I want to learn about South Korea. I want to learn about its educational system, its technology, how its regular middle class inhabitants live, how many South Koreans live lives of relative prosperity (ie, how many live lives similiar to middle class families in other industrialized nations) how they feel about international politics, whatever cultural idiosyncricies the South Koreans have and things like that. What is a good book or website that gives a description of South Korean life or South Korean culture.
A pretty big question there, but this site seems fairly expansive on Korean culture, traditions and the like.
If you narrow down your questions a bit, I could possibly answer some for you. Although my answers may be a bit dated as I haven’t been there in about six years. However, I do hang out with a bunch of chungnyun (bachelor-ish, in mid 20s or so age) group of people who just came from Korea so I might be more current than that. I’m pretty sure I remember some other doper saying they lived in Korea right now, so they’d probably be better than I. Any reason for the interest?
Mr.O is the only doper that I can think of right off hand who currently lives in S. Korea.
Although I currently reside in California, I lived in S. Korea for about 8 years (returned to the US in February of 2003); what, specifically, do you what to know? Maybe I can help… 
Off the top of my head
Is education valued heavily over there
How expensive is college. is it subsidized by the government
Do the majority of South Koreans live middle class lives or is it like China where a small minority live middle class lives and the majority are still poor
What cultural idiosyncrities do the South Koreans have compared to Americans?
Is education valued heavily over there? Yes, very much so. Students there, based on my observation, study very hard up through high school. In fact, after regular school is out, most of them attend classes at private Hag-wons (institutes) in everything from foreign languages to martial arts to music, etc.
How expensive is college. is it subsidized by the government? I believe that, as in other places, the cost of a college education depends on which college you attend… the better the school, the more it costs. The university where I taught last in Seoul ranked about 5th or 6th in the country, and was fairly pricey.
As for government subsidies, I have no idea (sorry).
Do the majority of South Koreans live middle class lives or is it like China where a small minority live middle class lives and the majority are still poor? In my experience, the majority of the people there live middle class lives. IE: mostly the father works, and the family can generally afford to live in a decent apartment and have a few luxuries here and there; a car, vacations, etc. In a lot of ways, they lead a surprisingly westernized lifestyle.
What cultural idiosyncrities do the South Koreans have compared to Americans? Hmmm. That’s a poser. My opinion of course, but a lot of Koreans seemed to me to still believe in old superstitions. They seemed to easily accept all kinds of pseudo-scientific nonsense with little questioning (though this may not be all that different from Americans, come to think of it…). One big difference that I noticed is that Koreans tend to not question authority, while Americans seem eager to do so. I think Americans tend to be much more skeptical, as well. An example: a couple of years ago there was a bit of a fad on Korean TV for knocking things over with the mystical energy “chi”. A student of Chi would concentrate hard, and whip his arm out, knocking over cigarettes that had been placed on end, etc. It was pretty obvious to me that it was the wind generated by the arm movement that was supplying the force needed… but I sure couldn’t convince any Koreans of that!
Here’s how important education is for them…
It’s a 100% rote-learning system.
I’ve only visited. My impression is that it’s a very middle class sort of place these days. The poor are a minority. But there are homeless people and unemployed - it’s a bit like Japan in that such people are hidden away and shunned, out of embarrassment. They are also extremely nationalistic - never say “it’s a bit like Japan”.
I lived in Seoul from 1993 to 1999, so I’m not currently in the loop, but I can answer some general questions.
There is some poverty in South Korea, but it’s well hidden and not at all obvious. As a whole, South Korea is much more prosperous than China.
As for cultural idiosyncrasies, electric fan death is the oddest one. Ask any South Korean, and he or she will swear to you that going to sleep in a room with a running electric fan is a death sentence.
I just read in fortune magazine that South Korea has the worlds best broadband system due to its emphasis on knowledge and the fact that they have mostly an urban population.
What about bluntness, are the South Koreans like the French in the sense that they are more upfront about other people’s shortcomings? One of my professors is South Korean and I don’t know if this is just cultural or if he is an asshole because if you do’nt know something he’ll say ‘I can’t believe you don’t know this’.
I think every professor says that comment at some point int eh school year.
As far as bluntness, South Koreans can be surprisingly evasive and to the point on dfifferent topics. Koreans value group cohesion and harmony, a concept they call kibun. Koreans don’t like to discuss unpleasant or uncomfortable subjects that can disturb kibun, so if you ask a question a Korean doesn’t want to answer, you’ll likely get an evasive response. In business dealings, Koreans don’t like the hard sell, so if you push them to close on a deal, they’ll likely say “Possible,” or “Maybe” instead of giving you a definite answer.
