This afternoon while looking at the news online, I received shocking news: Kim Jong Il has died. He died Saturday, December 17 at the age of 69.
North Korea announced the death of the Dear Leader on the North Korean national news this afternoon. According to the news report, he had died of physical and mental over-work on a train. Most likely, it was the result of his severe stroke that he suffered from in 2008. The reporter was wearing a black Hanbok (which surprised me because traditional Korean mourning clothes are white) announced the news in an emotional address. His funeral will be next week, with this week being a time of mourning for the people.
The news came as a shock to the South. While many Koreans believed that his health was deteriorating quickly, he has been quite active, making a visit to Russia last summer for the first time in five years and a trip to China as well. He didn't look too well on the video of the Mass Games, limping up to the podium, but he was still very active in the North's politics.
The president of South Korea has set a high security alert today as we wait to see how the North reacts to the news. Many of my Korean friends were shocked by the news and seem more concerned about this than the attack on Yeonpyeong last year. I think the South understood Jong Il's motivations and reasoning for actions, so while he was hostile, they knew how to deal with him. It will be awhile until the South understands Jong Un, especially considering the fact that we didn't know anything about him two years ago.
The big question today is: What happens next for the two Koreas? With Jong Il dead, how will his son rule? I think the next few years will be very defining for North/South relations.
Kim Jong Un is not like his father. He does not appear as assertive and he is very young. Unlike his father, who slowly gained power and respect in the North's politics over the course of 10 years, Jong Un has gained ranking and influence in a very short span of time. Jong Il became the dictator around the age of 50, while his son is only about 28. As a result, it appears to most South Koreans that the people and leaders of North Korea do not respect Jong Un with the same devotion as his father. A fear of South Koreans is that the leaders of the North may not stand behind their new leader, resulting in chaos.
In addition, it appears that the people of the North are tiring of their government, especially with the recent famine this past summer. If the people of North Korea attempt to dispose of their government, I do not think Jong Un has enough dominance to contest it if he does not have his fathers advisers behind him. There could be a lot of unrest in the North if there is not unity of the people and advisers behind their new leader.
I fear that Jong Un may try to legitimize his place as leader by attacking the South at the start of next year. Of course this is just my first reactions and thoughts, so I am not making any predictions. It may be the case considering the Yeonpyeong attack seemed to be based solely on trying to unite the North when the devotion was waning.
I also worry that Jong Un may lose his grasp on power, and we will be faced with a more brutal communist leader much like the succession we saw with Lenin and Stalin in Russia. At least now we have known about Jong Un for a year, if we are faced with a new dictator, we will have to try to learn about him before we discover why he came to power by actions on his part.
I also believe that we are witnessing the beginning of the end for North Korea. I believe that the North will fall under Jong Un or his successor by brutal means. I think we will see this in the next ten years. The last time there was a pass of power, the North was in much better shape than they are now. Jong Un is not as good of a leader as his father, and to see how quickly and drastically the North deteriorated under his father is an indication of how bad things could get for the North. I pray that the South continues to earnestly protect themselves when the North attacks out of desperation and plan for unification, because I think it will happen very soon.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
End of EV Regular Classes
This week marked several "lasts" for me here in Korea. I finished exchanges with my Korean exchange partners, after three semesters of meeting with over 50 different Korean students, I will not have another exchange.
On Wednesday, we had the closing ceremony for the English Program. We had a dinner with both the Korean and Internationals that live in GV. It was bittersweet to have one last dinner with everyone in the program. During the dinner, the program director gave out the end of term awards for the EV program, which includes: Outstanding International, Outstanding Korean, Best Suite, and Best Exchanges. Surprisingly, I was given the Outstanding International award, which came as a surprise to me! I was given a certificate as well as a giftcard to Mr Pizza (the best pizza chain in Korea, oh yeah!)
Today was the last day of regular classes in the EV program. This does not include my Korean class in the Chinese program. Nevertheless, this marks the beginning of the end for me as the majority of my classes come to a close. In my Korean speaking class, my teacher brought us a cake to mark the end of our class, celebrate December birthdays (me and Maiko), and wish us well as we leave SCH. My speaking teacher is one of the sweetest teachers I have had, she always tried to find new ways for us to apply the Korean we have thus far in different situations. From writing a weekly journal to her in Korean to watching Korean movies in class, she found new ways for us to learn more Korean.
