People all over the world who are connected with news in Korea are buzzing about South Korea's investment to go 5G. Just as the article says, this 5G network will allow for a full movie to download in one second.
I'm nodding in agreement with the Malaysians (I read one of their tweets so there's my source) - my wifi connection here in the U.S. is all I've got and So Ko's going 5G?! That's crazy. As if South Korea didn't have the fastest internet in the world already!
Now, don't get me wrong, I think this upgrade for a 5g Network is a great idea. But I couldn't help but think, why can't the Korean government use that money for something more important? Such as settling diplomatic matters with North Korea. I'm sure they're already spending plenty money for matters involving North Korea, but it still seems like an awful lot of money for just better internet connection. Like I already said, Korea's internet is fast enough already.
Not only can they use that money for settling matters with North Korea, they could also hire more native-English speakers to teach at the schools there so that Korean students may actually learn English in a practical sense. This is something that I've ranted about in a previous blog post, and how the Korean government should make more of an effort to educate their future leaders with better English. So why can't they spend that money there?
I understand that I'm missing a lot of evidence and data to back up my support but this particular post is super informal. But isn't South Korea in any debts? They spend tons of money annually to pay U.S. troops in their country and now this 5G network project.
But another reason why Korea may not necessarily need this 5G network as the first country to obtain it, is that you can get wifi connection anywhere in the public in So Ko. I'm not a computer genius, but with all the available access to wifi and on top of that at the fastest speed in the world, does Korea need to be the first to make this upgrade? I'm prideful of this country so I can't deny that it's nice to tell others that Korea's making this upgrade but when I get past these boasting, I'm reminded that the Korean government can attend to more meaningful matters like with North Korea.
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Saturday, January 25, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Does High Competition in the Korean Music Industry Create No Competition?
Nicole and Jiyoung are no longer in KARA. SoHee is no longer in Wonder Girls. KARA and Wonder Girls are two of the highly popular girl groups that sweep away the awards, so this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. It's a bad thing because they've both been around for a considerable period of time and so they're really popular, so not only are they disappointing friends all around the world, they're ending the "legacy" of the groups.
The good thing would be that the countless number of rookie groups may have a chance at gaining more recognition. It's true that their very existence itself is not noted by Koreans, because frankly there really are way too many of them and they all look the same. Pushing through that number of competition in itself is pretty darn close to impossible but there are those certain, older and more loved groups sitting on the thrones of K-pop that are in the way. So the fact that some of these first-place hoggers are not doing so well sheds some streaks of light called hope for these "nameless" newbie groups.
But here's something that may blow your mind: does all this tight competition, in the end, create no competition? So it appears that first-place hogging, impossible to beat senior K-pop groups are going down one by one but what does that leave? Just a bunch of first-place-thirsty rookies, who will all be beating each other up for that top place. The kings and queens of K-pop (TVXQ, Lee Seung Chul, Girls' Generation, SHINee are a few more) are still sitting on their thrones, so K-pop groups who have been around for FOUR years still hold rookie status. Wonder Girls and Girls' Generation made it big within just two years since debut, and this is not only because of their personal successes, but also because they had far less competition back then. The same goes for SHINee who also rose to the hierarchy of K-pop ladder in years since debut. That was year 2009 for them and that year marks the start of the crazy K-pop "boom".
Even with the fewer competition in the pre-2009 times, there was still competition among the existing groups and of course, with the notable solo artists. Yet that competition actually took those groups of the pre-2009 time period somewhere. Now, there's just too much competition that there's hardly even competition. As long as a K-pop group is not one of the groups who had started some kind of trend or laid some kind of foundation, then chances of taking first place is slim. For example, B.A.P and EXO had successfully captivated many fans all over the world even when they both debuted in 2012, definitely when competition was high, and this is due to the fact that B.A.P brought a new "flavor" to the K-pop music industry while the 12-member group EXO has at least one person who will be liked by someone. Of course once a trend starts, then the rest are just copy-cats. Competition has been extremely tight and will this trend of group members quitting go on or will actual competition arise? In the short period of time since Dongho quit U-Kiss, lots have changed and we still need more time to see how things will unfold in the K-pop world.
