Archive for May, 2008
In my American Political Culture class, I have been trying to use lots of examples from Korean politics to help explain America’s politics. This has had mixed success. Like most Americans, most Koreans have limited knowledge of their own political system. But we are learning together. So here is a primer for all of you wanting to know about Korean politics (and possibly needing a reminder about how our U.S. system is supposed to work):
Koreans have direct election of the president. They do not have an Electoral College to moderate the potentially immature and irrational decisions of the voters (at least, that was the original idea of the Electoral College).
In addition, Korean Presidents serve 5 years (not 4) and cannot be reelected. Koreans are even more eager than Americans ever were to avoid a dictatorial (or monarchical) President. They do not, however, have the office of Vice President. If something happens to the President, they have to have a national election to replace him. They also have to have a national referendum to change the Constitution, rather than getting three-quarters of the states to approve the change.
Interestingly, Koreans did not have Presidential primaries until 2004. They are still experimenting with them, combining votes by party members (less than 10% of the population) and cell phone public opinion polls. They have dozens of political parties, which change with every election. The oldest political party was formed in the 1990s.
Koreans have a unicameral, not bicameral legislature. This means they have one National Assembly, not a House of Representatives and a Senate. Everyone serves four years, rather than 2 and 6 respectively in the U.S. Whereas impeachment and trial are completely Legislative rights in the U.S., (The House impeaches and the Senate holds a trial), in Korea the Legislature impeaches, but the Judiciary (Supreme Court) holds a trial.
The Judiciary in Korea works much like that of the U.S. with two huge exceptions. Korea has both a Supreme Court (for appeals) and a Constitutional Court (specifically to examine issues of constitutionality). In addition, Korea does not have trial by jury. As of January 1, 2008, the first ever jury trials were held in Korea, on an advisory basis.
The Korean Constitution is many pages longer than the U.S. and infinitely more specific. (If you would like to read it in English, see http://english.ccourt.go.kr/home/english/welcome/republic.jsp). It lists hundreds of things the government must do, but maintains flexibility by saying the government must do them “according to Act” or in other words, according to current law. Therefore changing the spirit of the constitution can be as easy as changing the law. Thus the amazing rights provided in the Constitution are highly contingent on law, whereas in the U.S. they are far more contingent on judicial interpretations. Still, here are some of the impressive rights listed in the Korean Constitution and not in the U.S.
1) All citizens shall be equal before the law, and there shall be no discrimination in political, economic, social or cultural life on account of sex, religion or social status.
2) The privacy of no citizen shall be infringed.
3) All citizens shall enjoy freedom of conscience.
4) All citizens shall enjoy freedom of learning and the arts.
5) All citizens shall have an equal right to receive an education corresponding to their abilities.
6) All citizens have the right and the duty to work.
7) All citizens shall be entitled to a life worthy of human beings.
8) All citizens shall have the right to a healthy and pleasant environment.
One passage I find fascinating is directly under the rights of free speech, free press, assembly and petition (mirroring our First Amendment in the Bill of Rights). Our Bill of Rights definitely does not have this clause: “Neither speech nor the press shall violate the honor or rights of other persons nor undermine public morals or social ethics. Should speech or the press violate the honor or rights of other persons, claims may be made for the damage resulting therefrom.” While the U.S. criminalizes slander (spoken defamation) and libel (written defamation), we rarely prosecute writers for undermining public morals and social ethics. (Though we have in the past - McCarthyism comes to mind).
For this reason I find the Korean Constitution a fascinating mix of liberal beliefs (their statements about equality and rights far exceed those in America) and a conservative focus on social morality (placing the good of society above the rights of the individual.) It is also, thus far, mostly a piece of paper. The American Constitution has achieved an almost religious status, with politicians constantly referring to it to support their points or challenge their opponents. A “Constitutional Right” is valued above all others. In Korea, the Constitution has been amended a dozen times already, and is seen more as a guideline than an absolute standard. In some ways, the Korean Constitution faces the same challenges the American one did when President Andrew Jackson supposedly said “The Supreme Court has made their decision, now let them enforce it.” History teaches that our Constitution has not always been quite so sacred. This is perhaps the most shocking thing to Korean students - and perhaps the most hopeful.
