Posts in October 2008

The Korean Wave

Posted by Ginny
Oct
26
2008

Hallyu (한루) or the Korean wave, is a term that refers to the growing popularity of Korean entertainment, culture, food and language in other countries; particularly in East and Southeast Asia.  The Korean wave can be traced back to the 1990s when audiences in China, Japan and Taiwan were first exposed to South Korean dramas. Korean dramas, pronounced as durama (드라마) in Korean, are essentially soap operas that last for about three months with around twenty episodes or so.  Korean dramas are known to contain highly addicting plotlines.  Naturally, stories of unrequited love, good guy versus bad, reeled in many East Asian fans. 

Interestingly enough, Korean dramas became popular in Middle Eastern countries like Iran as well.  With Korean dramas focused on family values and devoid of sexual content, Middle Eastern audiences were able to identify with some of the drama’s characters.  One of the most notable of these dramas is called Jewel of the Palace or dae jang gum (대장금).  Dramas like dae jang gum (대장금) sparked an unprecented interest in Korean culture and put South Korea on the “map.”

With the export of Korean dramas, Korean music followed in popularity.  Boy bands with flashy dances and upbeat rhythms soon captured female audiences.  The most well known of these boy bands is dong bang shin ki (동방신기) a five member group consisting of songs that range from hip hop to more pop songs.  Additionally, solo artists like Rain pronounced bi (비) in Korean, and Boa (보아) would rise to top the music charts and perform concerts in countries like Japan.

The Korean wave achieved three goals for South Korea.  First, it cemented South Korea’s presence historically, on the world stage.  Japan and China were no longer the only countries to dominate Asia socio-politically and economically.  For the first time South Korea became a strong contender to challenge the Chinese and Japanese stronghold in Asia.  Secondly, the South Korean economy prospered with the export of Korean goods.  More people wanted to wear Korean clothes and eat Korean food while they were watching and listening to Korean music and dramas.  With the rise in South Korean exports, Korea increased its trading presence in the world as well.  Lastly, South Korea gained an upper hand in political and diplomatic affairs.  In the past, countries like China and Japan looked down on Korea with contempt, but now efforts are being made in those respective countries to “reconcile” with South Korea.  (This reminds me of a situation where the popular kid at school initially ignores you but then upon learning that you’re rich, the popular kid all of a sudden wants to be best buddies with you!)

As South Korea moves towards the future, and as problems mount in North Korea, whether South Korea likes it or not, it will have a greater role in world affairs in the coming years.  So don’t be surprised to see South Korea in the news more often or Korean goods in supermarkets all across the U.S.!

 
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North Korea

Posted by Ginny
Oct
26
2008

For the past couple of posts I’ve referred to the word “Korea” many times.  For most of those times I’ve used “Korea” to refer to the Republic of South Korea.  Today, I’m going to talk about North Korea.  Now, before I begin, I just want to preface this blog by saying that I don’t want to get into a political discussion over whether “Korea” refers to both the South and North combined or whether it refers to the South alone.  This post that I’m currently writing right now will refer to North Korea, or the country north of the Korean peninsula.

North Korea is a one party state, which means that Kim Jong-il the current leader of North Korea, is the head of state and the only leader of the state.  Being that North Korea is a one party state, there are no elections and no opposing parties.  Kim Jong-il will remain the head of state until he passes away or abdicates his power to a successor.  The successor will most likely be his son or relative, operating much like the successor systems of kings and queens.

Moreover, North Korea follows a juche (주체) ideology that centers its focus on being a self reliant state.  This means that there is no trade conducted among nations and no dissemination of media outside of North Korea.  Any outside media that is permitted is strictly censored to adhere to North Korean policy.  This is a good way to ensure that nobody talks behind the leader’s back or criticizes his policies.  You are not allowed to even criticize something as trivial as Kim Jong-il’s outfit, which I must say, is probably the nightmare of many fashion forward stylists.  I would go so far as to say that it is a green sometimes burlap colored outfit that does nothing to accentuate the good parts of your figure.  (Not that I’m a fashion expert, but if I were him I’d get a wig, some height elevation shoes, and cut back on the sweets and fats.)