(564)
The good thing would be that the countless number of rookie groups may have a chance at gaining more recognition. It's true that their very existence itself is not noted by Koreans, because frankly there really are way too many of them and they all look the same. Pushing through that number of competition in itself is pretty darn close to impossible but there are those certain, older and more loved groups sitting on the thrones of K-pop that are in the way. So the fact that some of these first-place hoggers are not doing so well sheds some streaks of light called hope for these "nameless" newbie groups.
But here's something that may blow your mind: does all this tight competition, in the end, create no competition? So it appears that first-place hogging, impossible to beat senior K-pop groups are going down one by one but what does that leave? Just a bunch of first-place-thirsty rookies, who will all be beating each other up for that top place. The kings and queens of K-pop (TVXQ, Lee Seung Chul, Girls' Generation, SHINee are a few more) are still sitting on their thrones, so K-pop groups who have been around for FOUR years still hold rookie status. Wonder Girls and Girls' Generation made it big within just two years since debut, and this is not only because of their personal successes, but also because they had far less competition back then. The same goes for SHINee who also rose to the hierarchy of K-pop ladder in years since debut. That was year 2009 for them and that year marks the start of the crazy K-pop "boom".
Even with the fewer competition in the pre-2009 times, there was still competition among the existing groups and of course, with the notable solo artists. Yet that competition actually took those groups of the pre-2009 time period somewhere. Now, there's just too much competition that there's hardly even competition. As long as a K-pop group is not one of the groups who had started some kind of trend or laid some kind of foundation, then chances of taking first place is slim. For example, B.A.P and EXO had successfully captivated many fans all over the world even when they both debuted in 2012, definitely when competition was high, and this is due to the fact that B.A.P brought a new "flavor" to the K-pop music industry while the 12-member group EXO has at least one person who will be liked by someone. Of course once a trend starts, then the rest are just copy-cats. Competition has been extremely tight and will this trend of group members quitting go on or will actual competition arise? In the short period of time since Dongho quit U-Kiss, lots have changed and we still need more time to see how things will unfold in the K-pop world.
(564)
Thursday, January 23, 2014
South Korea's Ineffective Way of Learning English
When it comes to English, all Koreans do is memorize a bunch of phrases. Not only just phrases, but just about everything. You may wonder why this is such a problem. Here's the problem: when these English-learning Koreans go out into the real world and have to use their knowledge on English, they're actually clueless. All that memorizing does not pay off in the end.
Because think about it, what's the point of having a bunch of vocabulary memorized when you can't fit them together to form a decent sentence? The reason to this defect is due to the fact that Korean schools only teach super basic, supposed-to-be conversational English phrases again for the purpose of memorizing, yet fail to practice free talk. I told my dad about how in my Spanish class, everyone has to share one announcement in Spanish about their life for every couple of weeks and it's speaking from the top of your head, you can't write down what you want to say beforehand and use it. My dad's response was that we were learning foreign language well and how back when he was learning English in school, all he did was memorize a bunch of phrases which did not help outside of the tests he had to take for the class, so he blames that for the reason to why he's poor at English. That was years ago, but Korean schools have not changed the way they teach English.
The Korean schools should consider how effective it is to actually practice natural conversations in the foreign language you're learning during class. I've heard of a number of hilarious cases where solely memorizing English phrases has come in to play when it shouldn't have. For example, an English-speaking foreigner and a Korean had gotten in a car accident and the foreigner asked the Korean in English, "Are you okay?" and because the Korean had memorized the answer to such a question, he automatically answered without missing a beat, "I'm fine, thank you, and you?" This phrase here is what all Koreans have memorized, and it does no good because it does not allow them to think of alternative ways to answer.
