Icons of Korean Language

Yesterday, Sunday, our group left Seoul early in the morning so as to begin our 5-day field trip into the southern provinces.  Following our 1-1/2 hour bus ride we arrived at our fist stop of the day: Yeongneung, or the tomb of King Sejong.  Sejong is the Korean leader credited for creating the Korean written alphabet, Hangeul, despite of scholarly debate as to whether he himself crafted the characters or if an advisory committee did so; Mark Peterson, our primary professor who teaches Korean Studies at Brigham Young University, contends that Sejong himself did so because many of this advising scholars were against the endeavor.  Sejong's work is not limited to language as he was also a key player in astronomy and developed a rain gauge, sundial, and other devices to measure wind and water.

The tomb itself is located in a park outside of the modern city of Yeoju.  To get to the burial mound you pass through a forest of twisted trees, walk past the small shrine in which ancestor remembrance ceremonies are conducted, and ascend the stairway to the top of a hill.  The tomb is inside a man-made mound similar to the mound-building cultures of North America's upper Mississippi River Valley (my friends in Oklahoma may have visited the mounds near Spiro).  Surrounding the tomb are life-size statues of soldiers, scholars, horses who are thought to have protected and accompanied Sejong's spirit into the afterlife.

Leaving the tomb, we transferred to a bustling restaurant for lunch.  Plate after plate of Korean delicacies were placed before us...most were in a quantity primarily for tasting but the vast quantity of so many dishes/courses left me too full to truly enjoy the "main course" at the end.

Another hour-long bus ride took us to the city of Cheongju.  As this growing city was the focus of much modernization a few decades ago and new construction was being complete.  During ground preparation, several relics were unearthed which gives credibility to the claim that an ancient Buddhist temple once stood on this site.  The Chinese markings on the relics carried the same name for the temple as noted in the Jikji.  The Jikji is owned by a French museum and is an example of early metal movable type printing which predates the Gutenberg printing press by 75+ years.  While the manuscript is still in French custody, this construction focus on this site shifted to creating the Early Printing Museum to honor both the significance of the Jikji and the history of metal movable type in Korea.

Following our exploration of the small museum itself, we teachers again became students and went through a hands-on demonstration of binding a book in the traditional Korean manner.  We used hard stones to impress a design on to our book covers, we "scooped" fibers/pulp out of water to make our paper, we rubbed paper to take on ink from a pre-set image, and then bound the book with string.  It was a pretty cool, and yet occasionally frustrating process (my paper didn't want to dry fast enough to satisfy my instructor).  We each left with our own book complete with the symbol for the Jikji stamped on the front.

It was rather cool to have both our stops in this process of remote road roaming connect with iconic expression of written language history within Korea.

Community Spirit in Face of Tragedy

As part of my upcoming trip to South Korea I am supposed to prepare a lesson to teach in an English speaking class at a local high school.  The topics of our lessons was left open for each individual U.S. teacher.  Something hit me that perhaps the recent events in the community of my school & students would provide an ideal platform for a lesson.

I began thinking about natural disasters and the way that communities respond and help each other to overcome the disaster.  "Community" can be a very broad term to include just those in the immediate vicinity all the way to interpreting "community" as a common bond of human spirit across the planet.  So that the lesson is relevant to my Korean students I don't want this lesson to solely focus on the F5 tornado which hit Moore, OK on May 20th.  I've already begun researching natural disasters which have impacted the Korean Peninsula over the last decade or so: events which include a few typhoons (we call them hurricanes) and a massive flood in Seoul in 2011.  I hope to work these events into the lesson so as to help my Korean students make local connection with international events; I also hope to refine and replicate this lesson for my students back at Southmoore.

In preparation, I've found these images of front pages from newspapers in the aftermath of the May 20th tornado.  The Newseum, my current favorite museum in Washington, DC, has archived these images on their website.  I'm working on the best way to incorporate them into my lesson.  If you have any constructive ideas to help flush out this lesson please leave them in the comments section below; honestly, your insight is greatly appreciated

위로 이동 Gutenberg

(title translation: "Move Over Gutenberg")

While I've known this before, Johannes Gutenberg was not the first to invent a printing process based on movable type.  Such information was even included in the Gutenberg Printing Press Museum I visited in Mainz, Germany in 2011.  I know this is shocking to many of my readers who are so steeped into the lore of Western History's slant on the existence of the planet.

