I wanted to inform many people who are watching my blog about the 'Minjok Festival.' In Korean schools, like other foreign schools, they always have a school festival. In KMLA, there is a school festival called the 'Minjok Festival.' Many clubs such as the band clubs and dance groups have a concert in this festival. Also, we sell different kinds of foods like Sausages, icecreams, and 'Tuk-boki.'
BUT.... Out of all these events, the one that I am eagerly looking for is 'Yu-jang.' One person from each class dress like woman, decorate like woman, and dance in front of all the students in KMLA. They are actually pretty beautiful! Like the students below!
Japan is an enemy(?) that the Korean minjok would always unite against.
Once I was having a
conversation with my friend about the friendly soccer match between South Korea
and Japan. I asked him about his expectation about the result of the match. We
both knew that Korean national team was evaluated weak compared to Japan, but
he said, "Come on! There is no option other than beating them. It's Japan.
My grandma once said that we should win against Japan in every aspect, even the
rock-scissor-paper." This statement was a kind of a joke, but it also
partially showed the nature of Koreans. Since we share a common history under
Japanese colonization and we are taught from a very young age about this, we
hate Japan. Also, my friend's grandmother tried to implement an antagonism into
my friend with her horrible experience.
This
is an example of how Koreans usually form an entity to come together and share
their pride as the same 'Minjok.' Taking a deep look at this phenomenon, I
found some crucial questions that have to be answered in order to define and
analyze the ‘Minjok' phenomenon. What historical background enforced Koreans to
feel this entity as the same 'Minjok?' How did the term 'Minjok' speed up or
down Korea's progress and industrialization? What kind of change is this
paradigm going through when a sudden change of 21st century's globalization is occurring?
I will take a deep look back on the development of this paradigm, current
changes that it is facing, and the future result it will cause through numerous
examples and explanations.
All people with Korean ancestry apparently share this person's blood. So we're all family.
First, studying the origin and development
of the term ‘Minjok’ through different eras will give us an important clue to
understand it. The history of this term all begins from emphasizing the
importance of 'Dan-il Minjok.' 'Dan-il Minjok’ refers to the idea that Korean
people all share the same ancestor, 'Dangun,' and no matter where we are or
what country we belong to, the fact that we share the same blood does not
change. Therefore, Koreans belong to a very large family, and somehow, every
single one of us is a relative of another. Koreans have educated this idea of 'Dan-il
Minjok' to their children through many millennia. The long story of 'Minjok'
all begins here: sharing the same
origin.
We are also proud about our
history. The so-called “five millennia of history” of the Korean peninsula
gives us the pride in having preserved our nation, our 'minjok' without having
been contaminated by external forces, along the history of Gojoseon, Shilla,
Goryeo, and Joseon dynasties. We remained a 'Dan-il Minjok,' despite the disputes
from inside and invasions from outside the Korean peninsula. This history gave
Korean people a strong sense of unity, and every time this country faced a new
obstacle, we are confident that we can go through this again since our
ancestors have also done it. In school, we are educated to believe that every
single one of us should work with best effort in being loyal, protecting, and working
to develop our nation since this nation's success was achieved through the
Minjok’s mutual sacrifices. From the first process defining the term 'minjok,'
we can sight out the fact that this term is mostly related to the same origin
and blood of Korean people, rather than citizenships.
Korea cannot go further if it discriminates foreigners as not a member of our minjok.
However,
can we really say that the loyalty towards nation, sense of unity, sacrifice
towards nation, and every selfless aspect of 'minjok,' were all caused from the
pure soul of Korean people? I would say no to this question, since I witnessed numerous
attempts from the Korean government to promote this kind of feeling to their
citizens. Granting Korean citizenship to a baby deflects the government
implication to promote the phenomenon 'minjok' in Korean society. Currently,
Korean citizenship is granted to a baby if either of his parents are Korean. On
the other hand, foreign babies born in Korea would not be granted Korean
citizenship. What can we conclude from these two policies? If you have the
blood of Korean, you get to vote, and you are a Korean. However, if you don't
have it, it is hard for one to become a Korean no matter whether he is born in
Korea or not. These imply that 'Minjok' is about blood and heritage, more than just
geographical area. 'Minjok' supercedes geographical boundaries. Even if you’re
across the Pacific, if you have the blood, you’re connected to the Korean Minjok. Conversely, even if you’re
living within the territory of Korea, if you don’t have the Korean root, you’re
not considered as a member of the Korean Minjok.