In America, when we learn a foreign language, we learn how to actually form various sentences so that we may give various answers. It's unbelievable how awkward and incorrect English sentences can get when formed by Koreans incompetent with speaking what's really in their hearts. Korean students are constantly beat in the head with studying English since it's a global language, but such arduous efforts go to waste when not even the simplest yet grammatically correct sentences can be formed. So Korea should take note of this and start teaching students various ways to form English sentences so that the knowledge may actually come in handy for their bright future.
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Saturday, January 18, 2014
Korean Classical Musicians
Korea is a civilized and very modernized country and so yes, classical music is also well established there. The famous Korean classical musicians include Flutist Jasmine Choi, Pianist Jacob Jiho Shin, and Violinist KoN. As for Jacob Jiho Shin, he's a pop pianist, but his music can still fall under this blog post.
I said that classical music is well established in Korea, but that doesn't mean it's popular, unfortunately. Especially since Korea offers such talented musicians, Jasmine Choi is the first Korean principal pianist for the Vienna Symphony. You can check out one of her performances here, isn't she crazy talented? Pianist Jacob Jiho Shin has studied at Berkley, and you can check out one of his performances here. Actually, these two have been in a popular Korean T.V. show called "Star King" and "Star King" is basically a talent show. Most of the time, normal people with some crazy thing to show off go on but these two famous musicians were on this show.
Koreans are more into K-pop and other music genres but not really classical. Which I find to be a shame since there are talented musicians they could look into. Also the fact that Koreans are not very interested in classical music is also a stumbling block for students who want to become a famous musicians. Now, of course, just like America, Koreans are all very different and so it's not like Korean musicians have absolutely no fans. But they are the minority, like super minority. It's also true that unlike in America, Korean students do not have to take up an instrument or sports to impress colleges, they just have to study hard. Only those who want a major in musical instrument do take up instruments and instead, they study less. So Korean schools do not hold assemblies where its orchestra or band plays a few pieces for them. I don't even think Korean schools have its own band or orchestra - the instrumentalists all meet up as a club, instead of a class like here in America. So Korean students are not offered to listen to classical music like American students are, hence I feel like that's why not all Koreans look into classical music, and therefore, there's not many classical music listeners.
I feel like these talented musicians shouldn't be on a show intended for non-famous people to be on, they should be on shows appropriate for them. It's true that not many Koreans are fans of classical music, but I'm sure there would be a consistent amount of viewers, because there are still young Koreans dreaming to be famous musicians and/or just fans of this music genre.
(446)
I said that classical music is well established in Korea, but that doesn't mean it's popular, unfortunately. Especially since Korea offers such talented musicians, Jasmine Choi is the first Korean principal pianist for the Vienna Symphony. You can check out one of her performances here, isn't she crazy talented? Pianist Jacob Jiho Shin has studied at Berkley, and you can check out one of his performances here. Actually, these two have been in a popular Korean T.V. show called "Star King" and "Star King" is basically a talent show. Most of the time, normal people with some crazy thing to show off go on but these two famous musicians were on this show.
Koreans are more into K-pop and other music genres but not really classical. Which I find to be a shame since there are talented musicians they could look into. Also the fact that Koreans are not very interested in classical music is also a stumbling block for students who want to become a famous musicians. Now, of course, just like America, Koreans are all very different and so it's not like Korean musicians have absolutely no fans. But they are the minority, like super minority. It's also true that unlike in America, Korean students do not have to take up an instrument or sports to impress colleges, they just have to study hard. Only those who want a major in musical instrument do take up instruments and instead, they study less. So Korean schools do not hold assemblies where its orchestra or band plays a few pieces for them. I don't even think Korean schools have its own band or orchestra - the instrumentalists all meet up as a club, instead of a class like here in America. So Korean students are not offered to listen to classical music like American students are, hence I feel like that's why not all Koreans look into classical music, and therefore, there's not many classical music listeners.
I feel like these talented musicians shouldn't be on a show intended for non-famous people to be on, they should be on shows appropriate for them. It's true that not many Koreans are fans of classical music, but I'm sure there would be a consistent amount of viewers, because there are still young Koreans dreaming to be famous musicians and/or just fans of this music genre.
