The Mysteries of Buffets and Koreans

Dear Korean,

Why do Korean people stay so long at buffets? Do you think we'll ever be like Caucasians and not try to maximize each dollar spent?

John S., Pittsburgh

Dear John,

Although the way you phrased your question could have been better, the gist of the question is fascinating. The Korean knows of no study that measured average time of stay at a buffet, organized by ethnicities. But from anecdotal experience, the Korean is in broad agreement with John's observation -- that Korean Americans, on average, are more likely to try and maximize their dollars at a buffet. (The Korean does not agree, however, with John's implication that Korean Americans are somehow supposed to "be like Caucasians" or Caucasians do not try to maximize the dollar spent at a buffet.)

Why is this? The reason why John's question is fascinating is because they involve two fascinating social phenomena -- one is the "immigrant time warp," and the other is the "cultural capital and consumption".

The Korean already touched upon the immigrant time warp in this post. To summarize: "immigrant time warp" is a phenomenon in which immigrants tend to preserve their modes of thought and behavior of the country at the time when they emigrated. For example, suppose a Korean adult emigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s. That Korean adult, for the rest of her life, will think and behave more or less like Koreans of the 1970s. This is because she only receives a tiny trickle of American modes of thought, as she is facing language barrier and does not fully interact with mainstream Americans on a consistent basis. But more significantly, she will be cut off from the changes in modes of thoughts and behavior of Koreans back in Korea, because she is geographically away from the changes in Korean society that cause Koreans back in Korea to re-examine and change their modes of thought and behavior. It is as if she is caught in a time warp -- she becomes a walking time capsule of the value systems of Korea in the 1970s.

(Aside: The Korean is fully aware that, as a person who emigrated in 1997, he himself is becoming more susceptible to the immigrant time warp as his residence America grows longer. He tries to stave off the effect by closely reading the latest news, commentary and books from Korea and frequently traveling to Korea, but he cannot help but slip from time to time. If the Korean goes off the reservation because he cannot stop the effects of immigration time warp, that will have to be the end of this blog.)

So here is the first point -- when one sees a Korean American who takes his sweet time at a buffet, the Korean will bet heavily that the particular Korean American is an immigrant prior to mid-1990s. And the Korean can personally testify that this was true:  Koreans absolutely destroyed any buffet offered to them, and the trend only ended around mid-1990s. The most stunning visual evidence to this is the infamous salad towers. It is right now prevalent in China, and here is a great picture of one.

Salad tower from Pizza Hut in China.

Exact same thing used to happen in Pizza Huts in Korea.

Click the source for the step-by-step instruction

of how to build this masterpiece

(Source)

Because Koreans used to stay and milk the buffet salad bar, Pizza Huts in Korea used to limit the trip to salad bar to one time. But when the rules get in the way of what people want, human ingenuity can always find a way -- the result is a salad tower. The Korean used to be very good at this also, when he was a strapping young buck who would eat nine full meals a day with snacks in between. His salad tower height record was probably about two feet.

But the mystery still remains:  what is it about Koreans of their era (and contemporary Chinese) that compels them to stay long at buffet? This question becomes even more mysterious when one recalls that the answer is not "poverty" -- Koreans did not lack for food by 1980s, and contemporary Chinese (or at least, those Chinese who can afford to eat at Pizza Hut in large cities,) do not lack for food either. This is where the second theory, cultural capital and consumption, comes in.

More after the jump.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

The Korean's alma mater, University of California, is getting rid of five athletic programs: baseball, men's rugby, men's and women's gymnastics and women's lacrosse because of budget cuts. A layperson might think getting rid of baseball was the biggest deal, but actually it's getting rid of rugby that hurts the most. Cal men's rugby team won 25 national championships in the last 30 years. The Korean daresay that there probably is no other outfit in the history of organized sports that had that kind of dominance.

The Korean used to be a tour guide at Cal, and our amazing rugby team was the Korean's favorite line, along with our 65 Nobel Prize winners. This sucks. The Korean will need to Scotch tonight. Damn you to hell, California state government.

Ask a Korean! News: Be a Mexican, Lose Your Baby

This is just shocking.

A few days before her daughter Rosa’s first birthday, Monica Castro and the girl’s father had a violent argument in the trailer they all shared near Lubbock, Tex. Ms. Castro fled, leaving her daughter behind.

Ms. Castro, a fourth-generation American citizen, went to the local Border Patrol station. She said she would give the agents there information about the girl’s father, a Mexican in the country illegally, in exchange for help recovering her daughter.

Ms. Castro lived up to her side of the deal. But the federal government ended up deporting little Rosa, an American citizen, along with her father, Omar Gallardo. Ms. Castro would not see her daughter again for three years.

...

The agents themselves have rejected the assertion that they may have acted a little rashly.

Holding Mr. Gallardo and the girl overnight, long enough for an American court to sort things out, would have involved “a tremendous amount of money,” Gregory L. Kurupas, the agent in charge of the Lubbock and Amarillo stations at the time, testified in a 2006 deposition.

Asked to quantify the daunting sum, Agent Kurupas replied, “Well over $200 plus.”

Family Fight, Border Patrol Raid, Baby Deported [New York Times]

The Fifth Circuit court's opinion on this case can be read here. It is actually short (16 pages) and easily understandable; the Korean encourages everyone to read it. In fact, reading the actual opinion reveals another outrageous nugget of fact that the New York Times did not make clear -- the border patrol agents admitted that they knew the baby girl was a U.S. citizen. (See opinion at 14.) The Korean will spare everyone from a discussion on Federal Tort Claims Act jurisprudence, except only to say that (i) Judge Stewart in dissent has it exactly right, and (ii) the least the majority should have done is to do with concurring Judge Dennis did and give an explanation about how the discretionary function exception actually applies.

One of the biggest reasons to oppose harsh immigration laws is that such laws always end up infringing the rights of legal U.S. citizens -- and this is a clear example of such danger. Just one more day would have been enough to sort things out and avoid a separation of three years between a mother and a child. Even the worst criminal in America (who does not even have to be an American citizen!) gets days and days of court proceedings, at the expense of American taxpayers, to make sure his rights are not violated. The rights of a mother, a lawful American citizen who was on the brink of losing her baby, was at stake. The mother did all she could do legally, hiring a lawyer to file for a restraining order within hours. But her rights did not matter. The border patrol knew that the baby girl was an American citizen, but sent her out of America. Her rights did not matter either. Why? Because "we're getting rid of illegals, dey takin' er jerbs!"

When a law (or a particular implementation of a law) deprives of Americans the same rights afforded to a mass murderer, it is time to rethink that law.

Got a question or comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

If the Korean made a list of "Things that America could learn from Korea", high on the list would be "Stop being so fat." Here is a totally discouraging New York Times article about how Americans are eating less fruits and vegetables.