In my writing class, we wrote memory notes to our classmates. It really hit me at this point that this semester is ending very fast. It was hard to write these goodbyes to my classmates, many who I have been classmates with since last semester.
After classes, we had a Secret Santa exchange with the other Internationals. We ordered food and played Christmas music, followed by a gift exchange. While this exchange was going on, we exchanged memory books for one another to sign. This made the whole "goodbye" concept to a new light. Five of the international students took their finals today and left for the States because of family emergencies. Like past semesters, it was very hard to begin these goodbyes, knowing that they will continue from here on out for several weeks. I feel like these goodbyes are more difficult this semester because I know that I will be saying more goodbyes as I prepare to leave Korea.
This coming week will be filled with studying, so I will be pretty quiet here on this blog. I hope that I can post something once I finish my exams as we approach my Birthday week as well as Christmas.
On Wednesday, we had the closing ceremony for the English Program. We had a dinner with both the Korean and Internationals that live in GV. It was bittersweet to have one last dinner with everyone in the program. During the dinner, the program director gave out the end of term awards for the EV program, which includes: Outstanding International, Outstanding Korean, Best Suite, and Best Exchanges. Surprisingly, I was given the Outstanding International award, which came as a surprise to me! I was given a certificate as well as a giftcard to Mr Pizza (the best pizza chain in Korea, oh yeah!)
Today was the last day of regular classes in the EV program. This does not include my Korean class in the Chinese program. Nevertheless, this marks the beginning of the end for me as the majority of my classes come to a close. In my Korean speaking class, my teacher brought us a cake to mark the end of our class, celebrate December birthdays (me and Maiko), and wish us well as we leave SCH. My speaking teacher is one of the sweetest teachers I have had, she always tried to find new ways for us to apply the Korean we have thus far in different situations. From writing a weekly journal to her in Korean to watching Korean movies in class, she found new ways for us to learn more Korean.
In my writing class, we wrote memory notes to our classmates. It really hit me at this point that this semester is ending very fast. It was hard to write these goodbyes to my classmates, many who I have been classmates with since last semester.
After classes, we had a Secret Santa exchange with the other Internationals. We ordered food and played Christmas music, followed by a gift exchange. While this exchange was going on, we exchanged memory books for one another to sign. This made the whole "goodbye" concept to a new light. Five of the international students took their finals today and left for the States because of family emergencies. Like past semesters, it was very hard to begin these goodbyes, knowing that they will continue from here on out for several weeks. I feel like these goodbyes are more difficult this semester because I know that I will be saying more goodbyes as I prepare to leave Korea.
This coming week will be filled with studying, so I will be pretty quiet here on this blog. I hope that I can post something once I finish my exams as we approach my Birthday week as well as Christmas.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Hyundai Plant
Today I went with my Korean Business class to the Hyundai Plant in Asan. It is located about 20 minutes from school and is considered one of the most advanced manufacturing plants in the world. It assembles sedans for export, so the cars we saw today may be coming to a dealership near you!
When we arrived, we were given a brief introduction to the plant and then began our tour of the assembly portion of the plant. We saw the process from the first piece of metal used for the body being molded to completed Sonatas being test driven on a test track. Every 57 seconds, the Asan plant completes a vehicle.
One interesting aspect of this plant that is a key aspect of Hyundai is that almost all the assembly robots and tools used are made by other branches of Hyundai Group. Hyundai was formed as a Chaebol by Chung Juyoung, which is a company that participates in several different industries. Hyundai Heavy Industry Inc remains one of Korea's largest companies specializing in heavy industry today. Hyundai Shipbuilding and Construction are also very prominent in their respective fields. Today, each individual component of the Hyundai Chaebol is owned by a member of the Chung family. I find it interesting that Hyundai as a whole is a pretty independent entity because while its different industries are varied, they complement each other. There is little need for outside investment of the Hyundai group. It was quite a sight to see the robots used to assemble the cars bearing the Hyundai Heavy Industry logo, Hyundai building Hyundai.
Another interesting piece of this plant is that the plant recycles 100% of its waste water in refineries located on the plant grounds. Hyundai is moving towards becoming an environmentally friendly car brand, both in its vehicles and how the cars are assembled. I think it is a great gesture for Hyundai to live up to high standards of responsibility both in products and the assembly process.
