I knew about a few hours worth of Korean before I spent the next 2 years there. Granted, a few hours of Korean can be very useful since there's a limited alphabet, like English, and just knowing how to read the words is hugely helpful, even if you don't know what they mean. This is because a lot of time they're just English loan words in disguise in Korean characters.
I did start Korean classes a few days into my trip (first time was study abroad) which set the stage for later. But I didn't know it going in, no.
>This is because a lot of time they're just English loan words in disguise in Korean characters.
I was practising my Hangul by reading the signs between Seoul and where I was staying out the bus window. The very first sign I read fully was "Noodle House", it was vaguely disappointing.
I did start Korean classes a few days into my trip (first time was study abroad) which set the stage for later. But I didn't know it going in, no.