This week, the company released the 25th edition of its annual report, “Eating Patterns in America.” The news there wasn’t good, either. For example, only 23 percent of meals include a vegetable, Mr. Balzer said. (Again, fries don’t count, but lettuce on a hamburger does.) The number of dinners prepared at home that included a salad was 17 percent; in 1994, it was 22 percent. At restaurants, salads ordered as a main course at either lunch or dinner dropped by half since 1989, to a mere 5 percent, he said.

Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries [New York Times]

23 percent?! How is that even possible, when lettuce on a hamburger is counted? Goodness gracious.

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 46. Deli Spice

First, a public service announcement -- This review will be available on Library Mixer. The Korean's Library Mixer reviews will also have additional thoughts from the Korean about the band's individual albums and songs that will not be featured in this particularly series on AAK!. To join Library Mixer, check out this link.

[Series Index]

46.  Deli Spice [델리 스파이스]

Years of Activity:  1997-present? (Last album at 2006, with no announced plans for additional albums.)

Members:
Kim Min-Gyu [김민규] - Vocal
Yoon Joon-Ho [윤준호] - Bass, guitar
Choi Jae-Hyeok [최재혁] - Drum

Oh In-Rok [오인록] - Drum (former)
Yang Yong-Joon [양용준] - Keyboard (former)
Lee Seung-Gi [이승기] - Keyboard (former)

Discography:
Deli Spice (1997)
Welcome to the Deli House (1999)
Sad But True ... [슬프지만 진실...] (2000)
Drrrr! (2001)
Espresso (2003)
Bom Bom (2006)

In 15 Words or Less:  Pioneer of modern rock in Korea.

Representative Song:  Always Keep the Engine Running [항상 엔진을 켜둘께], from Drrr!

항상 엔진을 켜둘께

Always Keep the Engine Running

휴일을 앞둔 밤에

Night before the weekend

아무도 없는 새벽

Early morning with no one around

도로를 질주해서 바닷가에

Dash down the road, to the beach

아직은 어두운 하늘

Sky is yet dark

천평궁은 빛나고

Libra is shining

차안으로 스며드는 찬 공기들

Cold air seeps into the car

기다릴게

I'll be waiting

언제라도 출발할 수 있도록

So we can leave no matter when

항상 엔진을 켜둘께

I'll always keep the engine running

너와 만난 시간보다  많은 시간이 흐르고

After more time than the time I spent with you passed

그 바닷가에 다시 또 찾아와 만약 그대가 온다면

I visit that beach again, and if you come too,

항상 듣던 스미스를 들으며

Listening to Smith that we always listened to,

저 멀리로 떠나자

 Let's run far far away.

기다릴게

I'll be waiting

언제라도 출발할 수 있도록

So we can leave no matter when

항상 엔진을 켜둘께

I'll always keep the engine running

기다릴게

I'll be waiting

언제라도 출발할 수 있도록

So we can leave no matter when

항상 엔진을 켜둘께
I'll always keep the engine running

돌아오지 않더라도

Even if you don't return

난 여기에 서 있겠지

I will probably stand here

아마 엔진을 켜둔채

Probably leaving the engine running

기다릴게

I'll be waiting

언제라도 출발할 수 있도록

So we can leave no matter when

항상 엔진을 켜둘께

I'll always keep the engine running 

돌아오지 않더라도

Even if you don't return

난 여기에 서 있겠지

I will probably stand here

아마 엔진을 켜둔채

Probably leaving the engine running

Translation Note:  For those of you who don't know, Smith is an American band from 1960s.

Maybe they should be ranked higher because...  Korean representative for one of the most prevalent genre of music in the world -- which includes such enduring, iconic stars as U2 and R.E.M. -- could go a little higher.

Maybe they should be ranked lower because...  It is not clear if more daring songs of Deli Spice ever had much impact on the public. Can a band be influential if people only listened to the softer songs of its album? Plus, Korea's indie scene is only so big.

Why is this band important?

By the late 1990s, Korea's pop music culture was in a highly partisan mood. The commercialization of K-pop was well under way, filling the television with cheap dance music and banal soft rock. Responding to this mainstream trend, the counterculture demanded genealogical and doctrinal purity, deliberately taking the decibel of hard core rock to unprecedented heights.

Deli Spice presented the third way. Its music is sophisticated without being pretentious. It is elaborate without being unapproachable. Its lyrics are mostly about love and affection, but at times slightly disturbing lyrics would be carried on a light tune. (For example, Laika was Sent to Space [우주로 보내진 라이카] on Esperesso describes how the first space dog Laika slowly dies without air in a confined space.)

While such music (dubbed by some as "modern rock") has always been around in the world pop for a long time -- U2 and R.E.M. have been around for ages -- Deli Spice is likely the first band in Korea that made this type of alternative rock popular among regular music fans. The fact that Deli Spice made indie music of Korea veer away from its self-destructive tendencies makes it one of the more significant bands in K-pop history.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

When is it OK to Make Eye Contact -- Redux

Dear readers,

The Korean revisited the eye contact post, and he is not happy with the quality upon second look. It is too vague, too impractical, and too short. That's what happens when the Korean blogs after an exhausting day at work, and just want to get it over with what seems to be a simple question.

But this is definitely not a simple question, so he will try again. Cue the question:

Dear Korean,

In the U.S. I'm used to looking everyone I meet or speak to in the eyes to show respect and that I'm listening. I was told that this is not proper in Korea when in certain settings. What settings would this be? Is it ever okay to look someone in the eyes for a prolonged amount of time? Can you ever look superiors in the eyes or is it only family and people younger than you? Can you not look the elderly in the eyes, even if they are your family?

Confused, but willing to learn

Dear Confused,

Before we even get to Korean manners, let's start with something that is at the threshold -- why are you trying to learn Korean manners? Presumably, because you want to be polite around Koreans, right?

But truth is, you need not know any Korean manners to be around Koreans. At least within this area, Koreans are opposite of Americans -- Koreans generally do not expect Americans to know anything about Korea, and they are generally knowledgeable about where American culture (at least, the outward part of it) diverges with Korean one. Nearly every Korean knows that Americans do not take off their shoes in the house, do not bow to their elders and dare to stare people right into the eyes. And Koreans do not really have any expectation that Americans will change their behavior in Korea. (Except perhaps the shoes thing. It is beyond the Korean why Americans do not catch onto the idea that wearing shoes indoors in kinda gross.)

In short:  Stop worrying so much. The Korean actually made this point several times over -- if you are only visiting Korea for a short period, there is little you can do to offend the locals short of doing something that is obviously beyond all common sense, like getting drunk and picking fights.

But for the people who are staying in Korea for the long term as a member of Korean society, or those who are just generally curious about how eye contact works in Korea, here is a primer on how eye contact in Korea works.

