2023 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Convention and World Languages Expo.
  • June 2023, “A Study on Lexicographical Methodology for Knowledge-based English Dictionary for Overseas Korean Studies Majors-Focusing on the Establishment of Content Structure and Description Methods for the English Dictionary of Modern Korean Publications-” was co-presented at the 28th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Teachers of Korean Conference and Workshop.
  • March 2023, "Learning Social Dialects by Accessing Diverse Perspectives through Media” was co-presented at the 69th Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference.
  • April 2022, “Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion through Creative Writing: Sijo, Korean Song and Poem” co-presented at the 25th Annual Conference of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages.
  • February 2022, “How to Connect Communities to Global World in Real-life Settings” was co-presented at the 68th Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference.
  • November 2021(a), “Connecting and Communicating with Chatbots in Korean Language and History” was co-presented at the 2021 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Convention and World Languages Expo.
  • November 2021(b), “Boundless, Blended, and Beyond: How can we enhance the students’ intercultural and transnational competence through virtual field trip programs?” was co-presented at the 2021 The Greater Washington Association of Teachers of Foreign Language (GWATFL) Fall Conference.
  • July 2021(a), “Implementing Korean Language and Literature Using One Source Multi-Use in Blended and Online Learning Settings: Focusing on K-Opera (Pansori)” was co-presented at the 31st International Conference on Korean Language Education of International Association for Korean Language Education Conference.
  • July 2021(b), “Transnational Culture: Enhanced virtual class’s intercultural competence” was co-presented at the 31st International Conference on Korean Language Education of International Association for Korean Language Education Conference.
  • June 2021, “Exploring Non-Verbal Communication by Beginning-level Learners of Korean in Digital Settings” was co-presented at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Teachers of Korean Conference and Workshop.
  • December 2020, “How Can Digital Writing and Storytelling Be Used to Boost Korean Learners’ Digital Literacy in Virtual Learning Environments?” was presented at the 1st World Congress of Korean Language 2020 hosted by Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Korea.
  • June 2020, “Music as a Pedagogical Tool in the KFL (Korean as Foreign Language) Classroom” was co-presented at the 25th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Teachers of Korean Conference and Workshop.
  • March 2020, “Developing a Blended/Online Business Language Course for Career Readiness in the 21st Century” was presented at the 5th International Symposium on Language for Specific Purposes (ISLSP) and Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) Language Conference.