Take a close view of our country’s changes

KOREA. THE country represented by its divided territory and two different ideologies. The country chocked by huge identity such as “White-clad folk” and “Homogeneous society.” Also the country which made all people around the world surprised under the name of “Red Devils.” These things I mentioned as the image of Korea you may not agree. Frankly speaking, those words cannot define Korea as the country which is facing many changes. So let me ask you a question; What do you picture when you read the word “Korea”?

   

Through a survey, the Yonsei Annals pointed out two influential changes that forming their way now. One is a change that happened inside Korea, and the other is a change taking place outside Korea. It’s quite ironic that we tried to differentiate these two changes by using the notion of “territorial border,” however after reading the article, I want you to view Korea not just by its territory, but as a member of the global community, and a member communicating and cooperating with global issues.

Korea, its inner change
   Before undertaking this article, we need to clarify how we can define the term “Korean.” The most general meaning is “Nationality,” which proves our rights to stay here as citizens. So the Annals asked students about nationality and citizenship as the first question.
For the question of If a foreigner changed his identity to that of Korea, could you treat him equally just like an ethnic Korean?, more than 80.0% of respondents answered positively. Also for the following question, If a Korean gave up Korean nationality and emigrated, do you think they need to be treated like Koreans?, surprisingly more than 50.0% of them said “No.” Through this analysis, we can see how much importance respondents put to the concept of “Nationality.” Is “Nationality” the most substantial way we can prove that someone is a Korean? Are there more receptive and generous ways for making many immigrant people who do not have Korean nationality live in more relieving and joyful lives? As living in the world where the word “transcontinental” commonly used, I expect the day when such a notion would be diminished or lose its power.
The number of people who do not have Korean nationality is way beyond your expectation. Among them, the immigrant workers are taking a big part. How many immigrant workers do you think are living in Korea? Currently, it is estimated that more than 400 thousand immigrant workers are working in Korea. If you remember the fire broken out in Yeosu on Feb. 11th, you might have an interest in immigrant workers’ status. To hear vivid voices from their communities, the Annals went by the “Korean Migrant Workers Human Right Center.”

“The number of foreign workers visiting our center is about two to three thousand until now. They meet people, read books, enjoy various cultural activities or get medical services. On Sundays, about 100 workers participate in Korean education language,” said Choi Hyun-mo, the general manager of the center.

He added that the reason for teaching Korean language lesson is only for immigrant workers’ self protection. Like the Nepalese worker Chandra who was mistaken as a crazy man by his poor Korean skill, foreign workers are on the danger of being prejudiced or ignored. The difficulty to speak Korean makes workers express their rights and needs hard.
Then, to the question of “Why immigrant workers wanted to work in Korea despite painful procedures?,” Choi explained the dissociation between the first image of Korea that immigrant workers had and current recognition. “Immigrant workers imagined Korea as a ‘rich country’ where they can earn much money. In other words, Korea was regarded as some kind of labor force market. However, after entering Korean society, they faced difficulties because of cultural exclusionism.”
Korean society should be blamed at this point for looking upon foreign workers as “objects of exploitive labor practices,” and “temporarily existing people” who will not settle in Korea forever. Also he added, “Migrant laborers should be regarded as ‘normally living people’ who form their lives in Korea. Rather than opening markets to a globalizing world without an insightful manner, we really need to offer meaningful consideration to the people next to you. Migrant workers are not the only ones who rely on our help, but the ones who grow up with us.”

   

By the way, according to Choi, immigrant workers’ children are facing difficulty when taking history classes. As they are not members of our “Homogeneous society” and “Dangun’s offsprings,” they face trouble in shaping their identities. So on this point, we tried to focus on the matter of educating history and its influence on patriotism.
“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” said George Santayana. It is generally accepted that history is our reflection of the present, but how much do you think our history affects to you? This question is related to the survey we’ve presented to students.
For the question What do you think about propagating patriotism through history education?,*33.0% of students replied that it’s quite positive as we could realize the true meaning of patriotism through education. Overall, 58.0% of them replied positively, whereas 35%.0 answered negatively. Among other answers, one of the respondents said “Current history education should be arbitrated to make students see the both sides of our history. In other words, it should talk not only about our magnificent achievements, but also our faults.” One made his attitude quite clear and it may lead general agreement by most people. As people vary, they also have all different ideas. There are no correct answers, and no perfect decisions. So discussing these matters and shaping our own solutions may become a great trial.
Also when asked What do you think about the media’s releasing content mainly focusing on patriotism?, 48.7% of students replied in a favorable way, while 24.3 in a unfavorable way, and 23.5% urged NGOs’ control of the media as the number of citizens affected by media is not small, it requires intervenient systems. As the number of respondents who do not show their positive attitude of airing patriotic subjects is almost 47%, broadcasting and radio companies should be careful to describe patriotism. Also the audience and viewers should play a significant role as guardians.