(446)
Americans are Lucky
So I've tended to put Korea in a better light than America. Well of course, I have still put Korea in a not-so-good light by exposing the plain truth a few times before. But for this blog post, I want to shed some light on us Americans about how lucky we really are.
South Korea is very much a developed country of its own, but it's still true that modern-day Korea is being westernized. Some of the customs are becoming subsided, such as saying "jja" after each character of an elder person's name. Like I said, Korea's styles still scream "Republic of Korea" but while some of its traditions are getting lost, new western traditions are coming in.
Part of the reason to that is because Koreans gobble up American culture. Whenever I meet a new person in Korea via social media and I tell them I'm Korean-American, they have lots of interests and questions about America. Questions along the lines of, Isn't everything cooler there?
Now, as a Korean-American who has always lived in America, I long to live in Korea and to me, a lot of things in Korea seems to be cooler. So it frustrates me to the point that I want to argue with the Koreans that, no, they have it pretty made there and should really appreciate what they have. Don't think I'm like anti-American though, 'cause I'm not, I have my fair share of what I love about the land of the free.
So this is the part where I try to hammer in to you Americans what you are all blessed with - KOREA LOVES YOU! That's pretty darn true about most Koreans. Last year, after getting out of a European History/Western Civilization class where the lesson was about America's intervention in foreign affairs in order to stop communism from spreading. My (other) American friends were all, "We are so annoying - everyone hates us [America]." Knowing how untrue this is, I didn't nod in agreement with them. Maybe what they said is true in a political, diplomatic sense, but not so much socially.
Last but not least, be grateful that you all natural speak fluent English. I think I've already said something like this before in a previous post, but I say it again because I look at most Americans and see that they just don't get it. English is studied so fervently in Korea, it's like a survival skill, and although you learn English grammar in American schools, you still know where to put your articles - "the" and "a/an" - without even really thinking about it. Articles do not exist in the Korean language, and there seems to be no basis or rules for when to use either "the" or "a/an", which is just one of many frustrations to English-learning Koreans. Americans are so lucky.
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South Korea is very much a developed country of its own, but it's still true that modern-day Korea is being westernized. Some of the customs are becoming subsided, such as saying "jja" after each character of an elder person's name. Like I said, Korea's styles still scream "Republic of Korea" but while some of its traditions are getting lost, new western traditions are coming in.
Part of the reason to that is because Koreans gobble up American culture. Whenever I meet a new person in Korea via social media and I tell them I'm Korean-American, they have lots of interests and questions about America. Questions along the lines of, Isn't everything cooler there?
Now, as a Korean-American who has always lived in America, I long to live in Korea and to me, a lot of things in Korea seems to be cooler. So it frustrates me to the point that I want to argue with the Koreans that, no, they have it pretty made there and should really appreciate what they have. Don't think I'm like anti-American though, 'cause I'm not, I have my fair share of what I love about the land of the free.
So this is the part where I try to hammer in to you Americans what you are all blessed with - KOREA LOVES YOU! That's pretty darn true about most Koreans. Last year, after getting out of a European History/Western Civilization class where the lesson was about America's intervention in foreign affairs in order to stop communism from spreading. My (other) American friends were all, "We are so annoying - everyone hates us [America]." Knowing how untrue this is, I didn't nod in agreement with them. Maybe what they said is true in a political, diplomatic sense, but not so much socially.
Last but not least, be grateful that you all natural speak fluent English. I think I've already said something like this before in a previous post, but I say it again because I look at most Americans and see that they just don't get it. English is studied so fervently in Korea, it's like a survival skill, and although you learn English grammar in American schools, you still know where to put your articles - "the" and "a/an" - without even really thinking about it. Articles do not exist in the Korean language, and there seems to be no basis or rules for when to use either "the" or "a/an", which is just one of many frustrations to English-learning Koreans. Americans are so lucky.