I was ecstatic that my class could go to this plant, especially since I based my class project on the history of Hyundai. I find Mr Chung very inspiring and I like that his children have continued his legacy with grace. To see the company I have grown to respect in action so close to my school was awesome!
When we arrived, we were given a brief introduction to the plant and then began our tour of the assembly portion of the plant. We saw the process from the first piece of metal used for the body being molded to completed Sonatas being test driven on a test track. Every 57 seconds, the Asan plant completes a vehicle.
One interesting aspect of this plant that is a key aspect of Hyundai is that almost all the assembly robots and tools used are made by other branches of Hyundai Group. Hyundai was formed as a Chaebol by Chung Juyoung, which is a company that participates in several different industries. Hyundai Heavy Industry Inc remains one of Korea's largest companies specializing in heavy industry today. Hyundai Shipbuilding and Construction are also very prominent in their respective fields. Today, each individual component of the Hyundai Chaebol is owned by a member of the Chung family. I find it interesting that Hyundai as a whole is a pretty independent entity because while its different industries are varied, they complement each other. There is little need for outside investment of the Hyundai group. It was quite a sight to see the robots used to assemble the cars bearing the Hyundai Heavy Industry logo, Hyundai building Hyundai.
Another interesting piece of this plant is that the plant recycles 100% of its waste water in refineries located on the plant grounds. Hyundai is moving towards becoming an environmentally friendly car brand, both in its vehicles and how the cars are assembled. I think it is a great gesture for Hyundai to live up to high standards of responsibility both in products and the assembly process.
I was ecstatic that my class could go to this plant, especially since I based my class project on the history of Hyundai. I find Mr Chung very inspiring and I like that his children have continued his legacy with grace. To see the company I have grown to respect in action so close to my school was awesome!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Living History
One thing that I am always amazed by in any culture is the opportunity to speak to older individuals about their lives and hear their stories. Talking to people from past generations is like receiving an accurate glimpse of history from a human perspective. I believe it is extremely important for us younger generations to listen to them and learn from their experiences. If we turn a deaf ear to their past situations and advice to us, we will repeat the trend of mistakes and tragedies that they experienced.
Yesterday after the Buddhist temple stay, I joined Craig, a Tennessee native and Poli Sci major who enjoys arguing politics with me, and our SCH married couple Lindz and Krist for some shopping in Dongdaemun. Lindz and Krist are truly each others best friend and soulmate. They are absolutely adorable and set a great example for our Korean students in our program of what to search for in a significant other. They encourage our Koreans to look past the superficial "types" they pursue and their naive approach to relationships to replace it with a search for a best friend who will accept them for who they are.
But back to Dongdaemun: Dongdaemun is a series of department stores practically on top of one another. It is like a 21st century market with 12 floor shopping centers in lines down the main street. It is a shopaholics paradise.
As we were walking from one store to the next, we were stopped by this elderly Korean gentleman. He began to ask us some questions about ourselves in perfect English, some of the best English I have heard in Korea.
We asked him about his life, and his eyes completely lit up. He began to share with us about how he fought in the Korean War when he was 20. He then worked with the USA army during the war and learned English. He shared more of his life and what it was like to be a child during the occupation, a soldier during the war, and a man during the economic development of Korea. It was one of the most incredible conversations I have had in my life. In five short minutes of talking to him on the street, my perspective South Korea's history became much more personal. He showed us pictures of him while working as a soldier, his face beaming with pride as we saw a very handsome young man smiling with some USA soldiers.
He is a true hero in my eyes, he has lived through one of the most dramatic developments in any nation in history and continues to share his story with everyone he meets. He thanked us as Americans for all the dedication the USA has had to Korea. He shook our hands and began to tear up as Craig (who comes from an army family) saluted him and thanked him for his service to his country.
I will never forget that short exchange with this man. His life story is truly amazing and to hear it from him was incredible. I hope someday when I reach his age I can share my life story, experiences, and advice to young people with as much grace as he did for me.
