Session 1 - October 15, Introduction

[cgao]

What was there before the two Koreas? What should we know about Korean history?

Video: Introduction and 5 Things to Know about the Two Koreas

 

 

Readings (download below): 

• Korea at a Glance, excerpts.

 

Attachments:

You must be logged in to view attached files.

[Billie Johnson]

As I watched this video, it became clear to me how much I do not know and highlighted some of the more surface level details that I am aware of. I do not know much at all about the North Korea outside of the issues that are brought up with the missle launches and Trump trying to entice Kim Jong-un with the potential riches of a free and more open North Korea. However, I was shocked at how much of an economic powerhouse South Korea is...especially when you touched on the goods exported a lighbulb went off. I look forward to learning more about the history, geography, cultural nuances that differentiate or tie both the north and south. I am intrigued and look forward to learning more.

[Vera Chiu]

I only know bits and pieces how South and North Korea were divided when I heard from people who actually suffered from and witnessed Korean War.  It was great to hear the entire history of how the armies were pushed all the way to the South end, then pushed all the way to the North end, then got divided in the middle of Korea, roughly on latitude 38N at the current line at DMZ.  My mother was in elemantary school in her 2nd grade when she went through the Korean War. She had to walk on piles of the dead bodies when she fled.  My grandmother used to tell us a lot of war time stories of what she had to go through.  We still feel very fortunate that my mother'sfamily was not divided between the two Koreas like thousands of other families had been divided or killed.  The post war recovery was not easy, either.  After fleeing from the war zone, when they went back to their home, they had to face how to chase out the people who occupied my grandparents' home. Not only legal actions had to be taken, but also had to mobilize neighbors using forces to chase them out.  

Even after staying in Korea for over thirty five years or so after the war, before we left Korea, every other month we would hear the news that the South Korean government caught spies from North Korea or discovered heavily armed tunnels connecting two Koreas prepared for another attack on South Korea.  Fearing to face another Korean War, my parents decided to immigrate out from Korea when I was in high school.  Another thirty plus years had been passed.  The tension between the two Koreas intensified even more.  

[Genny Tye]

Wow. I’m definitely excited about this course and learning more about the two Koreas. The introduction video made me realize I know nothing about Korea’s rich past and social structure. I knew basic history and why Korea was divided, but know I am looking forward to learning more. I just recently became the advisor for my school Korean Activities Club and learned who BTS are. Also learned how excited teeanage girls get about them. 

[Olivia Kim]

As someone of both South and North Korean descent, I found this video fascinating! A point that I thought was interesting was how the public tends to have pretty limited knowledge about North Korea, including myself, but the country has such a rich history, especially in relation to its southern counterpart. As a high school student, I can definitely attest to the rise in popularity of BTS and Korean culture in general, but I am really looking forward to delving into the events that made the peninsula what it is today!

[Angelique Callicoat]

Thank you so much for that succinct introduction to the two Koreas. My knowledge of the the two Koreas is both narrow and vague, so I appreciate the K-Pop entry point. Each year I have 2-3 students who write their IB Extended Essays on K-Pop related topics. These papers have taught me so much about the contagious popularity of the genre, not to mention extolling the talents and influence of BTS. Here's what surprised me about the intro:

1. The Korean War is not over for the two Koreas. For the USA, it ended in the early 1950's. I'd like to learn more about how and why the USA is still involved in the guarding of that border or penisula. 

2. The South Korean economy and GDP is so much larger than I assumed. And it's happening within a geographic space no larger than Indiana. I do wonder about North Korea's exports though: all those knitted and clothing products and seafood. I'd like to know more about how these products are manufactured and/or seafood. 

3. Is the cuisine similiar for both Koreas? And are there noticeable dialect differences? 

4. With women being at the purchasing and investing helm of South Korea, what are advertisement campaigns like? How are women treated in the banking and investment world? Are they catered to fairly and without condescension? And am I the only one who wants more background of the Vietnamese women's struggle in South Korea? Do all immigrant women in South Korea face social inequalities?

See you all tomorrow night. 

-A.

[Len Krieger]

The video and attached files really sparked my intrigue about the two Koreas. In reference to the attached files, one thing that I was able to relate with, were the flags. As a World History teacher, I have for about seven years now, done an activity to start the course where students get to pick a country of their choosing to research and draw the corresponding flag for that country. It always surprised me, that I would get students that would research South Korea and draw its flag, but never North Korea.