 



Korea, leading worldwide changes
   Rain, BoA, Song Hae-kyo, Jang Na-ra, Jang Dong-gun, “Dae Jang Guem”, “Winter Sonata”… As you can see, Hallyu really hits Asia. Hallyu is the coined word indicating that South Korean culture’s popularity through the world, especially in Asian regions. There are some theories explaining the origin of "Hallyu," but among those, the theory insisting that Hallyu is derived from the CD’s title which the Ministry of Culture and Tourism distributed to advertise our culture in 1999 is the most persuasive one.
As many students are very interested in this cultural trend, the Annals concluded that Hallyu can represent the notion of Korea-led worldwide change. It is the communicating culture that Korea links its culture with the globe. For the question of Do you think ‘Hallyu’ contributes to leading the overall image of Korean society in a positive way?, 68.4% of respondents said “yes,” indicating that most of students evaluate the effect of Hallyu is big. Then, how can we let this atmosphere continue? So we asked How ‘Hallyu’ should be improved in order to flexibly adjust in the midst of globalization?, and about 80.0% of students chose “Harmonizing the Korean spirit with globalization in order to develop better cultural codes” as the answer. This answer seems to consider the relationship between the global culture market and what Hallyu should do to attract its consumers’ taste.
“The four most substantial aspects that Hallyu is prominent are dramas, K-pop, movies and games. Its popularity has been achieved through the last ten years,” said Kang Chul-keun, the head of the Institute of Hallyu Culture.

Currently, many people worried about the future of Hallyu and how it should be improved, so the Annals focused on the paths that Hallyu should not follow. “Firstly, the image of our country Hallyu forms should not be led by the government. It has to be done by only ordinary citizens, which mean us,” Kang said. He warned that the government-led cultural movement will make other countries feel bad and it only provokes anti-Korean feelings. Instead, he said the government should focus on establishing infrastructure necessary to produce high quality culture. Also he emphasized that the importance of humane studies. “As humane studies are the sources of various kinds of cultural contents, students have to put more importance on them,” he said.
Park Jin-young, the singer and producer, once commented about Hallyu in a interview. He said if Hallyu is led by politics or through media excessively it may irritate other countries; as it seems to exemplify nationalistic behavior and Korean supremacy.

   


Like Kang Chul-keun and Park Jin-young said, current Hallyu has negative signs that need to be amended. Korean culture is now delivered to the whole world and it brings enormous benefits to us. Also by means of Hallyu, many foreigners feel good about our country and visit us. What we need to do to give Korea a better image in the future is to ceaselessly reform Hallyu as well as develop it.
Through the idea of Hallyu, we regard ourselves as more friendly and involved in the global society. However, is that true? There a great difference lies between our thinking of being related to the world and reality. On this matter, cultural trends are not enough to evaluate one country’s status in the world. To discover Yonseian’s opinions, the Annals asked some questions, under the name of “Intimacy grouping.”
When the Annals asked To which group do you think you are involved intimately?, the most chosen answer was “the globe(30.2%). Following that figure, “only South Korea (12.3%)” and “the Korean national identity which includes the North (5.8%)” were marked. It is glad to know that many Yonseian’s mindset is broad enough to accept every race and ethnicity as their neighbors; however, we need to be critical in order to find out how this attitude is described in reality.
Now let’s think about our most intimated (or the most alienating) brothers and sisters. Sometimes they showed up to us as the image of invaders, and sometimes they are just like our families. They are North Koreans who live under a different political system, but share many things in common. We asked students questions related to the North, mostly focused on unification.
For the question of Do you think unification should be accomplished?, about 50.0% of respondents answered “Unification should be done in order to enhance competitiveness of our country.” Globalization affects us on all areas that not only in economy aspects but also in cultural. So there is no doubt that “Competitiveness” is the keyword in considering every policy.
After that, the Annals intensively asked a question Which political system should we have to select if the two Koreas united?, more than 52.0% of students answered that they want the Southern political system, while 38.2% of them replied they wish to sustain two separate organizational structures and be in desirable co-relations. It might seem unrealistic and barely tangible; however, with our profound understanding of the other and efforts to have conversation with each other, we may find a way in which everyone is satisfied.
Through this article, I hope that you could feel how our country transforms its appearance. Our country is now facing many changes not only from the inside, but outside too. While considering the global cooperation movements, we will meet more varieties in the future. So I want you to be ready and be generous to other ethnicities, other culture as well as other ideologies. As we are the citizens of our country, and we are the future generation, we should remember that the future of KOREA is in our hands.

* This poll was conducted by the Annals on April 24 - May 14 among 930 students of Yonsei University. The Survey was not conducted by random sampling, and therefore may contain statistical errors.

If you have interest in how the image of North Korea is shaping its appearance through movies, see these movies the Annals recommend. What we need to know is that the increased number of movies starred North Korean people does not mean that our recognition of the North becomes generous. We have to read between the lines because even if the movie itself covers an idealistic happy ending, it may unconsciously involve the philosophy of conquering the North or having them submit by the South.
* Movies the Annals recommend: <The Spy (1999)> <Swiri (1998)> <Double Agent (2002)>

“Selfishness that regards immigrant workers as a means of exploitation should be eliminated. If that kind of selfishness exists, Korean society cannot develop. Human rights without welfare are meaningless.”
- Choi Hyun-mo, General Manager of Korean Migrant Workers Human Right Center

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