Having defined what 'Minjok' is,
and showed its relationships to our history, now it is time to think about the
contemporary meanings of it. In 21st century, globalization has been the trend
spread on the whole world. Many countries have been experiencing diverse
culture exchanges; even countries like Germany, Japan and Italy that symbolized
ultra-nationalism are facing changes towards a globalized society. In these
series of changes, what path is our idea of 'Minjok' heading? Did Korean people
also face a change under the name of globalization? Professor Shin ki-wook says
Korean still have their 'Minjok' in their heart by mentioning in his paper that
"Koreans initiated and pursued globalization with a clear nationalistic
agenda from the outset. Samuel Kim said Koreans cannot purse nationalism and
globalization at the same time. I personally think that ethnic identity was even
intensified in reaction to the globalization process. However, how can I say that identity is even intensified through the paradigm 'Minjok,' even though
looking around us, we see people wearing Nikes everywhere, spending months to
learn English and Chinese?
Every Korean is required to learn English,
sometimes even beyond Korean, to survive in this ‘globalized’ society
Under the name “Taehan Minguk”, the Korean Minjok becomes
one.
The 2002 World cup fervor is a good
example. In this miraculous moment, our 'Minjok' came together from all around
the world. I was surprised by the fact that the film of Korean national team's
match in world cup is also very popular in North Korea. We shouted out
"Taehan minguk,” and "Uri nun hana." Korean 'Minjok' showed its
sense of unity again in this world cup whether or not Korean government again
had this intention. Kim Dae-Jung, the formal president of Korea called this world
cup as "Korea's
happiest day since Dangun." As this shows, we still consider our
bloodlines very important, and stress the fact that we are 'Koreans.' We are
proud of what Korea has. We are excited to all the games that Korean national
team participates, and we are happy about the outputs of Samsung.
It must be noted that this
phenomenon of 'Minjok' has become a double-edged sword in the current Korean
society. It has both potential advantages and disadvantages. On the positive
side of it, we can draw a parallel line to Jews in America. Like them,
connecting with each other, helping each other just because they share the same
ethnicity can also be applied to Korean 'Minjok.' Korean ethnicity becomes a
springboard for success by bonding over similar backgrounds. LA, Beijing, NY
all has Korea Towns, and Koreans greet each other anywhere when they hear
Korean.
Koreans are seen everywhere, forming cliques and
helping each other out – just because they’re the same Minjok
On the other side, this can
easily mean Koreans being ostracized from the rest of the global society. Many
Koreans overseas connect with Koreans only. This often leads to Koreans failing
to adapt well to the fast-changing global society, which could slow Korea's
development in different industries. Discrimination towards foreigners and
children from multicultural families including half-Korean would become a very
serious issue. Due to the aging population, labor force in Korea depends on the
foreign workers. Also, globalized society causes different kinds of exchanges
between Korea and the outer world, and Korea has incentives to persuade foreign
talented people to visit or even immigrate into Korea. In these circumstances,
if Koreans only focus on 'Minjok,' arguing the same bloodlines, Korean society
will degrade its productivity in many different industries. In one sentence,
Korea will not be able to upgrade its image into a developed country.
Koreans group too well with other Koreans that they often end up losing their opportunity to group with others.
Looking at the Minjok term at a
national level, the 'minjok' propaganda has worked well in motivating the
people to cooperate "as one” in the past, during the take-off period. The
period of 1960-90s required individual sacrifice, and Koreans worked very hard
and contributed to the success of Korean short industrialization. Many nurses
and miners were sent to Germany to earn money. Getting through this kind of hard
period required some external force to unite Korean people into one, and the
propaganda 'Minjok' served its goal. Miners, nurses, construction workers
worked as hard as they can because they believed their sacrifices would help
their Minjok prosper and make their sons and daughters live in a better
condition.
These people voluntarily flew to Germany to help our Minjokprosper.