First, in order to understand how eye contact works in Korea, you have to understand how hierarchy in Korea works. Hierarchy is in Korea is not a rigid, hard-and-fast thing -- it is surprisingly flexible and context-specific. Certain places/situations are very hierarchical, others not so.

Here are some very hierarchical places/situations:

- Schools (K-12):  So many grade levels! Confucian respect for the teachers! Huge disparity in between the ages of the students and those of the teachers! All of them serve to create a pretty hierarchical situation. Interesting note here is that actual age of the student does not matter -- what matters is the grade level. Two students could be only a few months apart, but the upperclassman is always higher on the ranks than the lowerclassman.

- Military:  Obviously.

- Old people (over 60 years old):  Both because the tradition demands more respect for old people and because old people demand more tradition.

- Being scolded:  Nothing reminds you of your place quite like being yelled at by your parents, boss, etc.

- Huge gap in authority:  Meeting the president of your company, for example.

- In-Laws:  True for both sexes but more so for women, parents-in-law are treated much more formally compared to one's own family.

In these situations, the appropriate eye contact is: none. If the person on the higher hierarchy is speaking to you, point your body toward that person but dip your head slightly and look into the space a little in front of you. The greater the disparity between the ranks, the lower your eye level. One can glance up once in a while to signify that one is listening and not nodding off.

Here are some situations in which hierarchy does not really exist, or may be more flexible than one might think:

- Young adults:  This is true even in a group made up of people with different ages, even more so because American influence in Korea is spreading even at this level.

- Peer group: If you are with your classmates, for example, you would be among your peers. But be mindful about how your peers are defined. For example, a person who is younger than you but in a higher grade in your school is not your peer -- she is your superior. A person who is older than you but began working for your company in the same year can be your peer.

- Constant working relationship:  This is very, very situation-specific, so carefully assess the situation. But for example, if you are working with a mid-level boss nearly all the time while you are at work, you probably will have to speak up and ask questions once in a while.

- Immediate family and intimate extended family:  Again, depends on the family, but between parents and children, and between sibilings, the hierarchy can be surprisingly lax.

In these situations, the eye contact in Korea is not that different from the eye contact in America. One caveat, however, is that the normal eye contact in America can be much more intense than normal eye contact in Korea. Put differently, an unaware American can very easily cross the line between making eye contact and glaring in Korea. And social meaning of glaring is about the same as in Korea as in the U.S. -- anger, disappointment, rude curiosity, intense romantic interest, etc., depending on the situation. Obviously, they do not make for a comfortable conversation unless the situation is just right.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

AAK! PSA: Library Mixer & the Mixologist

Going forward, all of the Korean's AAK! Music series (including the 50 Most Influential K-pop Artists series) will be also on the Library Mixer. What is Library Mixer, you ask? Well, here is a video:

The Korean is an alpha tester of the Library Mixer, and he was given permission by the folks running the Library Mixer to give out alpha tester status to anyone who wants it. In addition to AAK! Music review, the Korean will put up reviews for other music, movies and books that the Korean has enjoyed. In addition, the Korean will be on the Mixologist chat program fairly regularly, and will also hold semi-regular live chat sessions.

To join Library Mixer, the alpha test invite key is: "nekothecat" (without quotation marks.) Once you join, search for "The Korean" to become friends.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! News: Why Koreans Eat Rice Cake on Holidays

Hope everyone is having a good chuseok, and eating a lot of songpyeon. Here is an insight on why Koreans eat rice cake on holidays like chuseok, from the always-informative food blog 악식가의 미식일기.


Why We Eat Rice Cake on Holidays

To cook rice, a pot is necessary. Up until the three kingdoms era, metal could only be used for weaponry. In other words, a pot made of cast iron to cook rice with was not in the kitchen. Among the artifacts of that era, steamers (siru, 시루) is the most prevalent among the artifacts having to do with eating. Thus, one can surmise that not rice, but rice cake was the staple.

Before a centralized state's formation was complete, Koreans have long lived a tribal life. Such tribe likely would have been formed based on blood ties. Also, there would have been more property common to the tribe rather than privately owned properly. While it would have been difficult for the whole tribe to cook and eat at the same time, but at least those who recognize each other to be belonging to a single family tree would have cooked together. Tracing back to the memories of the single last name villages that existed throughout Korea's rural areas as recently as 40 years ago, up to fourth cousins were considered a single family. The range would have been greater in the past.

At this point, we can imagine our ancestors cooking together. Even the steamer would not have been that common, and maintaining the fire would have been particularly difficult. Thus, one can imagine several extended families within a tribe coming together to take care of their meals. Our ancestors, setting powdered grain on a steamer, steam up rice cake, then sitting in a circle to eat. Thus, rice cake is the food of the community.

Cast iron pot appears to have become prevalent as a cooking tool around Goryeo Dynasty. This is the point at which rice becomes a regular meal. Each family's kitchen had a pot, and by then only a family ate together at a meal. "Eating rice from the same pot" [TK: a Korean idiom meaning "sharing affinity"] has come to mean that they were a family. Thus, rice is the food of the family.

We make rice cake on holidays such as chuseok or New Year's Day. Or at least, we buy rice cake to eat. It is a form of reminiscing the nostalgia for the community long, long ago. Our rice cake holds our people's ancient spirit of community.

명절에 떡을 먹는 이유 [악식가의 미식 일기]

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! News: Let's Go Extinguish Ourselves

The Korean has been a consistent advocate for dog meat eating, which have elicited ire from many people. One of the themes of those who strongly object to dog eating is their strong focus on the pain to be inflicted on the dog (and usually, all animals) in the process of eating meat. (See for example here, here, here.) The argument, essentially, goes -- dogs feel pain in the process of being turned into meat. Pain is bad. So we must not eat dog meat, because it causes pain.

That is an absurd argument. And the absurdity of that argument is plainly shown on this New York Times article.

Our factory farms, which supply most of the meat and eggs consumed in developed societies, inflict a lifetime of misery and torment on our prey, in contrast to the relatively brief agonies endured by the victims of predators in the wild. From the moral perspective, there is nothing that can plausibly be said in defense of this practice. To be entitled to regard ourselves as civilized, we must, like Isaiah’s morally reformed lion, eat straw like the ox, or at least the moral equivalent of straw.

But ought we to go further? Suppose that we could arrange the gradual extinction of carnivorous species, replacing them with new herbivorous ones. Or suppose that we could intervene genetically, so that currently carnivorous species would gradually evolve into herbivorous ones, thereby fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. If we could bring about the end of predation by one or the other of these means at little cost to ourselves, ought we to do it?

...

The basic issue, then, seems to be a conflict between values: prevention of suffering and preservation of animal species. It is relatively uncontroversial that suffering is intrinsically bad for those who experience it, even if occasionally it is also instrumentally good for them, as when it has the purifying, redemptive effects that Dostoyevsky’s characters so often crave. Nor is it controversial that the extinction of an animal species is normally instrumentally bad.