Yesterday after the Buddhist temple stay, I joined Craig, a Tennessee native and Poli Sci major who enjoys arguing politics with me, and our SCH married couple Lindz and Krist for some shopping in Dongdaemun. Lindz and Krist are truly each others best friend and soulmate. They are absolutely adorable and set a great example for our Korean students in our program of what to search for in a significant other. They encourage our Koreans to look past the superficial "types" they pursue and their naive approach to relationships to replace it with a search for a best friend who will accept them for who they are.
But back to Dongdaemun: Dongdaemun is a series of department stores practically on top of one another. It is like a 21st century market with 12 floor shopping centers in lines down the main street. It is a shopaholics paradise.
As we were walking from one store to the next, we were stopped by this elderly Korean gentleman. He began to ask us some questions about ourselves in perfect English, some of the best English I have heard in Korea.
We asked him about his life, and his eyes completely lit up. He began to share with us about how he fought in the Korean War when he was 20. He then worked with the USA army during the war and learned English. He shared more of his life and what it was like to be a child during the occupation, a soldier during the war, and a man during the economic development of Korea. It was one of the most incredible conversations I have had in my life. In five short minutes of talking to him on the street, my perspective South Korea's history became much more personal. He showed us pictures of him while working as a soldier, his face beaming with pride as we saw a very handsome young man smiling with some USA soldiers.
He is a true hero in my eyes, he has lived through one of the most dramatic developments in any nation in history and continues to share his story with everyone he meets. He thanked us as Americans for all the dedication the USA has had to Korea. He shook our hands and began to tear up as Craig (who comes from an army family) saluted him and thanked him for his service to his country.
I will never forget that short exchange with this man. His life story is truly amazing and to hear it from him was incredible. I hope someday when I reach his age I can share my life story, experiences, and advice to young people with as much grace as he did for me.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Buddhist Temple Stay
This weekend, I went on a temple stay at one of the larger Buddhist temples in Seoul. I joined about twenty other international students from SCH on this trip. We went to Myogaksa temple, which is located in the heart of Seoul close to Dongdaemun market. I was very intrigued with doing a temple stay because I think it would help me understand Korean Buddhism better than any textbook possibly could.
We left for the temple Saturday morning. We were required to arrive by 2:30, so I joined a few of the internationals for one final non-vegetarian lunch before making our way to the temple.
When we arrived at the temple, we were given temple clothes to wear while we were staying in the temple. The clothes were a simple Asian style shirt and pants, very comfortable.
After everyone arrived and changed into temple garb, the main nun at the temple, Yeo Yeo, gave us an introduction to the temple and a brief overview of Korean Buddhism.
Here are some of the interesting things that she discussed:
1. Buddhism is not understood by monks and nuns as a religion (a means of salvation) but a way of life in order to have a peaceful transition to the next
2. Korean Buddhists believe in Nirvana, but Nirvana is a place for a soul to rest before beginning a new life. It is not a permanent place, but more like a rest stop.
3. Contrary to the concept held by most Westerners, Buddhists do not worship Siddhārtha Gautama as the only Buddha. Buddha is more of a state of mind, an ideal that every Buddhist is trying to attain. Siddhārtha Gautama was the first documented person to reach that enlightenment. Buddhists today turn to him as well as other humans that reached Buddha state for guidance as they seek enlightenment.
4. After Siddhārtha Gautama reached enlightenment, his teachings were documented. His early writings are the works that Southeast Asian Buddhists follow, while East Asian Buddhists read his later writings. This is why their concepts of Buddha are slightly different.
After our discussion, we went to the evening bell toll with the other nuns. As they chanted and helped us ring the bell, the sun was setting over Seoul. It was a very special experience for me to participate in a centuries old tradition overlooking one of the most modern cities in the world.
After the bell, we went to evening chant with the nuns. This was held in the main chanting hall, which is the largest building in a Korean Buddhist temple. We followed the nuns lead as the stood up and bowed, a sequence that they would do for every chant. Each chant called upon a different reincarnation of the Buddha to bring them enlightenment. I have never been in a Buddhist service, so to listen along and see the nuns chant was very insightful.