Ok, back to North Korea.  (Sorry for going off topic there!)  I think Americans take it for granted when they buy a foreign watch or rent a foreign movie.  The juche (주체) ideology would seriously limit many aspects of our lives.  For example, I would be half traumatized and go into a mental breakdown if I could not get updates on what happened on Prisonbreak or Heroes which happen to be two of my favorite tv shows. Oh, and I would be sad if I couldn’t listen to the news or buy foreign books as well.  (Sort of).

Back again to North Korea (having a lot of trouble staying on topic today!)  North Korea currently faces many daunting challenges as it enters the next century.  Conflict with the U.S. over nucleur weapons and mass starvation and famine are some of the problems that plague the country.  As the role of increasing technology, particularly the internet; spreads throughout the globe, only time will tell whether North Korea will be able to sustain its juche (주체) ideology.

 
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Soju (소주)

Posted by Ginny
Oct
25
2008

Now, enough with the serious posts and on with the fun posts!  Today I’m going to talk about everybody’s favorite subject: alcohol.  (Well, maybe not everybody’s favorite!)  Since this is a Korean blog, let me introduce an alcoholic beverage native to Korea.  It is called soju (소주).  Soju (소주) is mainly made from rice, but other starches such as potatoes and barley are sometimes used as well.  Soju (소주) is usually clear in color, but some are fruit flavored and have artifical dyes that make them look red or green.  The South Korean government prohibits the alcohol content of soju (소주) to be above 35%.  As a result, many sojus (소주) contain an average of about 20% of alcohol content.

Moreover, Korea is what I call a drinking culture.  Now, I’m not saying that Korea is a nation of alcoholics!  What makes an alcoholic?  Well, I’m not sure, but Koreans don’t really have the stigma attached to alcohol like Americans do.  What I mean is that soju (소주) is often a medium for people to bond in situations they would not normally have the opportunity to do at work.  Employers and employees in Korea sometimes work overtime shifts without extra pay.  Naturally stress and fatigue builds up, creating a need for people to let their hair down.  Sometimes an employer may offer to treat his employees after a long day of work.  Usually, employees accept, because accepting an offer to drink is seen as accepting someone’s trust and friendship.

The concept of going drinking with your employer may seem like an odd concept to Americans.  In American society, there are certain boundaries carved out between one’s personal life and work life.  In Korean society, these boundaries are less distinct.  If you’re someone who likes to drink, you’ll do fine in Korea.  If you’re not a particularly tolerant drinker like me and you refuse to drink often, you may offend some of your co-workers.  Just to be polite, I would suggest that you take at least a sip and perhaps apologize with a jesonghapnida (죄송합니다) which means I’m sorry in Korean.  You may also want to add, surul chal mot heyo (수를 잘 멋 해요) which literally means “I don’t really do alcohol well” with the intended meaning being that you aren’t an avid drinker.

If you do decide to go out drinking with your boss, here are some alcohol etiquette rules you should follow.  When you pour a drink for your boss, make sure both hands touch the bottle.  If both hands don’t touch the bottle, at least place your left hand on your right arm with your right hand pouring the drink.  Using both hands is a sign of respect so remember to do that.  Also, remember that it’s a bit direct and frank to drink with your face toward your boss.  When you bring the glass to your lips, make sure you turn your head away from your boss at least 45 degrees away from your boss.  Think of this way: since Koreans have a tendency to sit close together, drinking with the your face toward the other person would allow the person to see and hear you gulp down your drink, and that is just not an attractive sight!

So, have fun drinking and don’t forget to say konbe (건배) which means cheers!

 
Posted under Cuisine
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Hangul (한글) Day

Posted by Ginny
Oct
24
2008

Hangul nal (한글 날) which in English means Hangul Day, is commemorated on the ninth of October.  The word han (한) means Korean and the word kul (글) means script, while nal (날) = day.  Altogether Hangul Day (한글 날) means Korean script day.  Hangul Day commemorates the creation of the modern Korean alphabet system.  The Korean alphabet contains 14 basic consonants and 10 vowels.  In addition to these basic consonants and vowels, there are also 5 tensed consonants and 4 aspirated consonants.  The Korean alphabet also contains some dipthongs as well, but enough about the alphabet. Let’s talk about the history of the Korean alphabet.