...

The claim that existing animal species are sacred or irreplaceable is subverted by the moral irrelevance of the criteria for individuating animal species. I am therefore inclined to embrace the heretical conclusion that we have reason to desire the extinction of all carnivorous species[.]

The Meat Eaters [New York Times]

If you missed that, Professor McMahan thinks it would be a good idea to get rid of all carnivorous species in nature, if we can. Few would disagree that this is crazy. But McMahan's position is perfectly logical, as long as one accepts all the assumptions that he makes. And the crucial assumption that logically leads to McMahan's crazy result is this: "It is relatively uncontroversial that suffering is intrinsically bad for those who experience it."

NO! It is very controversial as to whether suffering is intrinsically bad for animals that experience it. In fact, it is only a distinct (but very loud) minority of humans who think that animal suffering is unacceptable. Vast majority of humankind, throughout the globe and throughout history, has always thought that animals were there to be hunted and eaten, with pain necessarily being inflicted in the process.

To be sure, causing more pain than necessary to kill and eat an animal -- for example, gratuitous animal abuse -- has almost always been an object of universal human condemnation. This is the reason why many people who are not advocates for veganism are nonetheless repulsed by the manner in which some dogs are slaughtered in Korea, i.e. being beaten to death. And the Korean also agrees with them: "treating animals with dignity and respect means that the current way in which dogs raised for their meat in Korea must change. The tiny cages must go, and so must the unsanitary living condition for those dogs. The method of slaughtering the dogs must be regulated as well, so that the dogs may end their lives in a humane, dignified manner."

But once you accept the premise that any pain caused on any animal is bad, you are logically compelled to arrive at a crazy result, like the idea that to the extent possible, we should gradually remove the carnivorous species from the Earth -- which likely include ourselves.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

How to Hold Jesa

Dear Korean,

I came across your blog while doing a search for 제사 procedures. I can't seem to find anything in detail in English, and the Korean is way over my head. We are coming up on the 4th year since my mother passed. In the past, we have done the ceremony at a local temple that set everything up for us and we just paid and attended the ceremony. This year though, we have moved and there is no temple near us. I am thinking we are going to have to do it at home, but have no idea how or what I even need to do!

Any tips as far as food-wise, table settings, and anything else that we're supposed to do?

Thanks,

Alicia

P.S. I am the only child - and a girl by the way. It would just be me and my husband doing the ceremony.

Dear Alicia,

First off, a quick explanation on what jesa (제사) is -- jesa is a memorial ceremony for the dead. In fact, there are many different types of jesa, because technically it is a general term for memorial ceremonies of all types. The types include: myoje (묘제), held at the grave; sije (시제), held every season; charye (차례), held on major holidays like Lunar New Year's Day and Chuseok, etc. But currently when Korean people speak of jesa, they are mostly talking about gijesa (기제사) -- the kind held once a year, on the day the person passed away.

Jesa is very, very important in Korean culture. It is one of the few traditional ceremonies that Korean people still follow faithfully, often without regards to particular religion. For example, one of the reasons why Catholicism was able to make inroads with Korea faster than Protestantism is that Korean Catholics are allowed to hold jesa, per decree from Pope Pius XII in 1939. (Protestants of Korea held out longer -- while majority of Protestants in Korea do not hold jesa, a significant number still holds jesa or a modified form of one.) In fact, in a family life jesa is as important as a birthday. After all, it only makes sense that if there is a birthday, there also is a deathday.

The Korean will describe a model way of jesa below, be mindful that this ceremony is both highly adaptive and geography specific. Each family of different regions of Korea holds things with different food and different order. In fact, the Korean had to pause about whether this would be applicable to Alicia at all, because she mentioned that her jesa was held at a temple -- which could mean that her mother was a Buddhist, who have slightly different procedures.  Also, because of the convenience of modern Koreans, certain things are abbreviated. But for the sake of everyone who might be interested in a model jesa, here is one model that is fairly common.

Logistics of Jesa

First of all, who is honored by jesa? As of today, the common practice is to hold jesa (i.e. gijesa, the "deathday") for up to your (paternal) grandparents. The ancestors beyond the grandparents level are honored through the other kinds of jesa, namely the ones held on major holidays, etc. If both of one's parents passed away, a single jesa is held for both of them together, on the jesa day of the father. (You will soon notice that much of this process is pretty sexist, but that's how traditions generally are.)

Who holds a jesa? The oldest male heir does. For a jesa for parents, the oldest male heir is the oldest son. For a jesa for grandparents, assuming there is no surviving male child of the grandparents, the oldest male heir is the oldest male child of the oldest male child of the grandparents. So for example, if the Korean Parents were to pass away, the Korean -- the oldest male child of the Korean Parents -- would hold the jesa for the Korean Parents. The Korean Grandfather has already passed away, and his jesa is held by one of the Korean Uncles, who is the oldest male child among the five that the Korean Grandfather had. If the Korean Uncle passes away, the grandfather-jesa duties would go to the oldest son of the Korean Uncle, i.e. the Korean Cousin. Just to trace back a little bit further, just for fun -- the Korean Grandfather was the last child among the three brothers, so the jesa for the Korean Great-Grandfather is held at the Korean Father's Cousin's house -- who is the oldest son of the Korean Grandfather's oldest brother.

Alicia's parents apparently passed away without a son, so technically her parents do not receive a jesa because only men are allowed to hold jesa. This is one of the major reasons why having a son in traditional Korea was such a huge deal. But in modern Korea, especially in cases when parents die without a son, daughters with their husbands hold jesa nonetheless.

When exactly is the date and the time of the jesa? The correct answer is "the earliest possible time on the day the person passed away," which means the midnight of the date of death. (A common threat in Korea is "Today is your jesa day," i.e. today is the day you die.) Practically, this means that people actually gather for jesa on the day before the date of death, so that jesa may begin exactly at 12 midnight of the next day. One tricky part is that because Korea traditionally has used a lunar calendar, jesa date is also traditionally determined by lunar calendar as well -- which means it changes from year to year on a solar calendar. But in modern Korea, following only the solar calendar is acceptable.

Be sure to be dressed properly. No need to go crazy with traditional garbs, but men generally wear a suit and women wear conservative dresses. 

More after the jump.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com

Ask a Korean! Wiki: What Do Korean High Schoolers Like?

.... for the purpose of their English education?

Dear Korean,

I recently began a year-long committment as a guest English teacher in an all-girls high school. I'm an American guy fresh out of college, new to Korea, and I want to learn more about the interests of my students so I can capture their attention in class. I want them to speak frequently in class by raising their hands in response to the topics I present. But what topics? I struck a good chord bringing up Jaebeom and 2PM. Another musical group I have heard of is Girls Generation. What kind of current events? Fashions? Movies? TV shows ?