In the 21st century, however, the
paradigm for Minjok has shifted. This can be seen in the changed version of
2007 'pledge of allegiance to the Korean flag.' It demonstrates not an
unconditional sacrifice, but a proud affirmation of allegiance to the free and
just Koran society. To conclude, spirit of Minjok still remains in the 21st century,
but its practical implication has been modified, relevant to the trends of the
21st century. 'Minjok' means rights and privileges more than obligation and
burden. This change of the meta narrative of 'Minjok' is happening, and it is
necessary for Korea's success in 21st century.
This is how Korean pledge of allegiance changed over time. 1)This is the original version of pledge of allegiance to the Korean flag. 나는자랑스런태극기앞에조국의통일과번영을위하여정의와진실로서충성을다할것을다짐합니다.
"I pledge in
front of the proud Korean flag to be loyal for the nation's prosperity and
unification with justice and honesty."
-2)This is the 2nd version of pledge of allegiance to the Korean flag, which has changed in 1974.
나는자랑스런태극기앞에조국과민족의무궁한영광을위하여몸과마음을바쳐충성을다할것을굳게다짐합니다.
"I pledge in front of the proud Korean flag to be loyal
for the nation and minjok's unstopping glory, by sacrificing all my body and
heart."
3) This is the 3rd version of pledge of allegiance to the Korean flag, which has changed in 2007.
나는자랑스러운태극기앞에자유롭고정의로운대한민국의무궁한영광을위하여충성을다할것을굳게다짐합니다.
"I pledge in front of the proud Korean flag to be loyal
for free and just nation's unstopping glory.
The pledge of allegiance to the Korean flag.
Still, the paradigm Minjok has a
lot of way to go. Multi-cultural families in Korea are still living up with
discrimination, with almost no support from the neighbors. Since we have not
considered foreigners as a member of our 'Minjok,' we treated them differently.
This is a harm to not only foreigners but also to the Korean society as a whole.
If we do not fix this problem, Korea will be a closed society, isolated from
the international society. We should acknowledge that now we should think 'Minjok'
in a broader way. It is more than just blood which is something we cannot
change. We should put an emphasis on culture and language, properties of Korean
minjok-ness that can be learned through experience. We should put these factors
as the primary ones in our Minjok. We should learn to appreciate those who
appreciate the Korean 'Minjok.'
Embracing foreigners is more than a choice; it's a necessity.
Even though it is not heading the
most ideal destination, KMLA initially had the purpose to make a mixture
between Korean identity and globalized Korea. This was an experimental try
which surprised many people including professor Shin Ki-Wook. However, KMLA
also could not keep the perfect balance between two values. Korea is also
currently a mixture of “Korea in the globe, the globe in Korea”. In some sense,
the civilization itself has been globalized or westernized more than ever, but
many Koreans still keep pride in their history, language and culture. Keeping a
delicate balance, toning down the exclusivity of Minjok, and bringing out the
connectivity of minjok through shared culture, language, perception as Koreans
will help Korea prosper as a globalized nation with a grounded identity
appropriate for the 21st century.
Korea 2013: How Korea developed and where it should head in the future
Last saturday, KMLA held a big contest. It was FRED, and a lot of students participated in this speech contest. However, this year's speech contest was very different from past several years since Mr.Garrioch and the English department allowed participants to use powerpoint and prezi, to successfully deliver message. Therefore, this year's speech was overall more dynamic, and enthusiastic. Like it is shown in the competition's schedule, many freshmen along with the juniors and seniors came up with different topics, and delivered their message to KMLA family. Students from Daechon middle school visited our school, watching KMLA students' presentations. Also, there were ice creams provided to the audience, because it was blazing hot on that day.
My topic was about sports, not only because I am a great fan of soccer, but also, there was an important message that I wanted to show to KMLA family. I proved how sports can change the world, and showed the ultimate power of it. I showed two incidents, one of Didier Drogba, a famous soccer player ending his country's civil war through soccer, and the other about Nelson Mandela, first Black president in South Africa that united whites and blacks in his country through Rugby. Even though I made some mistakes, many students were interested to it, and I also got the BEST PRESENTATION AWARD~~!!!!
Schedule of FRED talk
This was a good chance for me to improve my English skill, and I was happy about the fact that I could honestly talk about my belif, and many people listened carefully to what I talked about.
