가르치는 것도 배우는 것도 소중한 인연입니다
teach-ACT-TOO learn-ACT-TOO be-precious-PART karma-is-FORMAL
Both the act of teaching and the act of learning are precious [parts of] karma.
This isn't a regular proverb or aphorism. It's the "motto" at top right of KarmaPlus's monthly newsletter (image at right – click to embiggen). I'm not sure if the boss got it from somewhere, or if he made it up himself. On the one hand, it ties together the mission of the hagwon – teaching – with the name of the place, since the concept of karma in Korean is often 인연 (destiny, fate, cause). On the other hand, it's a subtle (almost coded) reference to his Buddhism. One can find equally subtle coded references to the religious affiliations of other businesses, in Korea – especially hagwon. I can sometimes guess a hagwon's "affiliation" just by considering the references of their advertising copy – if I can figure it out.
I sometimes wonder how aware Koreans are of these references, and whether they make consumer decisions (such as what hagwon to send their children to) based on them, the way that American evangelicals, for example, will intentionally take their business to the "Christian Fish." e.g.
– or the way that non-evangelicals, for that matter, will avoid businesses flagged the same way.