Luke

Dear Luke,

If the Korean knew what Korean high school girls like to talk about, he would have done a lot better in dating when he was in high school. Instead, the Korean's high school life (at least the part that was spent in a high school in Korea) consisted of getting onto the school bus on 7 a.m. and getting home at 10:30 p.m.

In all seriousness, this is a topic better reserved for others like you who are on the front line of teaching Korean students. NSET readers, any ideas?

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Partly as a side gig and partly as a hobby, the Korean is in the process of translating an American law textbook into Korean. One thing that the Korean noticed is that English sentences -- at least the kinds that are used in law textbooks -- are generally longer than Korean ones. Relatedly, English sentences have a lot of embedding structures that, when turned into Korean, make a sentence really tiresome to read. Also, there are many instances in which the same English word has to be translated into two or more different Korean words, to ensure that the translation does not sound forced.

Calling all amateur translators -- what bedevils you as you translate English to Korean, or vice versa?

Ask a Korean! News: Korean Moms Like World Bank

Stuff Korean Moms Like already has a hilarious list of 58 items that Korean moms like. The Korean humbly suggests number 59 on the list:  The World Bank.

*                *                *

"World Bank is Hiring ... Mom Will Find Out All About It"

First Open Hiring Notice for Koreans is Stampeded by Questions from Mothers 
Concerns Raised that the "Flailing Skirts" to an International Organization May Backfire

The official of Ministry of Strategy and Finance who is in charge of World Bank's open hiring notice targeting Koreans receives on average more than ten phone calls, inquiring about the position. The curious part is that the calls often come not from the applicants themselves, but the mothers of the applicants.

The official said, "I would give a long explanation thinking it is a female applicant, but it often ends up being mothers who say, 'Actually, my daughter is trying to apply," and said, "I didn't know mothers of Korea had this much interest in international organizations."

On the 30th of last month, World Bank announced an open hiring notice, aimed toward hiring a Korean expert. This is the first time that World Bank publicly aimed to hire exclusively Koreans, and there are few precedents of this kind involving any other country. Since the 2000s, working for the World Bank and other major international organizations emerged as one of the most popular jobs for young Koreans. Certain top colleges run programs geared toward internship and employment in international organizations, similar to those programs preparing for civil service examinations. Therefore, MOSF expected that there will be much interest to this position. And in fact the interest is growing, as the total of 172 applied with the deadline of September 19, with 50 of them applying this week.

But what MOSF did not expect was that the applicants' parents, not the applicants, would be more aggressive in requesting information about the position. MOSF official said, "It is already surprising that there are many calls from the applicants' parents, but what is even more surprising is that in some cases, parents who have children in middle school or high school call to ask for information."

Some in MOSF expect that the parents' "flailing skirt" [TK: 치맛바람, a slang for excessive influence from parents, particularly mother] aimed toward international organizations will be helpful toward increasing the number of Koreans who enter into international organizations in the future. But there are also opinions that Korean parents' aggressive inquiries for the World Bank position may actually cause a negative effect toward international organization's hiring Koreans. Critics point out that the parents' excessive interest may make it seem to the international organization's officials that while Korean youths have a nice resume, they are deficient in problem-solving skills.

Professor Kim Yeon-Gyu of Hanyang University School of International Affairs noted, "The resume alone is not enough to be hired by an international organization," and added, "something reminds one of Korea's college entrance only harms the prospect of employment at an international organization." One government official who previously worked for an international organization said, "To be successful at an international organization, at the basic level one has to have foreign language skills and expert-level knowledge. And it is very important to be able to overcome the stress that may be caused by racial or cultural conflicts, and to be able to solve a problem blowing up unexpectedly," and added, "a person who do not have enough independence and problem-solving skills would not have an easy time adapting to an international organization, even if the person manages to be hired."

"세계은행 공채 떴네… 엄마가 다 알아볼게" [Dong-A Ilbo]

Never let it be said that Korean moms are not crazy.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

The Korean was listening to this segment of NPR this morning about the Tea Party's victory. And he could not help but think how similar Tea Party is to candlelight protesters of Korea two years ago -- especially with respect to both movements' reliance on the Internet and their self-regard as a leaderless, social-networking type of movement.

About a year ago, the Korean theorized that the problems in Korean politics might be acting as a preview to the problems in American politics. The Korean is increasingly convinced that the theory might hold water.

Ask a Korean! News: Are Korean Students Like American Students of 100 Years Ago?

Mitch Albom of Tuesdays with Morrie fame apparently thinks so. A sample:

South Koreans treat school like a full-time job plus a full-time marriage. They put in day hours and night hours, followed by weekend hours. It is not uncommon to see children in school uniforms walking home late at night. It is not uncommon to see them studying through weekends. There is private English education on top of the public education. Families split apart to improve a child's training. You hear stories about schooling that runs from sunrise past sunset, with breakfast, lunch and dinner being served in the building.

What you don't hear is cheerleading squads. What you don't hear is spring break trips to Cancún. What you don't hear is classes to boost self-esteem, to celebrate an ethnic group, to explore the arts. What you don't hear is "Glee" or "High School Musical" or other coolness-driven entertainment fantasies about high school fashion, sex, talent or jockdom.

...

There is an obsession with getting ahead here that begins with the classroom and permeates the adult workplace, where rigid hours and meager vacation days are the norm. The attitude mimics one you heard among American immigrants in the early 20th Century: "If you don't do well in school, you won't get to college, if you don't get to college you won't get a god job, and if you don't get a good job, you'll be a loser."

There is no shame in that lecture here. It is not viewed as corny or clichéd. It is part of the national pride, if not the national obsession.

How are American kids going to copy that? We're not disciplined enough, we're not hungry enough, and, most importantly, either parents don't say it enough, or if they do, kids ignore them.

...

Which, by the way, doesn't mean Korean kids are happier. It may be quite the opposite. Everywhere I went, I encountered teenagers in love with my book "Tuesdays With Morrie," because the teacher in it showed compassion and encouraged humanity, not just grades. Many kids told me, "I wish in my life I would meet a Morrie."

...

Our kids laugh more, play more sports, express themselves more openly. The kids here are serious beyond compare, and they are driven to succeed. I'm not sure which system I'd prefer, but I know they are apples and oranges, and the length of a school year is only a tiny difference.

Korea's kids just like ours, 100 years ago [Detroit Free Press, via Marmot's Hole]

It is very easy to find many, many faults to Albom's column. Albom's self-professed expertise in Korea amounts to all of one week visit to Korea. Accordingly, in the course of making this point, Albom filled the column with trite charcterizations of Korean culture. ("Gee whiz, Korean language has honorifics! How exotic!") The biggest fault is the headline. The column's headline is provocative, but the column itself makes no attempt to actually make the connection between Korea's students and America's students of 100 years ago. In fact, the Korean has to wonder why that headline was even necessary, given that the headline, standing alone, seems to suggest that Korea of today holds something good that America used to hold. But one of Albom's points is that Korea and the U.S. are apples and oranges, and America's attempt to emulate Korean educational system piecemeal is naive.