About 600 years before Gutenberg developed a movable type printing press in central Europe, the Chinese were transitioning from carved wooden blocks to ceramic blocks for printing purposes.  Then 400 years later, still 200 years prior to Gutenberg, the Koreans took this Chinese technology and made it even more modern by creating metal blocks for their alphabet.

Regardless of who did it "first", the ability to produce reading material in an ever increasingly rapid manner has had a significant impact on the increase in literacy, education, and thus economic development throughout the world.  When more can read more understand.  When more understand they act.

For more information on the historic importance of metal movable type within Korea, check out this World History unit from the Annenberg Foundation.  If you watch the pop-up Video on Demand, the portion on Korea begins at the 10:50 minute mark.

Korean Talks Collapse

A few days ago, in my posting titled "Korean Homework: Part Five", I presented the hope-filled news that North and South Korea were planning to have significant discussions during a meeting this week.  According the international reports today, those discussions have been canceled; apparently there is disagreement involving the status/rank of the individuals which each side would like to have representing their perspective during the discussions.

Here are some links to international news stories which note the change in plans:

• Belfast (Northern Ireland) Telegraph
• France 24
• The Guardian (UK)
• Times of Malta
• Wall Street Journal

Korean Homework: Part Seven

Michael Breen explores the Korean political development subsequent to the North/South divide.  A reminder, his comments are based on his observations and research up to 1998; as such, a more thorough critique or well-rounded picture as of 2013 is not presented here.

"Breaking the Law"

➡In classic Confucian tradition, the ruler was supposed to lead by moral example.  Japanese occupation used law from the islands from the Emperor to govern the Koreans.  Park Chung-hee imposed law to benefits modernization and written in such a vague way as to give him leeway in interpretation.  As such Koreans have by and large viewed law as something from above.  A concept that laws are made by those who are elected following legitimate debate and that ordinary people are included in this mix and development of the law had not had opportunity figure in the common perception.

"Dictators"

➡Democracy has been the "aspiration" of Koreans since their split.  Leaders of both North and South knew governmental legitimacy needed to be framed in "democracy".  But both sides had different idea of what "democracy" meant.

▶North Korea is still a dictatorship despite claiming to act in the interest of the people; free elections are not permitted.
▶South Korea called itself a liberal democracy and yet the behavior of leaders resembled more of a dictatorship until 1987.

➡Yes democracy does take time to develop.  The Korean political culture was not conducive to democracy.  The security threat from the North and the anti-communism ideology in the South hindered true democratic growth.

▶Syngman Rhee cracked down on political opposition; manipulated labor unions to earn "support" of the people; amended the constitution to prolong his rule

▶Chang Myon provided greater freedoms in a parliamentary style system which lacked strength to suppress a student protest movement and a coup occurred.

▶Park Chung-hee claimed democratic goals but delayed them to stabilize and grow the economy.  Ignore popular opinions (like with Seoul-Pusan motorway) and forced what he wanted; amended constitution to prolong his rule.

"Struggle for Democracy"

➡Weak acting president Choi Kyu-hah followed Park, but effective rule was done by martial law under General Chung Seung-hwa.  General Chun Doo-hwan staged a coup over this martial law on 12-12-1979 which in theory gives control to Choi.  Student protest movement re-emerged and Chun declared himself in charge.

▶Unofficial stories suggest that an agreement was made between US officials during the 1980 Carter to  Reagan transition to recognize the legitimacy of Chun's rule if 1) political dissident Kim Dae-jung was spared and 2) that Chun would step down at the end of a 7-year term and allow free and open elections for the South.

➡The awarding of the 1988 Olympics to Seoul brought a need for continued economic growth and political reform.  In mid 1987, the constitution was amended to allow for popular election of the president rather than selection by the National Assembly.  The December 1987 elections were nasty and loaded with complaints of voter fraud.  The opposition movement split and allowed the successor of Chun's party, Roh Tae-woo, to win.  Regardless of the procedural complaints, the process of electing a leader by the "will" of the people (under pressure/confusion or not) resulted with the first peaceful transfer of power for the South.

▶Democracy had only begun!!!

Korean Homework: Part Six

Michael Breen explores the Korean economic development subsequent to the North/South divide.  A reminder, his comments are based on his observations and research up to 1998; as such, a more thorough critique or well-rounded picture as of 2013 is not presented here.