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Friday, January 17, 2014
South Korea's Effective Use of Celebrity Endorsement
South Korea is one of the developed countries out there, and like any developed country, it is overflowing with businesses and companies, both big and small. America is also a developed country, overflowing with businesses and companies, both big and small. Various products in both countries are typically marketed very effectively. However, I feel that there's one advertising tactic that America could take up on.
It's celebrity endorsement. In South Korea, you flip on a T.V. and like T.V. that we Americans are used to, you may land on a channel broadcasting at the moment a commercial or a series of commercials. But instead of an unfamiliar model endorsing the product, you will see a singer, actor/actress, a popular athlete or a very well-known model flashing the endorsed product at the camera. You turn on the television here in U.S., and yes you may very well see a commercial and the case is opposite to that of South Korea. Celebrity endorsements are rare and you just see a bunch of models, who most of the time are portrayed as regular people.
I understand that South Korea is a lot smaller country than America, so the local commercials here probably can't hire Hollywood stars, but why can't big name companies use more celebrity endorsements? Celebrity endorsements, at least I found, are very effective. I know lots of fans who buy certain products just because their favorite star endorsed it, and I admit to being one of them.
Of course, I'm not ruling out that America never uses celebrity endorsements. But I feel like the very rare times I see an actress is for cosmetics and very rarely clothes. It's not a stretch to say that every big name company in Korea uses a celebrity for promoting their new products. Why can't America? Wouldn't it be good for the fans, the starts, and also the companies who probably profits the most out of the three here?
Another disclaimer, I'm not a hater to all the models that are used for advertisements, but it is nice to see a celebrity I like on T.V. other than for just their movies or shows. Not only on T.V., but when I'm shopping, I can't help but be drawn to a product that an actress I know have endorsed.
It's celebrity endorsement. In South Korea, you flip on a T.V. and like T.V. that we Americans are used to, you may land on a channel broadcasting at the moment a commercial or a series of commercials. But instead of an unfamiliar model endorsing the product, you will see a singer, actor/actress, a popular athlete or a very well-known model flashing the endorsed product at the camera. You turn on the television here in U.S., and yes you may very well see a commercial and the case is opposite to that of South Korea. Celebrity endorsements are rare and you just see a bunch of models, who most of the time are portrayed as regular people.
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| Korean Figure Skater and Olympics Gold Metalist Kim Yuna - Maeil Milk CF screenshot |
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| Korean actor Byung Hun Lee - Vega Secret Note Phone CF screenshot |
Of course, I'm not ruling out that America never uses celebrity endorsements. But I feel like the very rare times I see an actress is for cosmetics and very rarely clothes. It's not a stretch to say that every big name company in Korea uses a celebrity for promoting their new products. Why can't America? Wouldn't it be good for the fans, the starts, and also the companies who probably profits the most out of the three here?
Another disclaimer, I'm not a hater to all the models that are used for advertisements, but it is nice to see a celebrity I like on T.V. other than for just their movies or shows. Not only on T.V., but when I'm shopping, I can't help but be drawn to a product that an actress I know have endorsed.
In addition, when it comes to celebrity endorsements, the styles of the two countries are also different. For America, the company seems to merely hire a celebrity to be the face of their product for the duration of the promotion. Of course, people are smart so they hire one who is appropriate for the advertisement and one who is popular. But like I said earlier, I normally only see American celebrities endorsing cosmetics or clothes. Hardly do they do commercials for food, drinks, cars, phones (I really want to see a Hollywood star endorse a cell phone!), and lots of other things.