But the Korean does think that Albom's true main point, although poorly articulated, is worth considering:  that fixing America's educational system cannot be limited to nibbling around the margins of the system. Instead, it will take a holistic look at the major forces that fuel and animate the system, and direct such forces to the way we want them to go.

In fact, that is a point similar to the one that Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson makes:

"Reforms" have disappointed for two reasons. ... The larger cause of failure is almost unmentionable: shrunken student motivation. Students, after all, have to do the work. If they aren't motivated, even capable teachers may fail.

Motivation comes from many sources: curiosity and ambition; parental expectations; the desire to get into a "good" college; inspiring or intimidating teachers; peer pressure. The unstated assumption of much school "reform" is that if students aren't motivated, it's mainly the fault of schools and teachers. The reality is that, as high schools have become more inclusive (in 1950, 40 percent of 17-year-olds had dropped out, compared with about 25 percent today) and adolescent culture has strengthened, the authority of teachers and schools has eroded. That applies more to high schools than to elementary schools, helping explain why early achievement gains evaporate.

Motivation is weak because more students (of all races and economic classes, let it be added) don't like school, don't work hard and don't do well. In a 2008 survey of public high school teachers, 21 percent judged student absenteeism a serious problem; 29 percent cited "student apathy."

School reform's meager results [Washington Post]

The Korean does think that there are many tangible things of Korean educational system from that American educational system can emulate, including longer school hours. (To be sure, this is not an exhortation that American education system to become exactly like Korean educational system, which has plenty of faults of its own.) But as Albom and Samuelson point out, ultimately it will take a change of attitude to truly achieve reform. The Korean thinks such change is possible, but only over a long period of time following a series of reforms toward a consistent direction. But that's a topic for another day.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 47. Solid

[Series Index]

47.  Solid [솔리드]

Years of Activity:  1993-1997

Members: 

Lee Joon [이준] - Rap
Kim Johan [김조한] - Vocal
Jeong Jae-Yoon [정재윤] - Vocal

Discography:

Regular Albums

Solid Vol. 1 (1993)
Dream [꿈] (1995)
Light Camera Action! (1996)
Solidate (1997)

Special Albums

Solid Live (1996)
Solid to be Unlimited Solid (1999) - compilation

In 15 Words or Less:  The herald of R&B in Korea.

Representative Song:  Holding the End of This Night [이 밤의 끝을 잡고], from Dream

이 밤의 끝을 잡고

Holding onto the End of This Night

다신 널 볼 수 없겠지

I will never be able to see you again

나의 입술이 너의 하얀 어깨를 감싸 안으며

My lips hugged your white shoulders

그렇게 우린 이 밤의 끝을 잡고 사랑했지만

Although we loved like this, holding onto the end of this night

마지막 입맞춤이 아쉬움에 떨려도

The last kiss might tremble in longing

빈손으로 온 내게 세상이 준 선물은

To me, who arrived with empty hands, the gift the world gave me

너란 걸 알기에 참아야겠지

Was you, I know, so I must endure

내 맘 아프지 않게

So my heart does not break

그 누구보다 더 행복하게 살아야 해

You must live happier than anyone else

모든 걸 잊고

Forgetting everything

이 밤의 끝을 잡고 있는 나의 사랑이 더 이상 초라하지 않게

So my love holding onto the end of this night does not become more pathetic than it is now

나를 위해 울지마 난 괜찮아

Don't cry for me, I am ok.

[Narration]

그래 어쩌면

Yes, perhaps

우린 오랜전부터 우리의 사랑에 어쩔수 없는 이별이 찾아 올지도 모른다고 생각했어

We since long ago have thought the inevitable separation will come to our love

하지만 울지마

But don't cry

이밤의 끝은 내가 잡고 있을테니

I will hold onto the end of this night

넌 그렇게 언제나 웃으면서 살아야 돼

You must live on, always smiling like that

제발 울지말고 나를 위해 웃어줘

Please don't cry, smile for me

제발

Please

마지막 입맞춤이 아쉬움에 떨려도

The last kiss might tremble in longing

빈손으로 온 내게 세상이 준 선물은

To me, who arrived with empty hands, the gift the world gave me

너란 걸 알기에 참아야겠지

Was you, I know, so I must endure

내 맘 아프지 않게

So my heart does not break

그 누구보다 더 행복하게 살아야 해

You must live happier than anyone else

모든 걸 잊고

Forgetting everything

이 밤의 끝을 잡고 있는 나의 사랑이 더 이상 초라하지 않게

So my love holding onto the end of this night does not become more pathetic than it is now

나를 위해 울지마 난 괜찮아

Don't cry for me, I am okay.

나의 가슴으로 너와 함께 나누었던 이 밤을 간직한 채

Keeping this night that my heart shared with you

잠시 널 묻어야 하겠지

I must bury you for the moment

나의 눈물이 널 붙잡고 있지만

My tears are holding you now but

니가 힘들지 않게 웃으며 보내야 겠지

I must send you away with a smile so that you no longer feel pain

내 맘 아프지 않게 그 누구보다 더 행복하게

So my heart does not break, be happier than everyone

모든 걸 잊고

Forgetting everything

 이밤의 끝을 잡고 있는 나의 사랑이 더 이상 초라하지 않게

So my love holding onto the end of this night does not become more pathetic than it is now

나를 위해 울지마 난 괜찮아

Don't cry for me, I am okay.

Translation Note:  Does anyone have a better suggestion for 아쉬움 and 초라하다? Also, the sentence construction in English became decidedly inelegant and unpoetic -- the Korean welcomes suggestions.

Maybe they should have been ranked higher because...  Being the granddaddy of a major style like R&B could count for more.

Maybe they should have been ranked lower because...  They had a relatively short run.

Why is this band important?

American pop music always had a strong influence over Korean pop music from the very beginning. Most major trends in K-pop -- the advent of rock n'roll in Korea, for example -- had a precursor trend in the United States that occurred a few years earlier, which was later trickled into Korea and adjusted to fit the local sensibilities. But beginning in mid-1990s, the flow became much, much more accelerated. Solid was riding the beginning of that wave. The three members of Solid were Korean Americans from California, and arguably the ones who started off the steady stream of Korean Americans who hit it big in Korean pop music scene -- a major trend in K-pop in its own right.