"The Spectacle of Growth"

➡President Park Chung-hee, even in the face of significant opposition from the South's population, the National Assembly, and the World Bank, initatiated in 1968 an expensive construction project for a 424 km motorway between Seoul (capital city in the north) and Pusan (port city in the south).

▶Park was trying to develop the South's industry so as to 1) provide long-term defense against the North and 2) phase out dependence on the U.S.  He was convinced by the U.S. that long-term economic growth for the South needed to be linked with Japan (which would offend many Koreans, especially those for whom occupation was fresh on the mind) and thus the industrial regions of Seoul-Inchon needed to be significantly linked with Pusan.
▶Within 3 years of completion, the motorway hosted 80% of the South's vehicles and the cooridor it serviced produced 70% of the South's GNP.
▶Park "inspired, bullied, beat, cajoled, and enticed, Koreans out of the paddy fields and into the forefront of the industrial world."

➡Upon taking power, Park centralizing economic planning.  He harnessed the profit-hunting abilities of business leaders rather than suppressing them; banks were nationalized (failure to allow independence in later years is a contributing factor to the financial crisis of 1997.

▶Exporting became a priority: "export good, import bad".

▶Saemaul (New Village) Movement to modernize agriculture and raise rural living standards.

▶As job opportunities came people migrated heavily to the cities.

➡While cautious of appearances of imperial control, Park understood the importance of an alliance with the U.S. which has provided a security shield against potential conflict with the North and a market for Korean products.

➡Park ruled from 1961 until his assassination in 1979.  If he has a "fatal flaw" it would be focus of economic growth as the goal of everything he did.  The universal lesson tends to suggest that the goal of decent government is to bring happiness and a civilized life for the people; economics is a means to that end and not an end in itself.

▶In three decades, the South's economy grew and average of 9% per year; $2.3 billion in 1962 to $442 billion in 1997; per capita income of $87 in 1962 to $9,511 in 1997.

➡Chun Doo-hwan led a coup of a feeble attempt at democracy following Park's assassination.  While the economy boomed in this 1981-1988 rule he continued Park's tradition of postponing essential modern economic reforms.  Chun failed to guide reforms in keeping its the labor-intensive to capital-intensive shift because he didn't want to risk social turmoil which might provoke unions, citizens, and student groups into a collective anti-government coup.

▶Additionally, Chun failed to invest in social infrastructure (ports, roads, and rail) which were needed.  As a result transport and labor cost rose dramatically in the 1990s which forced up the price of Korean products on the international market thereby eroding its price competitiveness.

➡In 1988, now under the democratically elected Roh Tae-woo, the rest of the world was truly able to see its first good look at modern South Korea through th forum of the Summer Olympics; regarded by many as the best games to date.

▶Marked the moment of the South's ascendency over the North in the mind of all Koreans; contest was over regarding which ideology would win.

▶China and Eastern European communist regimes didn't boycott as North Korea had requested; within four years all communist or former communist countries had full diplomatic relations with the South.

➡Two primary obstacles have limited, or at least have initiated a question, regarding the economic hand of friendship of other developed countries as the South has tried to open business centers in other lands.

▶Corruption: for business survival it has often been practice to bribe government or party officials; companies have been ruthless so as to win contracts.

▶Physical abuse: disputes, in Korean society, are often solved by force, both verbal and physical

From my personal observations, much more economic development has continued to come from South Korea since this book was published.

Korean Homework: Part Two

My first observation about "The Koreans" is that it was published in 1998.  Additionally, the author is British rather than Korean.  While an outside perspective can be a good way to explore a country's history and culture, the is the strong chance that such analysis will be clouded in bias regardless of the author's intent.  Thus, I am approaching the text with an understanding that the bias of time and of culture may obscure a full understanding of the Korean people as relayed by this work.  I'm sure a similar caveat is appropriate for my travel guide book as well as current events articles I may be reading.