 

My interpretation of this, stems from the common misconception that many think Korea is just Korea and not two seperate countries. In regard to the flags, I was also astonished each flag has the deep meanings they do. I have gone almost a decade now seeing the South Korean flag, and never knowing the meaning behind it or that the lines on the flag actually had the backstory they do and the variation of the lines in it. Also on a sidenote, my brother Nick and I, watch a lot of cooking shows, and I quizzed him to see if he knew any of the top 10 dishes in Korean cuisine. Much to my chagrin, he nailed 5 out of 10 including #1 bibimbap.

 

The video was quite intriguing as well currently owning a Hyundai Sonata and having owned a Kia Soul, (golly I loved that car) and for a man that is 6'6 230 pounds, I will say, it was quite spacious contrary to popular belief. Also, I found it interesting that a lot was mentioned about Korea's pop culture, but nothing was mentioned about Korean athletes in sports that they have world famous and elite stars in such as: Basketball (Ha Seung-Jin), Baseball (Ji-Man Choi), Football (Hines Ward), and MMA my personal favorite fighter who I have met and have his authograph The "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung-Jung.

[Gail Shaw-Hawkins]

 

Looking at the video and going through the reading I realize that I have only learned the basic history about Korea which was usually something awful or negative. So I’m very excited about learning all I can about the cultural of Korea.  I also didn’t realize how much power women held in the family. I find it very interesting that South Korea is known as an economic and cultural powerhouse because all we here about is the confusing status it has with the US and President Trump. I’m so looking forward to learning all I can about Korea and bringing that learning to my students.

 

[Jennifer Jung-Kim]

Hi, everyone,

It was great to meet those of you who logged in on Tuesday. 

I mentioned various things in the first Zoom session that I want to post links to.

Korean Language Culture & Video Contest for ages 13+

http://hangul.kccla.org

Sejong Cultural Society sijo (poetry) and essay contests in junior and adult divisions

http://sejongculturalsociety.org

The essay is based on "Cranes," the short story I am asking all of you to read! There is a junior divison involving a folk tale as well. 

And this is the IKEN website where you can download materials that can be shown in class or shared with students:

http://www.ikeneducate.org

Please let me know if you are intersted in getting more info on anything else we talked about. 

Best,

Jennifer 

[Maria Blake]

         The videos I watched were two for this first discussion forum. The first one was what all of us had to watch with Dr. Jung-Kim, and the second one was because I missed attending the live forum,  which was about the predictable unpredictability of North Korea, specifically, in the context of the new political dynamics that developed with the new leadership in North Korea and the U.S. There are some interesting takeaways from the two presentations, particularly, as they relate to North Korea, which is a country that has alienated itself from the world due to its communistic monarchy. The unknowability about North Korea sparked this interest in learning more about it through the video presentations.

            In the first presentation with Dr. Jung-Kim, one of the takeaways was that North Korea has been divided from South Korea ever since the end of the WWII, and particularly the Korean War. That the two countries are not united speaks to the fact that the war has not ended between the two countries, which I did not know. Both countries have mandatory the service by able-bodied men, which suggests the high priority placed on  safety and security in case there is a threat of an attack, or a need for defense.  

            Furthermore, one of the highlights from the presentation with Dr. Jacques Fuqua corroborates what Dr. Jung-Kim said before, that is, that   Koreans  put a high premium on their military for either aggressive, or defensive reasons. The assumption that predominates, though, is that the threat for a nuclear war exists mostly with North Korea, a country that seeks to achieve its stature in the world as a nuclear powerhouse so as to maintain its independence from China,  Japan, or western countries, and also  to achieve its “autonomous self-identity,” the “Juche,” pronounced /tsuse/.  There is obviously a pressure from China and Japan for North Korea to conform to agendas,  but North Korea has  managed to gain some  independence with the adoption of the title as one of the major nuclear powerhouses  in the world that produces nuclear weapons for itself and for other countries. North Korea has other weapons of mass destructions, as do other major economic powers such as China and the U.S. 

            It is unsettling to think that North Korea would think nuclear weapons is the solution to independence. Dr. Fuqua claims that it would be really hard to dissuade North Korea from continuing with the production of nuclear weapons, since the only two solutions that could exist, economic sanctions, or accepting North Korea as a nuclear power, do not eliminate the potential threat of a nuclear weapon use in a potential future conflict. If used in South Korea the destruction would be devastating, Dr. Fuqua supports,  because of  the high density of cities and the potential use of other weapons such as chemical and biological weapons. 

            Finally, there is hope that peace will always preside over any political dialogue, because North Korea wants to have relations with its allies of Russia and China. The fear of nuclear weapon use, though, exists as a threat and it was interesting to see that being suggested in the two presentations, but mostly in the second presentation. 