A few K-pop artists tried out R&B prior to Solid's appearance, but none was as committed to the genre as Solid was. With good voice and considerable (albeit not necessarily overwhelming) talent, Solid managed to popularize R&B as a genre in Korea. Strictly speaking, Solid's music was OK, but not exactly earth-shattering. But they had enough talent and the "it" factor to popularize a wholly new kind of music in Korea -- the kind will go on to forming a major branch (or perhaps sub-branch) of K-pop, paving the way for more talented musicians to pursue the genre and transform it to reflect Korean sensibilities. (For example, Brown Eyes.) While no R&B artist in Korea may properly be called "world-class" at this time, the day when a world-class Korean R&B artist emerges does not seem to be too far off, considering the globally increasing popularity and likewise increasing quality of K-pop. And when that day does come, that artist will have Solid to thank.

Interesting Trivia:
Both Kim Johan and Jeong Jae-Yoon married women three years older around the same time.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

AAK! PSA: WWOOF It Up

Today's public service announcement comes from World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms of Korea, which provides opportunities to spend time in rural Korea and experience the life in organic farms of Korea. Below is their brochure.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

In another step toward the Arizona's anti-immigration law's inevitable demise, the Third Circuit restated the proposition that should have been obvious:  state laws attempting to regulate immigration are preempted by federal immigration laws. While the opinion is not 100 percent congruent with what the Korean wanted, it nonetheless is a gem. The court curtly characterizes one argument by the city that enacted illegal immigration ordinances as "disingenuous" -- the closest a court will ever come to calling someone a liar (at p. 130).

If you are not particularly inclined to read the 188-page opinion, Above the Law has a quick-hitting summary.

The Third Circuit Respects Supremacy -- A Lesson Arizona Will Soon Learn [Above the Law]

Absolutely, absolutely FASCINATING racial data crunching from Gizmodo. Just go read it.

The Real 'Stuff White People Like’ [Gizmodo]

When is it OK to Make Eye Contact?

Dear Korean,

In the U.S. I'm used to looking everyone I meet or speak to in the eyes to show respect and that I'm listening. I was told that this is not proper in Korea when in certain settings. What settings would this be? Is it ever okay to look someone in the eyes for a prolonged amount of time? Can you ever look superiors in the eyes or is it only family and people younger than you? Can you not look the elderly in the eyes, even if they are your family?

Confused, but willing to learn

Dear Confused,

Never, never, NEVER look into the eyes of someone who is in a superior position than you are. This includes everyone who is older than you, even by one year, family or not. This also includes people who are higher than you in a workplace or social hierarchy, regardless of age. (For example, your boss, a judge, etc.) In practical terms, this means that you are pretty safe with not looking into anyone's eyes when you are in Korea.

It is ok to look into the eyes of someone who is your peer (and feel close enough,) or someone who is younger or in an inferior position than you are. But be mindful of how "peer" or "inferior position" are defined. For example, a person who is younger than you but in a higher grade in your school is not your peer -- she is your superior. A person who is older than you but began working for your company in the same year can be your peer.

Be also mindful about the message that you are sending when you do look into people's eyes. For Americans in Korea, it is very easy to cross the line between seeing and glaring when you look into someone's eyes. And glaring in Korea means about the same thing as glaring in America -- anger, disappointment, rude curiosity, intense romantic interest, etc., depending on the situation. If you are unsure where the line is, just don't look into anyone's eyes.

-EDIT 9/8/10- I'm No Picasso has a good post discussing the application of this mannerism in Korea.

-EDIT 9/25/10- The Korean revisited this question at this post.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

A profile of Korean woman who obtained her driver's license at her 960th try, on the New York Times. A sample:

This diminutive woman, now known nationwide as “Grandma Cha Sa-soon,” has achieved a record that causes people here to first shake their heads with astonishment and then smile: She failed her driver’s test hundreds of times but never gave up. Finally, she got her license — on her 960th try.

For three years starting in April 2005, she took the test once a day five days a week. After that, her pace slowed, to about twice a week. But she never quit.

Hers is a fame based not only on sheer doggedness, a quality held in high esteem by Koreans, but also on the universal human sympathy for a monumental — and in her case, cheerful — loser.

At First She Didn’t Succeed, but She Tried and Tried Again (960 Times) [New York Times]

Ask a Korean! News: Gay Rights in Korea Today

Dong-A Ilbo had a good article summarizing the state of gay rights in Korea today, at the decade mark when Hong Seok-Cheon -- the first celebrity homosexual of Korea -- came out of the closet. Below is the translation:

A Decade Since Hong's Coming-Out -- Internet is the Freedom Zone for Homosexuality

Gaming Industry Changes the Banned Words

It has been a decade since Hong Seok-Cheon, a TV personality, came out of the closet in September 2000. While it is an undeniable reality that there remains feelings of aversion toward homosexuals, discrimination against homosexuals online, at least, has improved for the better. Starting this year, homosexuality-related words such as "gay" or "lesbians" that were not allowed to be used in online games have now escaped from the list of banned words. "The Guide to Wholesome Gaming Language," put out by Korea Creative Content Agency, deleted such homosexuality-related terms as "gay" from its list of banned words. But offline, namely in everyday life, it is true that homosexuality is still an awkward topic.

Homosexuality Terms are Unbarred

Since 2008, KCCA jointly with National Institute of Korean Language, publishes and distributes to gaming industry the Guide to Wholesome Gaming Language for the purpose of educating the teens who are the main users of online games. While chatting in the middle of the game or searching online, using the banned word either does not let the input go through, or appear on the screen after the banned word is automatically deleted.

The Guide, first distributed in January of last year provoked a gay discrimination controversy as it included "gay," "lesbian" and other terms indicating homosexuals, along with swear words, slangs and terms related to sexual intercourse. At the time, the human rights organizations for homosexuals claimed that "Banning words like "gay" and "lesbian" on games when those words are not demeaning expressions for homosexuals is discrimination against sexual minorities." KCCA accepted this point and revised the standard for selecting banned words, and in the process deleted 820 items including "gay," "lesbian" and "homo." KCCA explained, "After reviewing the list of banned words, we deleted all homosexuality-related terms because they were considered value-neutral expressions without themselves containing negative values."

Homosexuality Websites Do Well -- Some Note Too Little Regulation

Homosexuality issue may be freely searched within major domestic Internet portals such as Naver and Nate. A Naver representative said, "Our policy is not to set them as banned words unless there is a serious social problem with homosexuality," and added "But there could be restrictions if the words like "lesbian" or "gay" are searched in tandem with keywords for adult contents."

There are approximately 40 active websites and online communities geared toward homosexuals. Some sites have as many as 35,000 members. Each site allows free chatting with local gays, and shares maps of spas, DVD rooms and bars -- the so-called i-ban businesses -- that gays congregate. I-ban is a term that gays use to refer to themselves, as distinguished from il-ban. [TK: This is a pun. Il-ban means "general" or "normal", but it can also mean "class/group number one" (in a school.) I-ban means "class/group number two."]