We then participated in a very traditional Korean Buddhist practice: the 108 bows. 108 is a very significant number in Buddhism. The reasoning for this number is quite interesting: In Buddhism, there are 6 characteristics that you must remove and replace with 6 other attitudes. 6x6=36. According to Buddhism, these characteristics must be removed in order to bring peace to your past, understanding to your present, and discernment for your future. These 3 times are relative and significant constantly in order to reach enlightenment 3x36=108: The removal of undesirable behaviors in your past, present, and future in order to be replaced by characteristics that will bring enlightenment. In Korean Buddhism, when you perform a bow, your knees, hands, and head must touch the floor (the 5 physical parts that help remove desires) For each bow we performed, we were requested to think about one aspect of yourself that is needs to be released. After performing the bow, we put one bead on the string. We performed the bow 108 times to string 108 beads on our necklace. It was brutal! You do good for the first 50, but once you reach about 80, you're legs are burning. It was a very unique experience for me, it gave me a lot of time to think about things that I know need to change in myself, not for enlightenment but just because they are not right as they stand.
(Side note, for all you Losties, remember the hatch with the 108 minutes? This is where the writers got that. I always wondered why they chose this number, but for Buddhism, that is the number of renewal, a new start, cool eh?)
After this series of bowing and removal, we were ready to eat! We had a nice vegetarian meal: rice, kimchi, cabbage soup, potatoes, bean sprouts, and sauteed mushrooms.
After dinner, Yeo Yeo introduced us to proper meditation and we had a practice round before the next mornings meditation. Traditionally, you cross your legs so that your feet rest on top, but for all us tall people, she modified it for us so that we would still be able to walk afterwards. You hold you hands in a circle like position, which is supposed to help you find enlightenment.
After our practice round, it was time to hit the sack...for five hours before morning bell ceremony. I was out as soon as I hit my mat!
At 4am, we were awakened by the nuns in the dark, cold morning for the bell ceremony. Both the evening and morning bell ceremony is to thank the world and every Buddha (which is inside every living creature) for the beginning and ending of the day. We listened as the nuns chanted and rang the large bell.
After the bell ceremony, it was meditation time. Nothing like sitting in a dark quiet room at 5 am and not falling asleep! Surprisingly, I was wide awake at this point and liked being able to sit in silence for forty minutes. It was a refreshing way to start the day, instead of rushing around with no time to think.
After meditation, we took a hike up the mountain (large hill) behind the temple. We reached a pagoda in time for the sunrise. It was a great way to start the day (seeing that we had already been up for about 3 hours at this point, amazing how much you can accomplish early in the morning!)
After the hike, we returned for breakfast. Pretty similar to the dinner, except we had rice noodles as well, yummy!
We then learned the Korean Buddhist traditional tea ceremony, which is slightly different from the Korean tea ceremony. After making some delicious green tea, we concluded our temple stay with a discussion with Yeo Yeo.
We left the temple at....10am....yeah....a six hour morning activity before the time I usually see daylight on a weekend. These Buddhists, they're on to something I tell you, now if only I could get myself to follow a similar morning routine, I would accomplish so much...
I have been wanting to do a temple stay pretty much since I came to Korea. It was so fascinating to me to live with these nuns and see their world through their eyes. They live in a reality where time is very relative, what you don't accomplish in this lifetime you can begin in the next. It is a concept that is so foreign to me, coming from a Christian background. I enjoyed hearing their perspective and learned an immense amount about Korean Buddhism.
We left for the temple Saturday morning. We were required to arrive by 2:30, so I joined a few of the internationals for one final non-vegetarian lunch before making our way to the temple.
When we arrived at the temple, we were given temple clothes to wear while we were staying in the temple. The clothes were a simple Asian style shirt and pants, very comfortable.
After everyone arrived and changed into temple garb, the main nun at the temple, Yeo Yeo, gave us an introduction to the temple and a brief overview of Korean Buddhism.
Here are some of the interesting things that she discussed:
1. Buddhism is not understood by monks and nuns as a religion (a means of salvation) but a way of life in order to have a peaceful transition to the next
2. Korean Buddhists believe in Nirvana, but Nirvana is a place for a soul to rest before beginning a new life. It is not a permanent place, but more like a rest stop.
3. Contrary to the concept held by most Westerners, Buddhists do not worship Siddhārtha Gautama as the only Buddha. Buddha is more of a state of mind, an ideal that every Buddhist is trying to attain. Siddhārtha Gautama was the first documented person to reach that enlightenment. Buddhists today turn to him as well as other humans that reached Buddha state for guidance as they seek enlightenment.