May 25, 2008
As part of their 40th wedding anniversary trip to Hawaii, my parents made a detour to South Korea. As my mom noted, it was not the top of their “foreign destinations” list, but it had me, so that made it pretty attractive. My parents have not left North America in 40 years, but they handled customs and immigration like pros. Here are a few highlights from their trip:
1) A bus tour around Seoul (which meant _I_ finally understood how this city was laid out!). 
2)Dinner at a Buddhist restaurant which covered the table in small bowls of tasty vegetables and ended with traditional Korean dancing and drumming. I was really impressed that my parents managed to sit on the floor for over two hours.
3) Shopping in Insadong, a traditional (and touristy) shopping area. My Dad commented that this was what he expected of “the teeming masses of Asia”- densely packed streets, crowded buildings, lots of alleyways crammed with shops, a profusion of brightly colored goods. It contrasted sharply with the skyscrapers, elegant sculpture, large parks, and Rodeo Drives of modern Seoul. There my mom noted “I have never seen this many Louis Vitton advertisements, even in America!”
4) Touring a folk village in Yongin. We saw houses moved from various parts of the country, with rice thatch roofs, rice broom-swept courtyards, hand carved kitchenware. It was hard to believe that my colleague’s grandparents lived in a home similar to these into the 1970s. Change has happened really fast here.
5) Meals with colleagues. Many of my colleagues wanted to meet my parents, and honor them with a meal. So we had lunch at the National Museum with a member of the U.S. Embassy staff, her mother-in-law and her daughter. Another evening we roasted duck over a fire with two colleagues, and then we had lunch at a famous soy sauce making restaurant with another two colleagues. 
In six days, my parents had six kinds of kimchi and close to 100 different kinds of Korean food. They were great sports, trying everything once, and finding they liked almost all of it.
6) Meeting with students. Due to a scheduling conflict, my parents visited the Korean Presidential Residence (Cheong Wa Dae or the Blue House) along with students from my American Political Culture class. The students were outstanding ambassadors, providing translations of the Korean tour information. My parents also attended my study group where students took full advantage of the chance to talk with foreigners who also happened to be Professor Salerno’s parents. Meeting with English-speaking foreigners is still pretty rare in Pyeongtaek, so having three in a classroom was pretty special.
My parents enjoyed being elders in a country that has traditionally honored age (although that is rapidly and unfortunately changing). I was fascinated to watch people who have always acted the “senior” role with me, suddenly acting the “junior” role with my parents! It affects how people shake hands, pour drinks, drink drinks, and prioritize desires. I think my parents liked best all the children who would come up to them and shyly ask “Where are you from?” and then ask to have a picture taken with the friendly foreigners. Many ran off giggling.
One interaction may serve as a summary for the trip: Walking up the _steep_ hill to Namsan tower, my mom asked four middle-school girls what they were eating. “Ochingo” one said, clearly struggling for the English. “Squid” I translated and they nodded and giggled. 
A huddled conference followed and the girls then offered their food to my parents. Remembering that it is impolite to reject offerings of food, my mom accepted and everybody smiled - a cultural interaction successfully negotiated. Food, giggles, language, and culture on the way to a scenic view. It was a great trip.
May 24, 2008
Monday, May 12th is Buddha’s Birthday. In a country with equal numbers of Christians and Buddhists, it is not surprising that both Buddha’s and Christ’s birthdays are national holidays. Buddha’s birthday is also a major day of prayer, celebration and fundraising for Korean Buddhists. For over a month, temples have been lining their streets, courtyards, and temple interiors with brightly-colored paper lanterns. Each has a tag attached, sending up a prayer for a family member, loved one, or friend. At night, all the lanterns twinkle and shine, lighting the way for souls traveling to heaven (and for believers and tourists wandering to the temple).
For a variety of reasons I missed the famous Lantern parade last weekend in Seoul. But today I walked through the rice fields to the temple in Pyeongtaek and saw the lanterns, the fire-breathing dragon, and the bowing, blow-up monk that greeted the faithful and the curious. I could not take many pictures there, but over the past month I visited a few temples to see the decorations and feel the building excitement. You can see the pictures by clicking on the ones in this blog and then on the “Buddhism” set to the right. The lantern pictures are the first 10 in the set.