But there are some undesirable side effects because of lax regulation online, as some sites display salacious material without setting log-in age limits. There are cases in which the initial screen of the site carries a photo invoking sexual intercourse, or just a few clicks leads to pictures of male genitalia and homosexual intercourse. Mr. Kim (Age 28), who recently came out of closet, said, "It is nice to easily search for information about gays, but some sites carry a lot of obscene pictures and movies that may lead to a wrong impression of homosexuality."

Still Cool Reception Offline

The views upon homosexuality offline is still averse. "Happy Together," a 1997 film by director Wong Kar-Wai depicting homosexuality was initially not permitted to be imported by the censors, and later opened a year later in 1998 after additional editing. Last year, "Between Friends," a Korean movie from last year depicting romance between gay youths experienced a rollercoaster ride until it opened, as the movie's trailer was judged "harmful" by Motion Picture Ratings Committee. "Life is Beautiful," a drama currently playing on SBS TV that features a homosexual couple as major characters, faced a boycott led by such conservative organizations as Korean Association of Church and Media and National Alliance Against Laws Allowing Homosexuality.

Dr. Namgung Ki, professor of psychiatry at Yonsei University School of Medicine said, "People feel extreme fear when they encounter a different set of values," and said, "There is a difference between online and offline because individual opinions are more freely expressed online, while people care more about others offline."

방송인 홍석천 커밍아웃 10년… 인터넷은 ‘동성애 해방구’ [Dong-A Ilbo]

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

How do Koreans See American Involvement in Korean War?

Dear Korean,

I have been reading a lot recently about Korean history since the end of the Korean war and yet a lingering question remains. How is the legacy of American involvement in the Korean war seen in Korea? Is America seen as a savior from communism or an imperialist divider who engineered the conflict?

Brian M. W.


Dear Brian,

First, let us make sure we have all the facts of American involvement in Korean War lined up. Korea was liberated from Imperial Japan in 1945, at the conclusion of World War II. Shortly before the end of the war in 1945 (after Nazi Germany surrendered but Imperial Japan was yet to surrender,) United States, United Kingdom and Soviet Union -- i.e., the Allies -- held a conference at Potsdam to discuss the world order after the end of the war. Here, United States and Soviet Union agreed to divide Korea into North and South. Once Japan surrendered and left Korea, Korea was divided along the 38th parallel.

(Source)

The southern part of Korean peninsula was to be governed initially by the U.S., and the northern part by the U.S.S.R. By 1948, both Koreas established their own government, although heavily influenced by the U.S. and U.S.S.R. respectively. In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. Within two days, U.S. influenced the United Nations to issue a resolution in favor of South Korea, and sent military aid to repel the invasion. Eventually, the war ended in a truce, with the Armistice Line dividing the peninsula nearly the same way the 38th parallel did.

The Korean explained this history first because there are competing perspectives in Korea with respect to how to evaluate the American involvement in Korean War. Allow the Korean to stress what should be a fairly obvious point: Korea is a democracy with 48 million people who carry a wide spectrum of opinions, especially with respect to politics. There are many topics where there is no such thing as "Korean opinion in general," and this topic is certainly one of them.

That would be like talking about "What Americans in general think"

based on what goes on at a Glenn Beck rally. (Source)

Korean people's opinion on American involvement in Korean War is mostly divided along the politics of Korea. Korean political landscape is largely divided into two camps -- conservatives and progressives. Keep in mind that these are very broad categories that often becomes meaningless when applied in certain context. For example, one can fairly say that American political landscape is largely divided into conservatives and liberals, but the "conservative" Republican Party often has "liberal" moments like favoring big governments, while the "liberal" Democratic Party often has "conservative" moments like being against gay marriage. But that does not mean that such labels are utterly useless, because they still provide some mental guidance as to how to look at the complex world. Visit any paint store, and you will find hundreds of different colors that may be fairly categorized as "white" -- but that does not mean that the term "white" is useless. You just have to know when to use that term.

Keeping this mind, let us move forward. Conservatives in Korea tend to be older generation of Koreans -- Koreans over age 50 tend to show a pretty clear tendency toward being conservative. Naturally, conservatives in Korea tend to have a clearer memory of Korean War. To the most hardcore conservatives, Kim Il-Sung and the communists of North Korea are the highest form of evil that started the war that ended up killing millions of soldiers and civilians in the process. This enabled Korean conservatives to tolerate -- and sometimes, even support -- the series of dictatorship governments in South Korea, because at least the dictators were not communist. And the far end of the non-communist spectrum was the United States. Because America prevented South Korea from falling into the communist rule, Americans are angels who walk upon the earth, the noble saints who selflessly sacrificed their youth to secure the freedom in Korean Peninsula in the eyes of Korean conservatives.

American soldier hands out chocolate to children. Those children are now in their 60s-70s.

One can pretty easily understand why the older Korean folks would consider Americans

as angels who walk upon the earth. (Source)

Progressives tend to be younger generation of Koreans, who were born into a situation in which the greatest threat to their freedom was not necessarily North Korea, but the military dictatorship of their own country. As Korean progressives formed their political views as they battled the military dictatorships of Korea (which had an implicit backing from the United States,) they naturally developed a view on America that is different from conservatives. Progressives are more likely to point to the fact that U.S. is one of the parties at the Potsdam Conference that divided Korea without any input from Korean people in the first place. They also note that U.S. was acting in its own interest in protecting its market share of the world, and was hardly the angels who walk upon the earth. The most hardcore progressives (some of whom, albeit in rare cases, are real deal communists who receive orders from North Korea) take this logic to the extreme and place the United States as the cardinal culprit of Korean War, claiming that America created the circumstances in which Korean War was all but inevitable.

An interesting flash point between the most hardcore progressives and the most hardcore conservatives happened in 2005, in Incheon. In Freedom Park in Incheon, there is a bronze statue of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, erected in the park in 1957 to commemorate his leadership in the Battle of Incheon that turned the tide of Korean War. In 2005, several hardcore progressive organizations protested and demanded that the city of Incheon destroy the statue, claiming that MacArthur led the efforts in America's colonization of Korea by getting involved in Korean War. (It was later revealed that some of these groups directly received orders from North Korea to engage in this campaign.)

Protesting against the MacArthur statue

(Source)

Seeing this, the ultra-conservatives groups rallied and physically surrounded the statue to protect it from harm. And plenty of yelling and shoving ensued, as it tends to happen in Korean protests.

The progressives tend to be louder in media and on the Internet, so their view seem more prevalent than reality. But upon actual speaking with people, right now it appears that Korean people are converging into the sensible middle -- while America acted in its own interest in getting involved in Korean War, America's involvement was crucial toward securing freedom in South Korea that laid the foundation for prosperity and democracy.

Regardless of the political landscape, officially Korean government never omits thanking the countries that fought in the war. In the most recent war anniversary -- June 25 -- President Lee Myung-Bak of South Korea sent a message of appreciation that was carried on the Washington Times and the Times of London. Korean War veterans are also invited to visit Korea to attend official appreciation ceremonies every year.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.