But then again, Americans are consumers so without the use of celebrity endorsements, people continue to buy the newest iPods, eat what they want, select the make-up they like, all for various other reasons rather than their favorite star has endorsed it. But don't misunderstand - it's not like Koreans are so shallow that they're motivated to eat, wear, and beautify only according to who endorsed the products. But it is true that Koreans do a good job of "celebritizing", meaning, if you're just another athlete but of course you're extraordinary at the sport you play, hence Kim Yuna, then people will naturally love you and then you will receive all these love calls to endorse this and that, be on this show, photoshoot for that magazine... It was interesting to see during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver how, unlike of the other Asian figure skaters, Kim Yuna's face was clearest of moles and her teeth were straightened. It's because even before the 2010 Winter Olympics, her popularity has been growing and she's been on television numerous times for both performing and for, you guessed it, commercial films. So she is a star and is very much treated like one, she gets all the beautifying that any other star receives. The Korean citizens' power of "celebritizing."
So like I said, America is a lot bigger country where local commercials are a lot more prominent than in South Korea, how ever, when it comes to advertising on the national level, using celebrity endorsements would not be a bad switch. Not at all.
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| K-pop boy group TEEN TOP endorsing Sketcher's LIV |
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Saturday, January 11, 2014
The Causes of Suicide in South Korea
South Koreans and K-pop fans worldwide were devastated with the news of popular boy group, Super Junior's leader, Lee Teuk's father and grandparents death. Car accident was the said to be the cause of the death but now investigators found that it was possibly suicide.
South Korea has the #1 suicide rate in the world. So Lee Teuk's story is not just his story, but something that all of Korean citizens can relate to. From the outside, it can be hard to determine the cause of such a high suicidal rate. After all, Korea is a prosperous country, what could drive its citizens to suicide?
Of course, not all Koreans are suicidal nor do they all know anyone personally who has committed suicide but the highest suicide rate in the world is saying something. Among the young adults, the primary reason may be schoolwork. At least for high school students in South Korea, sooneung (수능), a college entry exam, is everything. I've heard of stories of people crying after taking their exams because they feel that they've done poorly, and I've heard one of those people say that later on, they looked back and realized it wasn't that much of a big deal. So what needs to be instituted to ease the high school students' stress and anxiety due to sooneung is a program(s) that reaches out to high school students to let them know that sooneung really is not a matter of life and death.
The second major cause of suicide in Korea, that I found, was family issues. Family issues is not a foreign concept here in America, but here's the difference in Korea: it's still considered embarrassing if you're parents are divorced. Of course American kids with divorced parents feel similarly but here, kids are able to be more open about it and in one of my elementary schools (as I've attended multiple ones), there was even an after-school program for kids with divorced parents. It's a rare case for American students to hide the fact that their parents are divorced, but in Korea, it's a common thing. Both of my parents have half-siblings and I heard that they tried to hide that fact when they were younger. Even though that was something of their days, its still evident in modern-day Korea. So like here, there should be programs and clubs where students who have divorced parents can go to for assistance and counseling.
So from my two main causes of suicide I've stated, we can know that Korea lacks programs of counseling and support. Korea is a civilized country but it needs to do a better job of educating its younger generation of what matters more in life.
(451)
South Korea has the #1 suicide rate in the world. So Lee Teuk's story is not just his story, but something that all of Korean citizens can relate to. From the outside, it can be hard to determine the cause of such a high suicidal rate. After all, Korea is a prosperous country, what could drive its citizens to suicide?
Of course, not all Koreans are suicidal nor do they all know anyone personally who has committed suicide but the highest suicide rate in the world is saying something. Among the young adults, the primary reason may be schoolwork. At least for high school students in South Korea, sooneung (수능), a college entry exam, is everything. I've heard of stories of people crying after taking their exams because they feel that they've done poorly, and I've heard one of those people say that later on, they looked back and realized it wasn't that much of a big deal. So what needs to be instituted to ease the high school students' stress and anxiety due to sooneung is a program(s) that reaches out to high school students to let them know that sooneung really is not a matter of life and death.