May 12, 2008
From Tuesday to Thursday this week, Pyeongtaek University students have been partying. Each department had a booth for cooking food, games of chance, tarot card reading or whatever they wanted to do in order to bond together and raise money. I had a ball trying to catch fish with paper nets, tossing coins onto “roulette boards”, eating some quite good Korean food, and laughing with students. Events occurred continuously in the new amphitheate, from student band concerts to plays to the May Queen competition. Most of the bands sang American songs in English (although I’ll have to take their word for it - I can’t understand the English in most rap songs even when the singers are native speakers). In the evening (after sane people went to bed), major Korean singers performed, ensuring students rarely made it to their not yet cancelled morning classes.
At the same time, the front page of every newspaper has been blaring news about protest rallies in Seoul, demonstrations in the street, planned strikes by workers and students, and ministers apologizing. People here are quite worried about the resumption of U.S. beef imports, fearing that insufficient steps have been taken to prevent mad cow disease.
It is easy to see that much of the beef issue has been hijacked by opposition politicians and anti-American demonstrators. I have had students write to me and ask me for a calm explanation of whether it is safe to eat U.S. beef because they do not feel like they can get answers anywhere else. From the newspapers you would think Koreans hated Americans and feared we were specifically trying to kill them with tainted meat.
But the reality was made clear at the University festival. In one corner, the Mad USA Cow. For about $1.00 you could buy three water balloons and pelt your friends, while they pretended to be the cow. In another corner, Korean students cheered wildly while five U.S. soldiers tossed coins onto a board of numbers, sometimes winning coins, more often losing everything they threw.
The American Studies department proudly sported their tee-shirts with ”We are different” on the front and the big A for America on the back. Whatever the students’ concerns may have been about U.S. beef, they had no concerns about Americans. One soldier said to me, “I never thought people would be this friendly. They don’t sound friendly on paper.” That contradiction is absolutely crucial to understanding Korea.
May 9, 2008
One of the best parts of my life here in Korea has been walking the rice fields and neighborhoods near my apartment at least three times a week. I love being able to mark the change of seasons by what has been planted, how it is growing, or whether it has been harvested.
This part of South Korea has Washington D.C. weather, so gardeners are already putting out their tomato, pepper and basil seedlings. (New Hampshirites cannot do this until mid June unless they provide frost protection!). Every evening, people drive, walk or bicycle to their fields, where they plant, water, hoe, or weed. I am clearly in Korea when people water their plants with the large copper pots used to heat water for tea in restaurants, and when they plant 80-100 hot pepper plants for the hot pepper flakes and paste that turn up in many Korean dishes.
The rice fields have undergone a dramatic change over the past month. What were dry, brown, stubbly fields first turned muddy and black as water began to seep into them from irrigation canals that line every field. Some farmers started before others, so the land turned into a patchwork of dry and damp, black and brown. Now the landscape is brown and silver as the light reflects off blue grey water in the middle of otherwise landlocked fields. 
Long, thin, bright green stretches divide the fields. I thought these were weeds, but sometimes they are wild herbs, allowed to grow rampant and then picked for soup. Baby rice plants have been growing in plastic tunnels, odd white or black humps in flooded fields. The shocking vibrant green of the baby plants tells me what color the fields will turn next, when the rice is transplanted.
The irrigation systems here are pretty amazing and they must be created, maintained and used cooperatively. Farmers remove plugs from the holes in the ditches, or use pumps to flood their fields. They have to be careful not to flood their neighbors’ fields, nor to siphon off so much water that their neighbor cannot flood his own field. As the fields flood, the water birds have returned. Each evening I can see four or five large white egrets and at least one blue heron. Frogs must be quaking in fear.
At the edges of the fields, apartment buildings creep slowly forward, an enemy far more deadly to the peeping and croaking frogs. Farms and farmers are an endangered species in Korea, as in the U.S. Hard work dependent on the weather bringing little monetary return is not appealing to younger people and they head for the cities as quickly as apartment buildings head for the fields. 
