Man secretly learns Korean for a year, surprises bride with Korean at wedding
By Bryan Ke
November 16, 2023
A man has gone viral for surprising his wife by secretly learning Korean for his speech on their wedding day.
How he did it: Ben Carpenter, a TikTok fitness influencer from the United Kingdom with over 690,000 followers, said he kept his Korean lessons a secret to his wife, Sohee — a fitness influencer from California — for nearly a year until their wedding. He spent 30 minutes each day learning the language, pretending to be on video calls for “work.”
“In bed I would often put one headphone in so she couldn’t hear what I was doing, and turning my screen away so she couldn’t see either,” he wrote in the caption to his video.
How it turned out: Carpenter’s hard work culminated on their wedding day. In a video posted on Oct. 14, he can be seen delivering part of his speech in Korean, much to the surprise of his wife and in-laws.
“To everyone from Sohee’s family, as a show of respect, I have been secretly taking lessons so I can finally speak to you in Korean. When Sohee and I first started dating, she told me that in Korean culture, dating a foreigner is frowned upon by some people. I was very scared to meet you because I felt like maybe I wouldn’t be accepted. But I was wrong. You welcomed me with a warm heart. Thanks to all of you, we’ve made it this far. I’m thankful you’ve accepted me as a new member of the family, and I promise to love and take care of Sohee forever.”
Reactions: After Carpenter’s speech, Sohee can be seen wiping away tears. Meanwhile, her parents immediately stand up to give him a hug.
Carpenter’s post went viral on TikTok, where it has since received over 1.8 million views.
“I did not anticipate sobbing over the marriage of two people whom I do not know, yet here I am,” one user commented. “Congratulations from the bottom of my heart.”
“Learning your partner’s culture and trying learn their language is such huge sign of love and respect. She is a lucky woman,” wrote another.
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