4. After Siddhārtha Gautama reached enlightenment, his teachings were documented. His early writings are the works that Southeast Asian Buddhists follow, while East Asian Buddhists read his later writings. This is why their concepts of Buddha are slightly different.
After our discussion, we went to the evening bell toll with the other nuns. As they chanted and helped us ring the bell, the sun was setting over Seoul. It was a very special experience for me to participate in a centuries old tradition overlooking one of the most modern cities in the world.
After the bell, we went to evening chant with the nuns. This was held in the main chanting hall, which is the largest building in a Korean Buddhist temple. We followed the nuns lead as the stood up and bowed, a sequence that they would do for every chant. Each chant called upon a different reincarnation of the Buddha to bring them enlightenment. I have never been in a Buddhist service, so to listen along and see the nuns chant was very insightful.
We then participated in a very traditional Korean Buddhist practice: the 108 bows. 108 is a very significant number in Buddhism. The reasoning for this number is quite interesting: In Buddhism, there are 6 characteristics that you must remove and replace with 6 other attitudes. 6x6=36. According to Buddhism, these characteristics must be removed in order to bring peace to your past, understanding to your present, and discernment for your future. These 3 times are relative and significant constantly in order to reach enlightenment 3x36=108: The removal of undesirable behaviors in your past, present, and future in order to be replaced by characteristics that will bring enlightenment. In Korean Buddhism, when you perform a bow, your knees, hands, and head must touch the floor (the 5 physical parts that help remove desires) For each bow we performed, we were requested to think about one aspect of yourself that is needs to be released. After performing the bow, we put one bead on the string. We performed the bow 108 times to string 108 beads on our necklace. It was brutal! You do good for the first 50, but once you reach about 80, you're legs are burning. It was a very unique experience for me, it gave me a lot of time to think about things that I know need to change in myself, not for enlightenment but just because they are not right as they stand.
(Side note, for all you Losties, remember the hatch with the 108 minutes? This is where the writers got that. I always wondered why they chose this number, but for Buddhism, that is the number of renewal, a new start, cool eh?)
After this series of bowing and removal, we were ready to eat! We had a nice vegetarian meal: rice, kimchi, cabbage soup, potatoes, bean sprouts, and sauteed mushrooms.
After dinner, Yeo Yeo introduced us to proper meditation and we had a practice round before the next mornings meditation. Traditionally, you cross your legs so that your feet rest on top, but for all us tall people, she modified it for us so that we would still be able to walk afterwards. You hold you hands in a circle like position, which is supposed to help you find enlightenment.
After our practice round, it was time to hit the sack...for five hours before morning bell ceremony. I was out as soon as I hit my mat!
At 4am, we were awakened by the nuns in the dark, cold morning for the bell ceremony. Both the evening and morning bell ceremony is to thank the world and every Buddha (which is inside every living creature) for the beginning and ending of the day. We listened as the nuns chanted and rang the large bell.
After the bell ceremony, it was meditation time. Nothing like sitting in a dark quiet room at 5 am and not falling asleep! Surprisingly, I was wide awake at this point and liked being able to sit in silence for forty minutes. It was a refreshing way to start the day, instead of rushing around with no time to think.
After meditation, we took a hike up the mountain (large hill) behind the temple. We reached a pagoda in time for the sunrise. It was a great way to start the day (seeing that we had already been up for about 3 hours at this point, amazing how much you can accomplish early in the morning!)
After the hike, we returned for breakfast. Pretty similar to the dinner, except we had rice noodles as well, yummy!
We then learned the Korean Buddhist traditional tea ceremony, which is slightly different from the Korean tea ceremony. After making some delicious green tea, we concluded our temple stay with a discussion with Yeo Yeo.
We left the temple at....10am....yeah....a six hour morning activity before the time I usually see daylight on a weekend. These Buddhists, they're on to something I tell you, now if only I could get myself to follow a similar morning routine, I would accomplish so much...
I have been wanting to do a temple stay pretty much since I came to Korea. It was so fascinating to me to live with these nuns and see their world through their eyes. They live in a reality where time is very relative, what you don't accomplish in this lifetime you can begin in the next. It is a concept that is so foreign to me, coming from a Christian background. I enjoyed hearing their perspective and learned an immense amount about Korean Buddhism.
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