New changes in the 21st century brought by the globalization
Psy's Gangnam style has gone over 1.6 billion views. Arab
Spring has democratized Egypt and Tunisia. Now, the 21st century has begun. Globalization
of the 21st century goes beyond the integration of culture and
political systems. With the development of technology, information travels
within a split second from the opposite part of the world. Essentially, the world has become an integrated
“town” marked by efficient communication and shared
values. Among numerous changes that characterize 21st
century, I believe the international cooperation for human rights and integration of world economy
will become the two most important outcomes of globalization.
In the
21st century, activism for human rights will
see exponential growth with global legal coordination. In the past, it was hard to induce global cooperation for human rights
because many countries prioritized national
sovereignty and domestic laws over other international treaties. However, rapid growth of non-governmental organization
(NGOs) and international law in the 21st successfully
prompted many countries’ coordinated actions against “crimes against humanity,” the universal harm to peace. The
International Criminal Court (ICC)’s recent conviction of Pinochet, a former
dictator in Chile demonstrates this point. A Spanish judge in ICC requested the
arrest of Pinochet for genocide and terrorism
in Chile and Argentina. ICC successfully earned British government’s
cooperation to deport him for trial. As such, ICC punishes past war criminals,
compensates for victims, and research further to prevent similar human rights disasters
in the future. This example illustrates that growing
practical power of international law is crucial to deliver justice to human
rights violations in North Korea and other African autocratic governments in the
new 21st century.
In the 21st
century, a new economic order will establish with the rising influence of China
and international organizations. When the Bretton Woods System was established in 20th
century, international organizations like World Trade Organization (WTO)
and International Monetary Fund (IMF) were dominated by “Western powers,” such
as United States and Britain because they are the biggest shareholders and have
veto powers to shape their policy decisions. However, the rapid growth of
China’s Multi-National Companies(MNCs) and Foreign Direct Investment(FDIs) in 21st century led many scholars to
believe that the new century will mark a transition in
economic balance of power. MNCs not only initiate economic transactions,
but also shape worldwide economic norms and trends by accelerating
spread of information and values between countries. Currently, the US is
the biggest shareholder influencing and vetoing the decisions of WTO and IMF. However, the 21st century will mark
an important power transition in worldwide economy from US- centered dynamics
to China-centered dynamics, leading world economy to become not only more
integrated but also more “flat.”
The world has changed increment by
increment in each decade and every century However, the 21st century
has seen particularly rapid changes, establishing new
dynamics of international cooperation over universal human rights and new
balances of economic power. Various problems of 21st century,
such as environmental issues, terrorism, human rights,
and nuclear weapons, all require effective worldwide cooperation. How flexibly
each country can react and adapt to the changes of 21st century will
determine the efficiency of the worldwide cooperation and will shape the future
of human society.
After the mid-term exam, KMLA 18th wave students got away from Hoengseong, visiting America or Europe, in order to refresh themselves from a busy life and seeking for their future vision. I went to Europe, even though the most of the international field students were heading East to America. This was because I have never been to Europe while I have lived for about 11months near Boston, America.
Trip in Europe was long and exciting. I almost loved every single moment of the trip. However, I couldn't forget my important memories of 3 days in Paris. So I will write about what I have cited in Paris.
Paris, France
Paris is one of the most well known and globalized city in the world. Thousands of people visit Paris every day, and diverse cultures exist in this city. To me, Paris was the best place in my Vision Trip. Every part of the city, parks, towers, buildings, streets was awesome to me, and I even planned to live in Paris at least for 5 years in my future life. So, what made me think this way about Paris?
Trash cans of Paris
First, I liked the streets of Paris. It was very very very, and very clean. Trash cans that look like the picture below was placed in every 5 meters of the street. Therefore, people could easily throw away their trash in the bins, without just throwing it on the street. I kind of saw French people's culture throughout this. French people are famous of having strong pride and self-esteem towards their country and its culture. They love their history, heritage and their city. Therefore, I think this kind of characteristic made them put so many trash cans on the streets, and keep it clean. All the citizens in Paris worked together to preserve their landmarks, buildings and even a small street. Therefore, Paris itself is a huge, well conserved museum. I also thought that in order for Korea to develop more, we should love our country more and work on preserving our important culture and heritages.
