Kimchi and IT Sheds Light on Korea
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
With the title ``Kimchi and IT'' (information technology), it could only be a book about Korea. Korea has always been known for kimchi, its most famous staple dish, and is now gaining worldwide attention for its technological advancements.
``Kimchi and IT,'' written by Kim Choong-soon, is a comprehensive book tackling Korea's history, politics, society, religion, ethos and economic development. This is probably one of the few English-language books that provide an in-depth look into modern-day Korea.
An anthropologist, Kim considers himself as both an ``insider, who was born, raised and partly educated in Korea for 27 years'' and an ``outsider who has been living, teaching and doing research in the U.S. for many years.'' He is now based in Seoul, and is currently president of the Korea Digital University.
Kim wrote the book, in recognition of the growing interest in Korea by overseas descendants of Koreans, fans of hallyu or the Korean Wave, and businessmen dealing with Korean companies, among others. But he admits a more personal agenda: ``I needed a way to teach my grandchildren who were born and still live in the U.S. about Korea and its culture.''
The book's first few chapters deal with Korea's history, tracing the racial and cultural origins of Koreans, as well as the early kingdoms to modern history; and contemporary political developments. There are also chapters dealing with kinship, marriage, family, the social class system, religion and education, which provide historical and sociological background on modern-day Korea.
The chapter on ethos is probably the most interesting, since Kim attempts to identify certain Korean patterns and characteristics to allow foreigners to understand the Korean psyche.
He cited contradictory patterns in Koreans' ethos, such as ``values unhurried calmness yet craves fast results,'' ``remarkable endurance, explosive impatience,'' and ``inclusive worldview with exclusive one-ness.''
Any foreigner who has lived in Korea for any period of time will be familiar with the phrase ``ppali ppali,'' which means ``hurry, hurry." ``It appears that in order to survive in Korea, one always has to move fast, rush and hurry. If not, one will not merely stand still but actually be pushed back. Certainly this norm contradicts the norm of the ideal Confucian gentleman who was required to move as gracefully as possible with all the dignity in the world,'' Kim writes.
As Korea experiences change, some traditional patterns are diminishing, such as: ``from politeness and humility to 'can-do spirit' of self-confidence,'' and ``from inward worldview to outward effort.''
Kim also cited persisting traditional Korean norms such as ``emphasis on education, a burning desire to release 'han' (unfulfilled wishes and desires), the emotional display of gibun (feelings or state of mind) and the pattern of seeking to out-do one another (one-upmanship).''
In the final chapter titled ``Korea's place in the world: the hermit kingdom no more?'' Kim offers his view on the future of Korea. He proposes crucial reforms to ensure Korea's economy will continue to be robust, namely ``redefining the role of the chaebol and reducing government regulations, creating an open policy to meet the challenges of globalization, preparing a future labor market in an increasingly aging society, and promoting the rejuvenation of the Korean spirit for a new leap forward toward further development.''
While he sees a bright future for Korea's economy, he laments Koreans' slackening interest in humanities. ``I may be in the minority for insisting upon the primacy of aesthetics over economic development. It is understandable that when Korea as a nation was below the absolute poverty line, people felt a strong drive toward economic betterment. Now that the Korean economy has achieved a certain standard of living, I wish Koreans would sit back, relax and once again appreciate aesthetic beauty. The capacity for such appreciation can be acquired by studying the humanities, music and the arts,'' he said.
However, Kim said the biggest challenge facing Korea is ``preventing environmental crises, an urgent task, which is far more important than economic development.''
``Kimchi and IT'' is a well-written and well-researched book that keeps an objective eye on Korea.
For foreign nationals who are often confused and feel excluded from the inner workings of Korean society, the book gives valuable insight on how Korean society works and what makes Koreans tick. As the saying goes, ``before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes,'' and this book attempts to show where Koreans are coming from, how they act, think and feel.