OTOH, they can be amazingly intrusive in personal questions. Koreans think nothing of commenting on your personal appearance or asking your income or your marital status. I once had a Korean man, a stranger to me, comment on the hairiness of my arms as I waited for a train in the Chong-no 3-ga subway station!
I’ve been here since the summer of '94, and I’ll be damned if I understand the place. Been married to a Korean since '99, and I don’t often understand her either.
But yeah, what the previous posters said. I also lived in Japan, and have traveled a bit in China, and I would place S. Korea directly between the two, not only geographically but also in terms of culture, economy, technology, and “sophistication.” The typical Korean has nowhere near the subtlety of the typical Japanese. It’s usually pretty easy to know where you stand–if they like you, they show it, and if they don’t, they show it. Yeah, pretty bluntly.
About technology, I just spent 3 weeks in a Korean hospital. The X-ray machine that I dealt with the most looked like it came from the Eisenhower era (I suppose that would be the Syngman Rhee era in Korea, roughly), but across the hall there was a Computed Tomography room that looked like it came from the distant future.
Things like that are common. I’ve taught at several schools in Korea, from middle schools to universities. It’s rare to find a classroom that’s air conditioned (and it gets hot here) or adequately heated (and it gets cold here), but it’s not unusual to find the latest in internet hookups and projection screens. I think I’ve heard that there is more per capita computer use in Korea than in any other country, but I can’t be bothered right now to find a cite.
About one fourth of the population lives in Seoul, and most of the rest in other big cities. Seoul is crowded, but not as bad as some other Asian cities. Private houses are rare, apartments are small and expensive but usually fairly comfortable. To have a car is to spend most of your life looking for a parking place–double parking is so common that most people park their cars in neutral, so that the person they’ve blocked in can push the car out of the way. Public transportation is good–Seoul has an excellent subway system, and an adequate bus system. Taxis are pretty cheap. Overall it’s a lot cheaper than Tokyo, but still not a cheap place to live. The huge majority considers itself middle class.
Education is almost ridiculously highly regarded, and I say that as an educator. It’s ridiculous because, as was mentioned earlier, most of it is rote memorization, and creative thinking is discouraged. I’m fortunate enough to teach at a very elite high school now, and it’s different.
There are many exceptions of course, but Korean people often do seem quite xenophobic, and are often utterly convinced of the superiority of their culture. They can be strongly opinionated about international politics, with or without having facts to back up their opinions–but I suppose lots of people are like that. Just after the September 11 attacks, I received many expressions of sympathy, but I saw as many demonstrations celebrating the strike against the US. One kid on the campus where I was then teaching dressed in a long robe and a long fake beard for several days, pretending to be bin Laden. Very classy. There is still quite a bit of hatred against Japan for the years of occupation and other assorted offenses, but it’s fading. The hatred against the US is still pretty strong, of course.
You’ve already seen a link to the Korea Herald website. Here is another that might offer a little information. And be sure to check out the bizarre Korean fan death phenomenon. That belief is very much alive and well, even among the medical community.
Not a horrible place to live, for the most part, but it’s hard to imagine anyone visiting for fun.
On preview, I’ve just noticed gobear’s comment. I was sitting on a subway once with a bit of tattoo showing under my shirt sleeve–a rare thing, since I usually cover them up in such a conservative place. I dozed off, and was awakened by an old man sitting next to me, trying to rub the tattoo off with his thumb! He thought it was a stick-on. I assured him it was real, but if it had been a stick-on, I would have been pretty upset that he took it upon himself to rub it off. I might have even disturbed his kibun.
Oh, one more little thing about the education system. Though kids often start pre-school at 2 or 3, and struggle hard to get into the best kindergartens, so that they can get into the best elementary schools, so that they can get into the best middle schools, so that they can get into the best high schools, so that they can get into a good college, they are usually pampered in other ways. I’ve rarely met a Korean teenager who has ever washed a dish or made a bed. They’ve spent their entire childhoods studying.
Then when they get to college, they often figure that their studying days are over. College is for drinking, playing computer games, and beginning to date, far more so than in the US. Studying is is low on the list of priorities, and it’s hard to fail in college once you’re in. More or less the opposite of the US system, where most anyone can get into a college, but they’ll have to work hard to graduate.
Guys usually take two years off in the middle of their college years, to do their compulsory military service. When they come back, they tend to be a little more serious.
