devitto wrote: That is, if you actually listen. If you just read the subs you don't learn anything. :D
If you're an absolute beginner, then subtitles are more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to learning Korean. However, at a certain level, the subtitles are actually useful when it comes to seeing how vocabulary is used naturally, how certain sentences are structured, and slang that you wouldn't be taught in books or formal classes. I would say that I'm a low intermediate speaker of Korean, and I've found subtitles to be useful in that way. What I usually do is, I'll watch the first 30 minutes of a drama raw, and then I'll rewatch the episode from the start with subtitles. This way I can gauge how well I understood what was going on (I'm not checking to see if I understand every word, just the general context) and I can piece together what I missed.