Resources Consulted:

5 Things to Know about Korea. 

Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Jung-Kim 

 

North Korea: A Predictable Unpredictability (9/19/2017)
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3151256785799706625
Presenter: Jacques Fuqua, author

[Maria Blake]

Hi Vera—

          Thank you for sharing this story about the current situation in South Korea.  As an outsider to the history and current affairs, I   am unfamiliar with the present political concerns of the country. Over our brief conferences and through our readings,  what you describe here makes sense. It reminds me of similar tensions that exist in other parts of the world, such as Cyprus, where there is a divided area between the Turkish and the Greek Cyprus. While growing up in Greece, also, I was hearing constantly on the news  about the political tensions in Palestine that were characterized with violence and destruction. The reality in South Korea seems to be tension-hanging-in-the-air, a feeling similar to that of a cold war situation. Violence has already occurred during the war but the inner alienation is still likely to be felt within, particularly, by those who lost family members during the war. The movies we can watch through the provided link in the forum further substantiates the cruelties of war and the potentially lingering effects. You are right, such movies do weigh high emotionally with viewers, particularly, due to the human drama described within and the cruelties that reflect war conditions.

 Nice talking with you! 

[Maria Blake]

The resource titled, “Korea at a Glance,” which was about  the study of the similarities and differences between South and North Korea was quite helpful in shedding light on the two countries, overall. One thing, in particular, that was interesting was the description of the two flags and what the symbols and colors could mean in each context given political and historical readings to contextualize such readings. After watching the movies and getting a feel for the culture and history of the two Koreas, the designs on two flags made me think of several things. First, it seems to me that both flags reflect the political ideologies and histories of the two countries. For instance, the use of “People’s Republic”  in the name of the North Korean flag reminds me of the People’s Republic of China, which suggests the influence that communism has played in the formation of North Korea’s existence as a country. Moreover, the use of extreme words, such as “Supreme,” and “Ultimate” names for the South Korean flag suggests the hardships the South Koreans had to suffer to rise above the hostilities of the past and ascertain the only true political existence of the South Korean government and its people over their counterparts, the North Koreans, who the South Koreans, it seems, do not wish to represent the true Korean political identity in the international community.

             It was noticeable, moreover, how both flags identify different meanings to colors, with the exception of the color, “white,” which in both contexts is interpreted as “purity” and “brightness,” with the additional characteristic of “peace” for South Korea and “strength” given in North Korea. The color blue is given a negative meaning in the South Korea’s flag, the opposite of the positive red color, whereas the blue in the North Korean flag means “peace and friendship.” Red is given positive connotations in both flags. 

            Furthermore, comparing the two countries’ economic data suggests how South Korea is more developed and internationally involved in trade  in contrast to North Korea. For example, South Korea is high on services, a 58.2%,  whereas North Korea has a 31.3 %. Unlike North Korea , also, the advanced technology manufactured in South Korea is higher. Because of such disparities, the highlights of North Korea’s economy and trade focus on clothing and food instead. 

            Finally, the trivia information would interest students because it presents information that is visual and simple. It was tempting to me to interpret certain data in a certain light, and it would be interesting to see how students would interpret similar data. The names of cities and their meaning, such as Seoul and Pyongyang, which mean “Capital City,” and “Flat Land,” respectively,  are two additionally  interesting ideas students may use to talk about how such names can connect to history and claims to authority, power, and recognition at the local, national and international levels of interpretation.

[Duane Johansen]

When I think of Koren throughout history, I think often of the "shrimp among the whales" saying. For most of its history, Korea has been overshadowed by its larger and/or more powerful neighbors: China, Japan, and Russia. However, they have been able to maintain a strong national and cultural identity ("han"). Even in the midst of the occupation by the Japanese in the early part of the 20th century, when Koreans were forced to take Japanese names and worship at Shinto shrines, that identity was not lost. There is still much more connecting the two Koreas than there is separating them. Please note, I'm not suggesting that historic Korea has not had a profound influence on its neighbors, as it certainly has, just that it tends to not get as much recognition. 

I'm happy to say that I have been lucky enough to eat nine of the ten featured foods, all of them even in Korea (the exception is the shaved ice, I'm not much of a dessert guy). Korea has some of the best food in the world (and some of the best alcohol, too, but that's another story). 

I did want to address one thing from the video: Although I'm glad that Dr. Jung Kim talked about the importance of women in the Korean household and in politics, there are still some areas for improvement as far as gender equity in Korea, particularly for unwed mothers, who are often stigmatized. That said, I was glad to get her perspective, as many people think of Korean society as significantly male dominated. And, there are other areas, such as the signature sports of Korea (archery, golf, etc.) where the women are among the most dominant on the planet.

[Author]

Posts