In case I seem to be complaining a lot, I’ll also add some positive things. Crime is very low, and. . . well, I’m sure there’s more, but it’s late here and I’m tired.
Also note, if you ever go to South Korea - watch out for the giant robots. South Korea is constantly fight giant robot wars with their regional neighbor, Japan. Fortunatly for both sides, giant robots are not exactly the most effective weapons of war, and damages to both Korea and Japan is pretty light. Still, getting stepped on by a giant robot hurts like a bitch.
UK here. To fight my ignorance, why is the US resented in S. Korea? They were on the South’s side in the Korean war were they not? I had always imagined that would have created a positive image of the US, but there is clearly more to it than that. Thanks for your insights.
Well, I’ll name some positive aspects of South Korea:
The kindly ajummas who hold your backpack for you when you’re standing on the bus
Fresh-brewed makkoli at the corner shop
Convenient kim bap joints on every corner.
The extensive subway, which can take you out as far as Inchon or Suwon.
Pumpkin taffy sellers in the autumn
Goldfish-shaped snack cakes filled with red bean jam in winter
Visiting the royal palaces. like Chandokkung and the Secret Garden, on the weekends.
Hiking Taebongsan.
Going out for bulgogi or kalbi
Hitting the bars in Shinchon
Shopping for bargains at Namdaemun and Tongdaemun.
The South Koreans just developed a liberal democracy in the 80s, do the South Koreans respect their freedoms more than those of us in the US who take them for granted?
Is there any hostility towards the US for its friendly relations with Park Chung Hee? How is Park Chung Hee viewed, as a bad leader or good leader.
The education situation is damn interesting, its the opposite in the US. In the US virtually nobody takes k-12 seriously and anyone can get into college, but once you get there only about 1/2 graduate. However if you stick with it most classes pass 85-95% of their students, so its probably similiar to Korea in that way.
What are popular views on the North Korean situation? Do they want reunification with Jong Il still in charge of the north or do they want a South Korean style government over the whole nation of Korea.
I saw in a movie once that the Korean people were really good at karate so I assume they can beat the robots in hand to hand combat and still have enough time in the day to go to factories and make low quality DVD players.
There’s several reasons:
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It is popularly believed that the US instigated the Kwangju Massacre of May 17-18, 1980, in which 200 people (government version) or thousands of people (believed by most people) were killed by Chun Doo-Hwan’s repressive regime.
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The more-or-less full of shit lefties in Korea maintain that the US feared a united Korea so the US engineered the Korean War to keep Korea divided and weak.
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Apollo Ohno is *sagi kun[/]i! Moral: Never fuck with the Koreans on short track skating. Ditto for they gymnatics medal this summer. Koreans believe that the US has cheated them out of their rightful medals.
South Koreans don’t participate that much in the process, but those who do treat politics like a full contact sport.
Oddly, Park Chung Hee has a good rep in Korea. They acknowledge that his regime was repressive, but they respect him for jumpstarting the Korean economy and singlehandedly creating the Korean chaebols through crony capitalism.
Well, I’ll admit that I have the impression that most of the world resents the US, and lately with some reason. In the case of Korea, the US is largely blamed for the division of the Korean people. The possible alternative of being in the same condition as North Korea is not often considered–people of Korean heritage are not together, in some cases families were separated, and it’s someone’s fault, namely the US. The continued presence of US troops in S. Korea is also resented. The soldiers here do occasionally cause some trouble, but honestly I don’t think it’s any more than soldiers, or for that matter people, anywhere. And the presence of US troops here may be a large part of the reason that we in the South are free to go to work all week and have some fun on weekends.
I don’t know. I’ve met several young students who dislike the US just because they were taught to, and are utterly unable to give any reason why.
And gobear, I agree with your list. Especially the ajummas (older women). They’re they people I go to first for directions if I’m lost–they don’t often speak any English, but they are accustomed to talking to children, so they know how to dumb down their Korean so that I can understand it. And some people are a little afraid to talk to a foreigner–ajummas ain’t afraid of nuthin’.
I don’t hear much about reunification these days, like I did when I first came. I think the South has realized that it would be an enormous burden for them, and they aren’t quite ready to give up that much of their prosperity. Virtually everyone does hope for reunification, but I no longer hear projections like “in five years,” like I once did. It’s something for the next generation to accomplish. And as far as I know, they all want a South Korean style government. Koreans do tend to stick together, but they still recognize that Jong Il is a freak.