'The pen is mightier than the sword.' This is a famous quote from Edward Bulwer-Lytton. He emphasized the strength of writings, which has changed the world many times over the history. This quote has been an ongoing debate topic, and many people have argued back and forth about the motion. In Nacirema story, the writer has proved this quote again by criticizing American society very sharply. In this essay, I will write about my first expression when I got before knowing the true meaning of Nacirema. I will deeply analyze why I thought this way and how my ideas were developed. Then, I will write about my reflection after knowing what Nacirema meant.
First, I read the story without knowing what Nacirema was. I was kind of suspicious about the location, religion and customs of Nacirema. It had a lot of similarity with the country America. However, I just kept thinking only about Nacirema without carefully thinking about the relation with America. Actually, the term 'Nacirema' kind of sounded like a name of Mexican tribe to me. Therefore, I wrote about what I just thought initially. I started thinking about religion since it had a strong relationship with all the rituals in Nacirema. I began throwing questions about religion. Mankind has been so obsessed with religion and their believes throughout the whole history. So I became very curious about this fact. Why are they so obsessed with their religion? There has been numerous wars and disasters caused by the conflicts between the religion. Is having a religion so important to them that they almost sacrifice their lives just for the religion? Even though I am a Christian, I had these questions. Then, I thought about my personal experience. I once had an incident when I maintained my mental stability through my religion. My mom had been very sick in my last summer vacation. She even had to go through a big surgery. This was a horrible news to me and I got confused when preparing for the KMLA admission. I also thought of giving up my high school admissions. However, at that moment, I prayed and I got back on track. My mom's surgery succeeded, and I also prepared well for KMLA. I remembered this story and partially realized the reason people believe in their religion. They get relaxed, remain calm and get prepared for anything that is coming to them. This was the first thought that I had in mind, and I thought deeply and critically about what 'religion' is.
Then, I realized what this writing was meant to be. I realized that the word 'Nacirema' is the direct opposite of 'American.' I was shocked, and my brain stopped working for a very short moment. Then, I found this story very interesting. I liked how this story was organized in a clear way to serve its purpose, which was criticizing Americans in 1950s. This story compared Americans to a native tribe, with almost no civilizations. It mentioned that Nacirema show how extreme human beings can be. From this part, it was easy for me to recognize the author's critical viewpoint. Also, Miner, the author of Nacirema mentioned American society with a one that has strict hierarchy. Nacirema had the medicine man at the top of the hierarchy. This symbolized the doctors in American society, which also spots the top of social hierarchy. Like this, Nacirema criticized Americans and their society by imitating it in a negative tone.
In conclusion, reflection on a writing differs on each person. Also, it changes depending on a background knowledge of one. In this case, my impressions on the essay completely differed between before knowing the relationship between Nacirema and Americans and after knowing it. Reading the story and writing a reflection about it multiple times was a good experience to realize the fact that a reflection on an essay can change based on the information or background knowledge one has.
The Age of Stupid: We had the chance to save ourselves.
What they wanted was this!
Mankind has developed endlessly over few centuries. They
started using fire, built cities and civilizations, also made electricity. They
started using fossil fuels, invented car, and rode the airplane which enabled
them to move around the world within a day. Their developments and progress has
been remarkable, and the human's quality of life has been improving. However,
they could not stop. The taste of progress was sweet, and humans suddenly got
addicted to it. They always looked for methods or tools to make their own life
more convenient. Having this as a primary goal, they got rid of all the
obstacles which slowed them down from going forward. At last, humans even got
rid of themselves.
Humans
started to have inner conflicts between endless development and balanced development
ever since the industrial revolution. It was almost the first time in human
history to have severe pollution and destroyed environment because of human
activity. Therefore, people started to think whether they should stop, or at
least slow down what they are doing and look for another way around. However,
mankind never received any direct harms of pollution. As a result, their choice
was to find the fastest way to develop, and ignore the destruction of
ecosystem. At first, this decision did not have a major effect on environment.
However, as time passed, it was more than enough to figure out that something
was going wrong. World temperature rose gradually and natural disasters damaged
a lot of people. Desertification has stole numerous lives of plants and trees.
The ozone layer has been destroyed and ultraviolet rays have caused serious
diseases.