Except when I am waxing nostalgic, I would not want to be a farmer. But we lose something precious when we cannot walk a neighborhood and smile at our neighbors, ask about their gardens and farms, and buy fresh greenery at the farmers’ market knowing exactly where it came from. We lose something precious when we cannot tell the changing of the seasons in the colors of the field.
May 5, 2008
Months ago, when Tod was here, we talked a lot about English in Korea. At first Tod was shocked by how common English is here. Doors say “Push” or “Pull”. Menus often have English translations for the entrees. Subway stations are all labeled in English as well as Korean and most buses, subways and trains announce stops in English as well as Korean.
Koreans have also adopted many English words particularly in areas of technology. Computer, printer and adaptor are simply pronounced a little differently but are recognizably English. This is similar to America’s adoption of foreign words like lieutenant (from the French) and karaoke (from the Japanese). This intermixing of languages led to a fun discussion one night when a Korean asked me for the American word for norebang (the practice of singing lyrics along with a soundtrack). I said, “Karaoke”. My colleague said, “No, the American word.” I said “Karaoke”. My colleague then turned to a friend and said in Korean, “Would you please ask her the American word for karaoke? I don’t think she understands me.” I explained in more detail and we all had a good laugh.
After a while though what struck both of us was the regular use of Korean English. By this I mean words that are clearly English but which are used in a completely Korean context. For instance, the two bottles of hair product you find in any hotel in America would be shampoo and conditioner. Here they are shampoo and rinse. Even written in Korean, if you sound them out, you get “shampu” and “rinsa”. The words are English, but the idiom or context is Korean. In America, food which is considered to have fewer calories or sugar or salt is called “health food”. Here it is “well-being” food. In America, copying the answers from another person in class is called cheating. Here it is called “cunning” (the word is used to mean cheating).
Koreans also have a fascinating habit with English movie titles. If you sound out the Korean on movie posters, you get “Becoming Jane” “Sweeney Todd” and “American Gangster”. Oddly, the Korean language has a word for an American - miguk - but they transliterate (sound out) rather than translating the title for American Gangster. Some movies however get translated. This makes it fascinating to sound out Korean words - once you get the sound, you have to decide, is that Korean or English? I get a lot of practice watching movie trailers on the bus.
The most interesting aspect of English in Korea however is its potential impact on the culture. Language gives us a way to express what we think, but also shapes how we think or what we think about. In Korean, there are words for almost every relationship, including my husband’s younger sister, my husband’s younger sister’s husband, my father’s elder brother, and so on. This is crucial in a culture that places every individual in a hierarchy, usually by age. Korean also has at least three types of verb endings to indicate various levels of respect. Some actions, like to eat, have two separate verbs, one for lower status people and the other for higher status people.
English has few of these distinctions. We cannot easily distinguish my brother-in-law (my sister’s husband) from my brother-in-law (my husband’s sister’s husband). We rarely focus on who is elder or younger, beyond our siblings. For formality or respect, we might add “sir” or “ma’am” to a sentence or say “You are cordially invited to join us for dinner at 6 pm” rather than “Come on over at 6 for dinner”. This means that as more Koreans learn and use English, there may be cultural changes created by linguistic habits. I am not suggesting that simply speaking English moves a culture from a focus on hierarchy and relationship to democracy and individuality, but it would be a fascinating topic of study.
All Koreans now learn at least four years of English and more and more Koreans are learning 6, 8 and 10 years of English. Almost 20% study overseas. English is everywhere, and although often it looks “incorrect” to an American eye, many usages such as “rinsa” or “well-being” are standardized, common, and proper in Korea. Koreans are adapting English to their own purposes, creating a Korean-English idiom (sometimes referred to, disparagingly, as Konglish). I am deeply curious English may morph from a foreign or “second” language into an agent of change in Korean society.
[I didn’t have time to take pictures of signs for this blog. Instead I’ve posted an image of one English language sign at Sungyemun or Namdemun gate, plus pictures of the gate and memorial. This is the 600 year old landmark that was burned down earlier this year. See related blog at http://blogs.saintanselmcollege.net/bethsalerno/2008/02/11/cultural-loss/ ).
May 3, 2008
