This summer, the Korean Communications Commission will offer an educational television series for those who want to learn the Korean language.

The 30-episode series is divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. If you master the series, you have enough command of the language to watch a Korean drama without relying on subtitles.

The first 10 episodes of the beginner level are already available. The intermediate level will be available in July and the advanced level in August. If you have an Oceanic Cable digital box, simply go to channel 81 KLIFE and search under "specials," find "Korean Language Series" and start with Part 1. The series is free and available on demand whenever you want, as many times as you want. You can play, rewind, fast-forward, pause and stop during an episode and get back to it later when you have time.

Korean drama fans can learn the basics, including numbers, greetings, honorifics and how to address family members. The language series will also provide viewers with a better understanding of Korean culture, and as a result, better understanding of Korean dramas. The series all have English subtitles.

The 10-episode beginner level is titled "Encountering Korean Through Music." Each episode is about 30 minutes and this section covers basics, such as numbers, honorifics, connecting sentences, past and future tense.

The first half of the intermediate level is probably the most interesting because it teaches Korean through drama. Clips of famous Korean dramas are dissected into sentences to show the structure of the language. Past dramas such as "Full House" and "Happy Woman" are used in this portion of the series, which covers greetings, making phone calls and using public transportation. The last five episodes in the intermediate level are called "Learning Korean Through Animation." Animated clips are used to learn about expressions, titles of family members and expressions for various relationships, since Koreans have a unique way of addressing one another.

The advanced level is also broken into two five-episode sections. The first half is called "Learning Korean Regarding Leisure Activities." Each episode takes you around the city, with short video clips featuring real-life situations, such as shopping, cooking, workouts and fashion trends, teaching the words used. The series concludes with five episodes called "Learning Korean Expressions Used At Workplace," with video clips showing various workplace situations to demonstrate how to use Korean in a professional manner.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'BRILLIANT LEGACY'

Episodes 5 and 6

Tonight at 7:45: Eun-sung is shocked when the grandma she helped reappears as a completely different person. Grandma invites Eun-sung to move in with her and says she'll find Eun-woo for her.

Tomorrow at 7:45 p.m.: Sung-hee is shocked when she sees Pyung-jung and tries to run away from him. Pyung-jung tries to explain what happened, but Sung-hee tells him Eun-sung took Eun-woo to the States.

'DARE TO LOVE'

Episodes 7 and 8

Sunday at 6:45 p.m.: Yanti appears in front of Soo-nam's house and almost gets caught. He finds a way to send her home, but Yanti ends up being kidnapped. Jang-mi longs for a father and Gum-ran is worried. Poong-ran is having a very hard time dealing with stingy Sae-dol.

Sunday at 7:45 p.m.: Poong-ran's book makes it to the best-seller list, but disappointment soon follows. Jang-mi still longs for a father. Yanti is rescued and is adjusting well to civilization with Soo-nam's help. Sul-ran tries to help father and son bond by making them take classes together.

'PRINCESS JAMYUNG'

Episodes 20 and 21

Monday at 7:45 p.m.: Song Maeseolsu tries to stop her father from killing Hodong, but fails. Hodong and Jamyung check into an inn where Song Okgu's men are waiting for them. Hodong and his bodyguards are poisoned. Wang Jasil tells Wang Hol to kill Jamyung.

Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.: Jamyung escapes from the inn with the unconscious Hodong. The two hide out in a cave while Song Gang, Song Okgu's son and Cha Chasung's gang are searching for them. King Daemushin learns Hodong's life is in danger.

'CITY HALL'

Episodes 3 and 4

Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.: Mayor Goh decides to make Joh Guk's transition into the deputy mayor position difficult by putting him in charge of the Miss Herring Pageant. Even though she is mocked by the other younger competitors, Mi-rae works shamelessly and tirelessly to win the pageant.

Thursday at 7:45 p.m.: Guk dismisses Mi-rae from the Miss Herring Pageant for violating the pageant rules. But when the minister of women's rights calls the mayor's office, Mayor Goh pressures Guk to reinstate Mi-rae.