The second major cause of suicide in Korea, that I found, was family issues. Family issues is not a foreign concept here in America, but here's the difference in Korea: it's still considered embarrassing if you're parents are divorced. Of course American kids with divorced parents feel similarly but here, kids are able to be more open about it and in one of my elementary schools (as I've attended multiple ones), there was even an after-school program for kids with divorced parents. It's a rare case for American students to hide the fact that their parents are divorced, but in Korea, it's a common thing. Both of my parents have half-siblings and I heard that they tried to hide that fact when they were younger. Even though that was something of their days, its still evident in modern-day Korea. So like here, there should be programs and clubs where students who have divorced parents can go to for assistance and counseling.
So from my two main causes of suicide I've stated, we can know that Korea lacks programs of counseling and support. Korea is a civilized country but it needs to do a better job of educating its younger generation of what matters more in life.
(451)
Friday, January 10, 2014
The Public Opinion on North Korea - "Remember the Citizens"
Very recently, North Korea slapped away South Korea's offer of a reunion for families who have been separated by the 38th parallel line, and you can read more about it here. I can say a lot of things regarding my own disappointment that North Korea came up with a lame-duck excuse to say no to this, but what caught my attention more was the comment section of the article.
In the midst of the detailed comments on political blah-blah-blahs, there was one particular comment about how America should have bombed North Korea a long time ago. I point this out not to criticize that one singular person who commented that but because I've actually heard a lot of people say the same thing. Let me be one person who breaks it to the general audience, which is you who are reading this, that that kind of thinking shows just how ignorant the person who spoke it is.
Kim Jung-Un, his father and grandfather no doubt deserve such criticisms but what about the North Korean citizens? What did they do wrong? After all, they're also victims of North Korea like the rest of us, which is funny because the rest of the world have not actually fallen prey to North Korea. Rather, the one true victims of North Korea are its people - who are brainwashed with propaganda to the point that they literally worship their totalitarian ruler who makes them starve and deprive them of the technological and scientific advancements that the rest of the world has been following. They don't realize that their super-great leader is a nuisance to the rest of the world. It's mighty difficult to want to bomb a whole population who do not really know much of anything.
Not only are the South Koreans the pitiful ones for being separated from their families in the North, so are the North Koreans. The real distinction between the two are the geographical regions in which they live in, I mean of course there's also the factor that one is Communist while the other is not, but my point is, they're all still Koreans. Same language, same food, same culture, same ancient historical backgrounds... Yet, because of the fact that one region is Communist, the thinking of the two Koreans have evolved to be different. What I mean by different thinking is, North Korea has recently refused to have a reunion with the South and this is most likely because all the people need to be locked in so that Kim Jung-Un can stay in power. And like I said, the North Korean people worship the guy so they'll go along with what he says without even questioning it, hence their way of thinking differs from the South. At least, that's my own opinion, based on my unscientific observation. The same Korean-blooded people thinking differently because one worships a greedy dictator while one has been free to prosper - this is the sad reality that so many people miss out on.
So before you wholly zero in on how ridiculous North Korea is next time, remember the citizens. Both of the North and of the South.
(526)
In the midst of the detailed comments on political blah-blah-blahs, there was one particular comment about how America should have bombed North Korea a long time ago. I point this out not to criticize that one singular person who commented that but because I've actually heard a lot of people say the same thing. Let me be one person who breaks it to the general audience, which is you who are reading this, that that kind of thinking shows just how ignorant the person who spoke it is.
Kim Jung-Un, his father and grandfather no doubt deserve such criticisms but what about the North Korean citizens? What did they do wrong? After all, they're also victims of North Korea like the rest of us, which is funny because the rest of the world have not actually fallen prey to North Korea. Rather, the one true victims of North Korea are its people - who are brainwashed with propaganda to the point that they literally worship their totalitarian ruler who makes them starve and deprive them of the technological and scientific advancements that the rest of the world has been following. They don't realize that their super-great leader is a nuisance to the rest of the world. It's mighty difficult to want to bomb a whole population who do not really know much of anything.
