Korean Culture: The Good and the Bad

NOTE: I would like to emphasize that by "Korean culture", I am focusing on South Korean culture.  I am aware that North Korean culture is distinctly different but some of those differences are hard to pin down since there is relatively little information available.

After my freshman year of college, like the good second-generation Korean-American that I am, I made my hajj to the motherland via Harvard Summer School's study abroad program.  The coursework was rather minimal so I had plenty of time to explore various parts of South Korea and meet relatives who I hardly knew.  I was excited to embark on this six-week journey from which my recent ancestry came.  (Of course, most of my human ancestry is from sub-Saharan Africa.)

As much as I enjoyed my visit, there were certain aspects of the culture that caught me off guard.  Upon much reflection, I have concluded that most of their social norms were positive but there were some that I thought were downright immoral.

The Bad:

1. Homophobia- This is one problem that no one can deny.  Yes, homophobia permeates cultures around the globe, but South Korea's is embarrassingly high for a developed country.  There isn't even much formal political discussion dealing with LGBT issues.  Ironically, straight men can hold hands as they walk in public, the traditional clothing could easily fit in a gay pride parade, and a lot of male K-pop stars look quite effeminate and androgynous:

2. Racism- Again, the painful truth comes out.  Many Koreans don't like the Japanese, Chinese, and immigrants from other countries.  They don't even like half-Koreans very much.  What puzzles me even more is why they are racist against blacks.  Here is an interesting video of Hines Ward (half black, half Korean) speaking about this issue: 

However, I think their racism is not much more severe than most other countries'.  Racial tolerance is a relatively new human phenomenon.  I agree with my dad who thinks that the United States has made much more progress in settling racial issues than other countries have because of America's unique history.  I could continue ranting about racism but I'll save it for another post.

3. Sexism- Despite its hyper-patriarchal culture, South Korea has made more progress on this issue than on the two issues mentioned above.  The main reason for this is simple: women are becoming better educated.  More and more women are becoming doctors, lawyers, politicians, and academics.  However, Koreans still have a strong sense of Confucian values and women are expected to be subservient to men.

4. Superstition- This is just more annoying than it is bad.  Koreans have some weird, irrational beliefs about the unluckiness of the number four, fortune-telling, the relationship between blood type and personality, fan death, and many others.


The Good:

1. Family- I was amazed by the strength of family ties in South Korea.  Even relatives who were quite removed from me and had never met me before treated me with unrestrained hospitality.  I was really blown away.  It was from this visit that I began to understand why family values are so important.  Even as I am typing this article, I am thinking about how thankful I am to have such caring relatives abroad.  Wow, I really miss that part of my experience in Korea.

2. Environmentalism- I remember buying a pack of chewing gum and taking out a piece while walking outdoors.  I soon regretted it because I couldn't find a garbage can to throw away my wrapper.  That's when I realized how clean the streets were.  It drove me nuts, but I found a Burger King where I could throw it out.  But then I noticed that people didn't throw away the paper cups in the trash after they finished their drinks.  They put them in a separate area to be reused!  Wow, that's commitment to recycling, my friends.

3. Health- It's just a fact that there are far fewer overweight people in South Korea (including percentage) than there are in North America.  Genetics may be one component but many of them make a conscious effort to stay thin given the stigma attached to being even slightly chubby.  They watch their diets and many of them engage in regular physical activity.

4. Work ethic- The South Korean work ethic is incredible.  Whether they apply it to their jobs or studies, they really push themselves to the limit.  It was one of the Asian Tigers during Asia's economic boom in the mid-late twentieth century and its GDP (at roughly $1.12 trillion) is the fourth highest in Asia (after China, Japan, and India), nearly double Saudi Arabia's.  This is despite the fact South Korea has only 50 million inhabitants (less than a sixth of the US population), spent much of the past century as a developing nation, and was deprived of the little natural resources it had to the Japanese during the latter's colonial occupation.  Their hard work has resulted in certain economic inefficiencies (e.g. education inflation), but overall they are doing quite well.

This was just a short list of the main points I wanted to mention but I might add more on in the future.  Feel free to disagree with me on any of the points but I'm certain that most people who are familiar with the country would agree on all the issues I stated.