Korean culture comes to the Hyattsville library

By JADE TRAN

When Esther Song moved to Maryland in 2018 for her husband’s post-doctoral position at the University of Maryland, she arrived with two young sons, a local community full of unknowns, and a hope for something familiar. The library quickly became that place — a soft landing made of picture books and children’s programs.

That sense of welcome came alive again Saturday, May 24, when laughter and the rustle of fabric filled the Hyattsville library’s art room, where crafts, games and traditional dress brought Korean culture to life for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

The add-on event, held after a dual-language Korean-English story time, drew families of all backgrounds into a transformed room. Pink, mint green and red hanbok — traditional Korean formalwear — hung on the wall.

“Try on which one you like the best,” said Heather Jackson, area director of the county’s west area libraries, helping a child into a dress. “This is going to look really beautiful on you.”

Song, a Korean native and longtime library patron, led both the story time and the cultural event. With a ukulele tucked under her arm, she opened the morning by reading Where’s Halmoni? by Julie Kim to over 35 attendees, Jackson said. The book, Song noted, was evenly woven in both languages, each section not just a translation, but its own voice.

Following the story time, Song invited visitors to write their names on notecards in English. One by one, she translated them into Korean and carefully drew out each character — a gesture she hoped would create a sense of neighborly warmth. 

At one end of the room, kids giggled over old-school Korean games — some made popular again by Netflix’s “Squid Game.” Song introduced a plastic stone-tossing game called gonggi that she said originated in the 19th century.

“It reminds me of jacks,” one adult said, while others nodded. Along the aisle of the wooden tables, attendees hurled black box blocks — stand-ins for traditional rocks — in mock battles. Nearby, a game tested players’ footwork as they kicked and balanced a shiny silver-and-yellow object like a soccer ball. 

“You might recognize it if you watch ‘Squid Game,’” Song’s son told a father and daughter crouched over the black box game.

The wooden tables offered crafts and cultural objects that appealed across generations. Song moved through the room, adjusting sleeves, picking out jackets and checking how each dress fit.

In a room buzzing with cross-cultural curiosity, Jackson said the library’s mission goes beyond celebrating heritage to encouraging school readiness through mixed-age activities. She watched as Kaya, a young visitor, quickly picked up the “Squid Game” activity just by observing older kids play.

“In Korea, the library is usually a very quiet place for reading and borrowing books,” Song said. “But my concept of the library has changed since arriving here. Now, the library is a place where mothers can read aloud to their kids, toddlers can play and dance, and learn almost everything.”

With her two sons exploring arts and crafts, building with LEGO bricks, learning chess and even farming, Song’s family has experienced the library as a hub of community, Song said. She quickly learned the library was going to be a place not just for her kids, but for herself. 

Last year, she signed up for a ukulele class offered in partnership with the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation. In between classes, she practiced alongside YouTube videos.

That instrument, now a staple in her storytelling, gave her a way to give back. 

“I just wanted to contribute, as a Korean, [to] Asian Pacific Heritage Month” she said. “Even though we can’t travel all around the world, we can have a chance to experience other languages and culture in the library. I think it’s a great privilege.”

“Typically, our Saturday story times are bilingual, usually Spanish and English,” Jackson said. “So it was a gift that Esther was willing to do it in Korean and give the families something a little different.”

“These programs make the immigrant family feel they’re welcomed to the community,” Song said. “That means a lot and helps them to adjust to a new life in the U.S. Our family is living proof of that.”

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Jade Tran is an undergraduate journalism student at the University of Maryland.