Not only are the South Koreans the pitiful ones for being separated from their families in the North, so are the North Koreans. The real distinction between the two are the geographical regions in which they live in, I mean of course there's also the factor that one is Communist while the other is not, but my point is, they're all still Koreans. Same language, same food, same culture, same ancient historical backgrounds... Yet, because of the fact that one region is Communist, the thinking of the two Koreans have evolved to be different. What I mean by different thinking is, North Korea has recently refused to have a reunion with the South and this is most likely because all the people need to be locked in so that Kim Jung-Un can stay in power. And like I said, the North Korean people worship the guy so they'll go along with what he says without even questioning it, hence their way of thinking differs from the South. At least, that's my own opinion, based on my unscientific observation. The same Korean-blooded people thinking differently because one worships a greedy dictator while one has been free to prosper - this is the sad reality that so many people miss out on.
So before you wholly zero in on how ridiculous North Korea is next time, remember the citizens. Both of the North and of the South.
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Thursday, January 9, 2014
New Year in South Korea
Happy New Year everyone! Now that a new year has brightened, everyone in Korea has become one year older. Because Koreans count the baby's months in the womb as a year, you're already a year old when you're born. Hence, the people born in the same year are all the same age, regardless of their actual birthdays. Of course, their international ages ("American" ages) vary depending on the actual birthdays.
Every new year, Koreans eat a rice-cake soup, Dduk guk (떡국), which is pictured above. (This is a brief side note - Korean food tend to sound unappetizing based on English descriptions, which is rather annoying.) By eating Dduk guk, you turning a year older becomes official, but it's not the end of the world if you skip out on eating dduk guk. What Koreans also do to celebrate the new year is play a game of yunnori (윷놀이) and wear their hanboks.
The thing with us Koreans is, we celebrate the new year twice because, well, we have two new years! One is the new year that most of the world, including America, celebrates and the other new year is the lunar new year - based off of the calender that goes by the moon.
I don't have a problem with Korean customs for the new year's (why should I?) but this whole thing about counting the baby's months in the womb as a year always gets me wondering. I mean, a baby's in the womb for 10 months, right? I understand that's close to 12 months, which legitimately makes up a year, but 10 months still isn't quite a year and to count as such seems questionable to me. I know that China also uses this system for ages and although it's just one another country, but every time I meet/encounter someone from a different Asian country and they tell me their age, I always get tripped up about whether it's international age or like the Korean age.
Although I get technical with all the 10 months versus 12 months thing, growing up, I always liked telling my fellow American friends what my Korean age is. For me, my birthday is later in the year, so at least before my birthday, I always add two years to my American age. And then when my birthday comes that year, then I'm a year older in American age, so I'd just have to add a year to find out my Korean age, do you follow? That was and still is my amusement, telling people what my Korean age is seeing their reactions.
새해 복 많이 받으세요! ("Receive a lot of blessings this new year" - Korean's version of "Happy New Year".)
(442)
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| Click here for picture source |
The thing with us Koreans is, we celebrate the new year twice because, well, we have two new years! One is the new year that most of the world, including America, celebrates and the other new year is the lunar new year - based off of the calender that goes by the moon.
I don't have a problem with Korean customs for the new year's (why should I?) but this whole thing about counting the baby's months in the womb as a year always gets me wondering. I mean, a baby's in the womb for 10 months, right? I understand that's close to 12 months, which legitimately makes up a year, but 10 months still isn't quite a year and to count as such seems questionable to me. I know that China also uses this system for ages and although it's just one another country, but every time I meet/encounter someone from a different Asian country and they tell me their age, I always get tripped up about whether it's international age or like the Korean age.
Although I get technical with all the 10 months versus 12 months thing, growing up, I always liked telling my fellow American friends what my Korean age is. For me, my birthday is later in the year, so at least before my birthday, I always add two years to my American age. And then when my birthday comes that year, then I'm a year older in American age, so I'd just have to add a year to find out my Korean age, do you follow? That was and still is my amusement, telling people what my Korean age is seeing their reactions.
새해 복 많이 받으세요! ("Receive a lot of blessings this new year" - Korean's version of "Happy New Year".)
(442)
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