Hangul (한글) or the Korean alphabet, was made the official writing system in 1446 A.D during the reign of King Sejong.  Before hangul (한글) was used, Koreans used to write in Chinese characters.  Chinese characters were difficult to write, pronounce and read, so only the nobles were literate while the rest of the population remained iliterate.  King Sejong was determined to close the gap between the noble and peasant class.  He promoted the Korean alphabet as the official writing system, which allowed peasants to communicate with each other through writing.  There were feverish cries of protest from the noble class, many who feared that they would lose their prestige and power with the introduction of hangul (한글).  Despite protests the hangul (한글) system was a success.  Some peasants were able to apply to low government positions and improve their standard of life.  It just goes to show how important writing and reading is.  Sometimes I think people take it for granted, especially in this age of numbers and science.

Whenever I teach hangul (한글) to my students, I always try to give them some kind of a mnemonic way to memorize the sounds with the letters.  Here are some tips that I think will provide useful for those of you who are learning the Korean alphabet: 

1) ᄂ has an “n” sound and the way I remember this is that the character loos like a person who is kneeling.  The word kneeling is spelt with a k, but it is pronounced with an “n” sound.  Therefore, even if it requires you to use your imagination, try to think of the way a letter looks with a way it sounds.

2) ᄆ has an “m” sound.  This character reminds me of a mouth.  Mouth begins with an “m” sound, which helps me to remember that ᄆ has an “m” sound.

3) ᄇhas a “b” sound.  This character reminds me of a bed. This requires some imagination.  The two ends of the bed are the bed posts while the horizontal line in the middle is the cot.

So, just like what I have done with the characters above, I encourage you to find ways of remembering the Korean alphabet with the way the characters look.  It may be impossible to find an equivalent sound with a pictorial representation for every character, but at least you have your work cut out for you for the ones you do have equivalents for.  So until the next post, happy learning!

 
Posted under History, Pronunciation
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Jungme kyoron (중매 결혼)

Posted by Ginny
Oct
23
2008

Jungme kyoron (중매 결혼) is an arranged marriage.  Traditionally Koreans son bayo (손 봐요) or go on an arranged date or meeting with a potential marriage partner.  Son bayo (손 봐요) literally means, to look at one’s hand.  Son (손) means hand.  Bayo = (look at, see).  It dates back to the time when fortune tellers would “read” their clients’ palms to foretell of the future.  In the same way, these arranged dates or meetings are used  to determine whether the other person is suitable as a marriage partner.   While jungme kyoron (중매 결혼) is an arranged marriage, it does not necessarily mean that one is forced to get married to a person he or she doesn’t like.  There is considerable latitude over mate selection.  Often people will go on several dates set up by a jungmejengi (중매쟁이) or matchmaker. 

The jungmejeni (중매쟁이) hooks people up with similar backgrounds by considering such factors like educational status or hakbol (학벌) and the family’s social status and wealth.  Of course many other factors are considered but these are the main two that are valued.  Koreans do not generally feel comfortable marrying “below” themselves.  Marrying “below” themselves would disrupt the social hierarchical system influenced by Confucius, not to mention the snickering that would be followed by such a marriage.

Nowadays, many Koreans are preferring to marry by love (연애 결혼) or rather are preferring to forgo marrying people based on their hakbol (학벌).  While many South Koreans are choosing yuhne kyorlhon (연애 결혼) it should be noted that parents are still actively involved in the marriage selection process.  A parent’s approval of a potential mate is key to whether a marriage will take place.  It is not unusual for Korean couples to break up if one or both of the families do not agree to the marriage.  In many ways choosing a mate is not a decision made by two people but rather a communal decision made by families.  If a person goes against a parent’s will, that child may be disowned.  As a result, the marriage process is not an easy process. 

Once parents give their approval, some couples choose to hold a yakonshik (약혼식) or an engagement ceremony.  These ceremonies are much like a real wedding ceremony.  Yakonshiks (약혼식) involve inviting guests in large ceremonial halls, with food catered and an exchange of rings.  Yahkonshilks (약혼식) are a big deal and they are understood of as a serious expression of intent to walk down the aisle.  Therefore, people do not casually break up with each other if they are engaged.  Much time and money is wasted if couples were to break up due to cold feet or uncertainty.  In sum, marriage is not a light matter in Korea and with the divorce rate rising in Korea, it will probably continue to be a serious issue.

 
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