The Reason Behind the Nationalism in Korea according to Yours Truly

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          I would say that most countries have some sense of nationalism. The Republic of Korea (대한민국, dae-han-min-guk) is no exception. You can find out more of Koreans' evident nationalism and how they cheer on their country's team by clicking on that picture source link. So it's clear that Korea is one country full of national pride but where does this all come from?

          Before I try to answer that question, I want to set a disclaimer: Like in most other countries, there are a significant number of people in South Korea who wish to live in a different country. In other words, just like in most other countries such as the U.S., there are some Koreans who are dissatisfied with their government and what not. So as I talk about Korea's nationalism here, just keep in mind that Koreans are not brainwashed with some propaganda or whatever.

          You should know that Korea has a dark history of invasion by another country. So it's true that Koreans are less open to non-Koreans. I'm afraid that the whole world is going to look at one thing I say and misinterpret it and create chaos so let me explain: this doesn't mean Koreans are a bunch of total racists, let's remember that racism is unfortunately in existence in other countries as well, and although I did say Koreans tend to be less open to non-Koreans, modern-day Koreans absolutely love foreigners. Just think of it as how Americans also love Asians (I have a number of friends who are obsessed with Asians). Anyway, back to my point about how Koreans are less open to foreigners, so I have to admit that their racism does stem from that too, but I'm not contradicting myself - this doesn't mean Koreans are complete racist freaks and let's face it, there are racists everywhere in the world. Just like how those Americans who are obsessed with Asians love Asians, none can deny that they've said racist comments about the people group they love; so Koreans love foreigners but there's racism in Korea, too.

          So because of Korea's dark history, Koreans are met with sentimental nostalgic books and T.V. programs that stir up nationalistic feelings. There are a whole bunch of shows that just lets you ponder the wonders of Korean culture - food shows, programs that capture the life of the farmers in the countryside, ect. I personally have seen a few of these sort of programs, and honestly it's difficult to not have ever watched them, and they do a good job of making me feel proud of Korea. But I've heard an opinion of a non-Korean couple living in South Korea that Korea just airs a lot of these nationalistic shows, as if Korea doesn't have anything to show off. I feel like that's a bit ignorant. Like I said, Korea's history binds the Koreans in unity together and there's another thing to know about Korean culture. Quite a lot of Koreans living in the urban city, Seoul, are from the countryside, like Busan which is way down south. So I mentioned that Korea airs T.V. shows which fills viewers with nostalgia effectively because those countryside people living in Seoul miss their hometowns. 

          Korea has a lot of distinguishing features that go otherwise unnoticed, until when shows like Gag Concert mention them and viewers can laugh while being all proud of those components that make up Korea. I've lived my entire life in America, and maybe this is because I grew up very Korean, but I can't really see a huge sense of nationalism here in the United States. I mostly hear a lot of complaints against the government and I don't really see Americans unite when the country's team is up in the World Cup. I know, Americans do care when they're in the Olympics and what not, but I don't really see unity. So in the sense of nationalism, I think there's a clear difference between America and South Korea.

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