Mont Blanc
An old man,
working as a mountain guide, has experienced Earth's unpleasant changes throughout
his whole life. He tells his miserable experience. Fernand Paro has completed
the mountain guide training in 1956. In 1956, the mountain, Mont Blanc had strong
glaciers as well as gorgeous summer. Cows went around the glacier to eat the
grass. People could experience the real nature in this place. However, since
1945, 150 meters of glaciers was melting in Mont Blanc. Now, only winter and
summer exists in Mont Blanc and summer is too hot for the glacier as well as
human itself.
Secondly, humans also started to have conflicts within themselves,
caused by the greed for natural resources. For sustainable development, humans
needed fuels to accelerate the machines, factories and vehicles. Best example
for this conflict is the fight going over fossil fuels. Fossil fuel was a
perfect equipment for the development of mankind. However, the amount of fossil
fuel in Earth was very limited. Therefore, to gain the most profit from fossil
fuel, humans began to fight. This fight later developed to war. Also, some
countries and companies with finance and power began to exploit the natural
resource from undeveloped nations.
Shell: Its name is related to nature, but actually destroys nature!
Nigeria
One of
the largest oil company, Shell has given inhumane harms to environment and
people of Nigeria. After Shell finding oil in Nigeria, they soon intervened
Nigerian community. They dug many holes and got oil out from it. However in the
process, oil ran into the river. River was polluted and all the living
creatures in the river also got polluted. Nigerians could not fish in this
river anymore, and they could not find any clean water to drink and wash,
neither. Shell got criticisms from international society. So they decided to
build medical facilities like hospitals in Nigeria. However, they stopped the
construction, and left the village. Shell never heard any voice from neighbors.
Also, they bombed the town if they found oil under it but people in the town were
resisting not to move.
"We
wouldn't be the first life formed to wipe itself out. But what would be unique
about us, is that we did it knowingly." This was a notable quote from the
movie clip 'The Age of Stupid.' Humans claim themselves as the smartest of all
the animals. They are proud of what they have made, built, and sustained. They
say that humans got through many crisis in the past because they were strong
and wise. However, reality in the current society proves why these are not
true. In fact, humans might get rid of Earth, and themselves totally. Today, I
want to warn mankind to slow down and look around of what they have done.
This video is about GNH(Gross National Happiness) Enjoy the video!
In April third, I made a prezi and presented it in front of Mr.Garrioch's english conversation class! Minseok Koo and I were in the same group, and we had to make a prezi together. However, at first, we had a hard time choosing the topic. But at last, we decided to talk about the real 'happiness'. We though this could be a hard and abstract topic, but this was the topic that everyone should constantly think in their life. Therefore, with our thoughts and knowledge, we made a prezi.
First, we discussed about the relationship between wealth and happiness.
Does having a lot of money make one happy? This was the question we throw and the whole class actively discussed about this point.
Second, we discussed about the relationship between social status and happiness.
Graduation a good high school or university and gaining lots of fame makes one happy?
Having an occupation like a doctor, which everyone respects always make one happy?
This was a hard question. We had to both consider the reality. We also looked at many examples related to this topic.
At the end, Minseok explained an interesting speech from a Korean millionaire.
This millionaire addressed in front of t'he people:
"I have 1000억(uk) won. From 1000, 3 zeros each symbolize my fame, wealth and authority. BUT! If I erase 1 in front of 3 zeros, it becomes nothing. This 1 is the most important part of my whole life. This 1 can be different and it depends on each person. To me, it is my family."
Minseok introduced this AWESOME speech and the whole classed was surprise!
We talked about this 1 through out the class.
In this class, by preparing and presenting the prezi, I learned a lot. We had a fun discussion with Mr.Garrioch about the real happiness. This was kind of philosophical and deep, but it made us think critically. I think this discussion can not end until the end of my life and I will PURSUE my happiness since then!
I wanted to inform many people who are watching my blog about the 'Minjok Festival.' In Korean schools, like other foreign schools, they always have a school festival. In KMLA, there is a school festival called the 'Minjok Festival.' Many clubs such as the band clubs and dance groups have a concert in this festival. Also, we sell different kinds of foods like Sausages, icecreams, and 'Tuk-boki.' 
