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| Gala Mendez, right, broadcasts her radio show "Shot de Soju" out of a studio at the Autonomous University of Nayarit with her friend Genesis Canela. Courtesy of Gala Mendez |
By Lee Hae-rin
"Annyeonghaseyo! Bienvenidos, bienvenidas!"
With Leenalchi's "Tiger is Coming" playing in the background, Gala Mendez greets her listeners in Korean and Spanish every Friday on her radio show "Shot de Soju" ― meaning "a shot of soju" in Spanish.
Mendez, 24, has been producing and hosting the program on Radio UAN, the Autonomous University of Nayarit's own radio station, to introduce Korea to Mexicans ― and Spanish-speakers around the world. She has aired 27 episodes on the country's culture, current issues and traditions since last August.
"'Shot de Soju' is like a little taste of Korea," Mendez explained on the meaning of the program's name in an interview with The Korea Times, Thursday. "I think soju is a beverage that unites people to enjoy a good time. When we were thinking about the name, we wanted our listeners to feel that way."
As a communications major graduate, Mendez started the project with the help of three friends who are also interested in Korean culture: Genesis, Nataly and Vanessa.
Mendez said her first contact with Korea was via the 2016 K-drama "Boys Over Flowers." Her interest in Korean culture led her to join an undergraduate program on Korean studies, where her Korean professor offered her a chance to start the project.
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| Logo of Mendez's radio program, "Shot de Soju." / Courtesy of Gala Mendez |
"There are a lot of blogs and YouTube videos of people talking about Korean culture with different points of view. So I spend a lot of time researching and asking my professors if the information that I have is correct," Mendez said.
For her favorite episode, Mendez named the one on the Korean autumn holiday of Chuseok, in which she interviewed a teacher of the Korean language who studied in Korea for three years.
"In that program, I learned that this Korean celebration has a lot in common with Mexico's Dia de Muertos. It was a surprise to know that in some ways, we are closer than we think," Mendez said.
Her latest obsessions include the K-drama "Sky Castle," as well as BTS and trot music. She even expanded her interest to historical K-dramas to learn more about Korean history and is glad to explore new aspects of Korean culture every day.
"Of course I know that every country has its own pros and cons. But I can say that I have a wide perspective about that and my interest has grown a lot," Mendez said. "I have had a lot of opportunities to interact with very kind people and discover new culture."
Mendez's plan to visit Korea in 2020 was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she aims to study for a master's degree in communications in Korea to develop her career as a content creator and experience the culture firsthand.
"We want to continue producing interesting programs … on topics such as mental health, environment, the relationship between Mexico and Korea and also to interview other people that can create and share Korean content in different platforms," Mendez said on the future of the program.
"That way, we can create an international community and be an open space to other voices to talk about Korea."