"The Three Miracles"

➡Contradiction is a term which can help describe Koreans.  They are both forthright and obscure at the same time.  It can be difficult to truly know if they are 1) telling you what they think or 2) telling you what they think you want to hear.  Great flaming emotion is combined with an extreme sense of etiquette.  They ascribe to collectivist ideas but are, perhaps, the most individualistic of the East Asians.  They pursue status and titles but these are more of a guide to behavior and not a source of ultimate worth.
➡While Korea may be hard to read on a "day-to-day" basis, when viewed over the long-haul its issues are both simple and definable.
➡Much of the Korean story is one of trying to recover a lost national identity.  Following WWII and half a century of Japanes domination, there existed a sense of worthlessness.  Additionally, being a "divided" people (North & South) there have emerged two primary alternate paths to help define what it means to be "Korean".
➡At least for the South, "democracy" has become a key ingredient to national identity.  Former President Kim Dae-Jung articulated: "Culture is not necessarily our destiny, democracy is."
➡The growth which occurred in the South following the 1950s war was led by small groups of elites in politics, business, and the military.  A byproduct of elite control has been the stifling of creativity within society.  Changes are coming (many since publication of this book) which are expanding the role of the individual within society.
➡A comparison is made between the Koreans and Irish: a divided people often noted by hatred/violence with other side, lyrical people inclined to the spiritual which belies violent image, can be unrestrained in passions and be quick to both laugh and cry.
➡Law is not as important in constraining behavior as is the need to be accepted by peers--this is crucial for survival.
➡Korean growth is a manifestation of a determination not to remain in the grip of self-doubt and poverty.
➡Author's defined "three miracles": 1) 1960's military revolution gave spirit of hard work and collective purpose, 2) 1980's expansion of democratic ideals whic accompanied the economic growth, and 3) the "eventual" reunification of North and South.

"Image and Identity"

➡Common first responces when westerners were asked their thoughts about "Korea":

▶From those who read traditional newspapers: divided, violent, military, grim, war, corrupts, Olympics, World Cup, MASH, cars
▶From those who read tabloids: communist, starving, dog-eating, soccer, cars, sex industry, Mao Tse-ting, tropical, grass skirts
▶Obviously not much is known, and what is known is either simplistic and/or overwhelmingly negative.

➡Biggest obstacle to understanding Koreans is their nationalism. They uses image of a frog in a well to explain their parochialism: all the frog knows of the outside world is the distant patch of sky at the top of the well; its reality is what happens inside the well where he lives.  North Koreans often believe that Kim Il-sung is the most famous leader in the history of the world; South Korean intellectuals theorize that the history of the 20th century is a deliberate plot against Korea.

"Korean Heart"

➡Korea, like Scotland, is three-parts coastline and has a lot of dramatic mountains squeezed up from its shores.  This beauty, however, is made less accessible by the local ideas of tourism.
➡South Korea is the 5th most densely populated country; 70% of its land is uninhabitable mountain, thus a tendency to crowd into cities.
➡Koreans live in the "here and now" and take little genuine pride in their long and remarkably well documented history; they would prefer to take you to a Samsung Electronic plant than an ancient Budhist temple.  Author gives example of western tourism reporter who noted that Doksu Palace on Seoul is pitch black at night, not flood lights to highlight it, "Can you imagine any other major capital city in the world which hides its most historic sites like this?"
➡Korean education system is not based on analytic/empirical approach (build theory, research, modify theory, adjust significance of information) of the West.  Koreans are just taught facts; questioning and analyzing of such is considered an insult to the teacher.  It is not necessarily true that Koreans DELIBERATELY conceal information; the systems, thought process, and felt need may not exist to analyze/store information in the the way the West accepts it.  Korea's history is full of drama, but a tourist is more likely to leave a palace knowing how many tiles are in the roof than hearing the details of the past.

▶My aside: unfortunately much of this "just the facts" mentality has snuck into American educational systems.  Reform movements often blame the "testing" phenomenon for this.  Many are working hard to insure that students aren't simply learning facts but also learning how to make meaning of those facts.

➡The way a people think obviously affects everything.  The fact that Korea's current education system fails to meet Korea's modern needs is because it doesn't train people to think in a sufficiently rational and legalistic way.  I.E. the disputes over the Lioncourt Rocks (aka Dok-do to Koreans and Takeshima by Japanese), arguments grounded in history are not used by Koreans rather they use emotional nationalism-based pleas.
➡Individually, Koreans are sweet and decent.  It is when referring to the collective when analysts reach for the negatives.
➡Ceremony is highly important aspect of Korean culture and helps to serve as a process of relabeling or rebranding your identity.  Ceremonies help to make closures on the past, reinvent themselves, and move forward.  In their hierarchical society based on relationships, one's rank or label is vital.  The name card is more important than what you actually do.

