Rating: 
Summary: Dated
Review: All of Barron's FSI series uses dated materials and brute force audio-lingual methods of instruction (i.e. rote memorization,
repetition practice, lexical drills). This course is no exception but it shows its age more than most, particularly with the emphasis on formal honorifics and outdated modes of expression. The more expensive Pimsleur Korean course practically does the same thing. Nonetheless there is value here, particularly given the lack of variety of Korean language learning materials. Just plan on doing some follow-up work unless you have Korean friends that can help you along the way. With the exception of the introductory section this course closely follows the format found in Barron's "Mastering German" but is quite different from the format in "Mastering Italian."
Rating: 
Summary: Not a very good book!!!!
Review: Frist, I'm Korean American who came to the State at 12 years old. I know how to read and speak the language but, have trouble writing Korean. This book does not even have the Korean Alphabelt in the book. How are suppose write, if you know the Alphabelt of the language. Oh, far has speaking it. Good luck! I had my friend Terrence and Kirsty pronounce the english part of the sessions. It sounded like a japanese or Hawiian. I couldn' t even understand a word. I was really fooled on the rating this book. Don't let it fool you!
Rating: 
Summary: This course kicks ass
Review: Great course-- really worth the money. The 12 tapes are superb-- no annoying narrator babbling in English, or long pauses that you want to fast-forward over after the second time you listen to the tape. Material is dense and challenging, so you won't just finish it really fast and wonder what to do next. The only drawback is that it generally emphasizes formal Korean, although the informal style is covered as well.
Rating:
Summary: Very good for beginners
Review: I think this set is really good and systematic. You learn from the basic alphebets to more complex conversation.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible!
Review: I was really disappointed with this book. I've been using the Yonsei University books to study Korean and wanted another series to supplement them. I saw the 5-star ratings and ordered this book sight unseen. Boy was I surprised and disappointed when I received it! All the Korean in the book is romanized. As anyone who has ever learned Korean can tell you, it's necessary to learn han-geul, the Korean alphabet at the very beginning of your studies. It only takes about three days to learn han-geul and then you can read everything. To have a whole book, like this one, written in romanized script is ridiculous and tedious. I find it really hard to believe that the U.S. Foreign Service uses this awful series to train its employees, as the advertisement claims. I wish I could get my money back.
Rating:
Summary: Frustrating, but sadly, worth the money.
Review: If I were a diplomat smoothing out tensions between cold war rivals 50 years ago, with brylcreem in my hair and a cigarette holder, this would be the perfect course. If you care to speak Korean the way George Plimpton speaks English, then this is what you need. Deals almost exclusively in the formal polite tenses, the romanization they use takes as much time to learn as Hangul itself, and the print is so tight that it's impossible to tell what the hangul text is half the time. The vocabulary is outdated (No one calls a post office "upyonguk" anymore- it's "uchaeguk")and the editing is sloppy. Unfortunately, the lack of decent resources in self-taught korean actually make it worth buying for the mere fact that it is in print. Buy it because you need a foundation in Korean, not because you want to dabble in Korean for fun. Unless properly motivated, this will destroy any will you have to learn Korean.
Rating: 
Summary: Please use good English
Review: It seems that the Korean American reviewer has trouble writing in English as well. If you want your comments to be taken seriously you should have your review proofread by someone who is fluent in english.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: It's a shame that the audiolingual method has so fallen out of favor with the language teaching literati. As a former EFL teacher in Korea I can say that communicative language teaching leaves a lot to be desired; as does, of course, the grammar/memory intensive method of Korean junior and high schools.This audiolingual course is a wonder. If you have the patience to put up with the seemingly mindless drills, this one course will give you a strong, unconscious foundation in Korean grammar. Your grammar will be as instinctive as Daniel's front blocks in "The Karate Kid" after he waxes all those cars. I completely disagree with those who say that one must learn Hangul first. To this day I read the English street signs because, even after seven years, I'm faster at reading roman letters. Why does this matter? If you follow audiolingual methodology, you're forced to repeat things until you can say them at native speed. You're cautioned not to proceed to the next lesson until you have mastered the current one at native speed. So, when you talk to people, even in your fledgling stage, they're going to understand you and, in Korea at least, give you the praise that will keep you studying. If you learn Hangul first you won't acquire that ability to repeat so quickly, as you'll be trudging through the--yes, easy and scientific, but more difficult than the roman alphabet for English speakers--Hangul. You'll also be more likely to have one of the boring, occasionally jingoistic books that line the shelves here. This book cuts to the chase: No junk about four seasons and Tangun; all hard, memory-path-building exercises about taking the bus and going out to dinner. If you put up with negligble faults: the funky roman letters, the guy's bizarre pronunciation (One of my Korean friends thought he was a non-native speaker of Korean), the formality, and the antiquated expressions (this was written a while ago), you'll be fine. This book is the sine qua non for anyone who can handle, or who has the ability to learn from, the audiolingual method.
Rating:
Summary: This book is definitely worth the extra money.
Review: Of the books I have seen both in the U.S. and in Korea to help one learn Korean, this is definitely the best system. It includes both Hangul and Romanization allowing the student to wean himself or herself slowly off the Romanization. The tapes are complete, understandable and helpful. This course is more expensive than most, but if you really want to learn Korean, I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Korean Program
Review: Ok, most of us realize that there is VERY little information for people who want to learn Korean. THis series is very good, however. It teaches you hangul (korean writing), and then goes on to the lessons, which are VERY nicely layed out, and at the end of each lesson, there is like grammar stuff (very nicely explained, minus a few typos), and then many drills which help you become proficient with what you have learned. I totally recommend this course.
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