▶My aside: perhaps this is part of why there is such a strong emphasis on business cards distributed amongst professional relationships.

➡Koreans are so focused on building relationships that they will rarely pursue activities which are accomplished solo (i.e. reading) and will alter plans at a moments notice so as to nurture a friendship.

➡Although Westerners consider East Asians more conservative and Westerners more liberal, many Koreans are much more accepting and embracing of differences.  The author suggests this is due to their Confusion influence that they seek harmonious relationships, whereas the Christian and law-based Western culture is more concerned with issues of right and wrong or good and evil.
➡Koreans are only beginning to develop the democratic attitudes and institutions to resolve conflict (remember this was published in 1998) whereas power and being louder was sound negotiating strategy.
➡Koreans can be remarkable rational and calculating on issues which Westerners tend to consider emotion, like selection of marriage partners.  Matchmakers are still widely used.

"Shaman Under the Skin"

➡Between 1/4 to 1/3 are Buddhists, 1/4 are Christian, several thousand Muslims, and the rest are connected to Shamanism or Confucianism (hard to quantify the last two due to lack of exclusive worship practice for identification purposes)
➡Koreans are Korean first. They take the system of a religion and make it their own.  When examining this "Korean-ness" you find that the values of all the religions which have influenced Korea exist within the Korean mind.  Each has deposited its sediment.

▶The Zen Buddhist concept of no past and no future, just a constantly flowing present can be seen within the immediacy and impatience of Koreans of all faiths.
▶Yoido Full Gospel Curch (Christian) has a simple appeal: accept Jesus and guarantee your health and wealth.  Both top public opinion polls on what Koreans most worry about.
▶Taoist ethos of "the way that can be discussed is not the way" figures in Korean attitudes.
▶Confucian precepts which emphasize vertically ordered human relationships have shaped Korean thinking and organization for centuries; much stronger so than in either China or Japan.
▶Shamanism held that humans existed as notes in nature's rhythmic tune; we are here before we are born and will be here after we die.

➡Intense messianism has created multiple fringe religious.  The most internationally known is the Unification Church of Rev. Moon Sun-myung.  Moon's view of God is quintessentially Korean in that he combined shamanist passions and Confuscian family pattern in a Christian form.

➡Shamanism is still widely practiced with modern shamans performing rituals of chant and dance to invoke various gods to exorcise evil spirits.

➡There are thousands of fortune tellers of various faiths or mixtures of faith.  This can be big business, especially for those tellers who get some of their predictions right.

Korean Homework: Part One

In case you missed my posting in April titled "South Korea is a 'Go-Go'!" please know that I am preparing for an exciting trip to the Korean peninsula in late June through early July.  One of our pre-trip assignments is to do some background reading in Korean history and culture.  While a bibliography of suggested readings was sent to each of the 40 teachers traveling from the USA to Korea, we were allowed to make our own selections, including off the list.  In addition to simply completing the readings were also asked to prepare summaries of these readings.

Due in part to 1) end of school year projects, 2) the events surrounding the tornado which hit my school district on the afternoon of May 20th, and, probably the most truthful reason, 3) procrastination on my part, I haven't completed as much of my reading as I would have hoped.  But never fear!  I'll be traveling to the annual essay scoring session for the AP United States History exam tomorrow and can get lots of it accomplished in transit :-)  The two "books" I've selected are noted below; there will also be a couple of articles I've found which I'll reflect on as well.  I'll be posting my summaries and reflections in subsequent "Korean Homework" entries.

 

Reading for Your Travels

As summer time approaches, many people begin thinking about 1) a summer reading list and 2) a vacation get away.  Sometimes it's good to read up on a place that you're planning to visit.  Additionally, if you're not able to physically get away but you have the chance to read why not grab a book about a location you're potentially interested in visiting someday?

I recently came into contact with this great website which provides a recommended reading list for a wide variety of destinations (thank you to my "Seoul Sister" Julie Wakefield).  Regardless of whether the travels you're actually taking (or the ones you're thinking about) are domestic U.S. or something more international, you'll find some suggestions at "Longitude: Books, Recommended for Travelers".

Happy reading to you!
Happy travels to you!
And, hopefully, happy reading AND travels to you!
Whether in person or via the words of others may you enjoy you escape along the roads of lands remote!!!