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David A. Tizzard

Contributor

David Tizzard is a professor at Seoul Women’s University, holds a PhD in Korean Studies, and hosts the Korea Deconstructed podcast. He has lived and worked in Seoul for more than two decades. Reach him at datizzard@swu.ac.kr.

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Opinion

On Korean protests

In a recent lecture on Korean characteristics and values, Professor Sam Richards suggested that a Korean protest is like going to a baseball game. They are organized. Safe. People hold up placards and signs. There are cheers and chants. The crowd stands up and sits down at regular intervals. There are candles held in memory of others. Old and young mingle. There’s food available for those in attendance. Basically, it’s all somewhat PG 13. You could take your kid to a Korean protest…and some actually do. It’s about being present and being seen rather than an act of violence. Korean people might be angry but this does not generally manifest in violence against the state. Moreover, a Korean protest is very different from what we see in downtown Paris or across American university campuses.

Nov 23, 2024By David A. Tizzard
On Korean protests
Opinion

Korean education is pretty good

I’m meant to write something about how Korean education sucks. How it drains the life out of students. Creates robots incapable of independent thought. And how Korea would be so much better if only it followed the lessons and examples of western practice and culture. After all, why isn’t Korea more like England? Why aren’t the after-school academies filled with John Keatings instructing students to “stand on their desks and constantly look at things in a different way”? Where is Plato’s cave in a world of Confucian rote learning and memorization?

Nov 16, 2024By David A. Tizzard
Korean education is pretty good
Opinion

Have you ever been to a Korean wedding?

I attended my first Korean wedding in the winter of 2005, trudging through the snow in an ill-fitting suit to an unfamiliar venue. I wasn’t heading to a church. The invitation said that it was a "wedding hall." My only instructions were to bring cash. I wasn’t quite sure what for but I had a bunch of green 10,000s tucked in my jacket pocket. The 50,000s didn’t exist yet. Having grown up in the U.K., I was used to churches, drunk bridesmaids, discos, uncles smoking cigars and very late nights. I was about to experience something very different.

Nov 10, 2024By David A. Tizzard
Have you ever been to a Korean wedding?
Opinion

Why BTS is more like religion than music

This week I sat down with a group of BTS fans from around the world and spent two hours listening to their stories. As a lot of the media hype and attention around them has either focused on their solo efforts or been replaced by the next generation of idols, I thought it would provide some nice distance from the unprecedented levels of success they were achieving as a group a few years back.

Nov 2, 2024By David A. Tizzard
Why BTS is more like religion than music
Opinion

Can boys and girls be friends in Korea?

Everyone has a different answer to the question of whether boys and girls can be friends. Some will say that it is impossible because male-female friendships are predicated on one of the people secretly liking the other. Others will suggest that it is ridiculous to say gender gets in the way of friendship. And then there are groups that simply blame men and their untrustworthiness for the whole thing. There’s a whole range of answers. Most of which are informed by our own experiences, culture, and worldview.

Oct 26, 2024By David A. Tizzard
Can boys and girls be friends in Korea?
Opinion

On Korean racism

Every society has cultural diversity. This diversity might be based on religion, ethnicity, or nationality. The challenge is then how does each country understand this diversity and how does it respond to it. What stories does it tell about the various people that inhabit the land?

Oct 19, 2024By David A. Tizzard
On Korean racism
Opinion

Han Kang is voice of Korean democracy

Korea often exists in the space between two worlds, seen through distant eyes. One world is polished, gleaming — a place where idols dance with precision and Gen Z kids from Indonesia to Italy look upon it with admiration through TikToks and Insta reels. Korea is draped in vibes, as though all of life here moves to the filtered choreography of a billion-dollar entertainment company.

Oct 12, 2024By David A. Tizzard
Han Kang is voice of Korean democracy
Opinion

Why 'Ode to My Father' remains relevant today

If a house is on fire and a mother and three of her children are safely outside, should she risk her life to run in and save the remaining child? “Yes, of course!” you think. All life is sacred. Each individual precious. But the answer from a Korean mother in the 1950s might be "no." Because if she went inside and died, who would be left to feed the other children? Despite the grief of losing a husband and a child, she is expected to bury her trauma, endure the anguish, and continue dedicating her life, irrespective of her own feelings, to her children. That’s what Korean mothers do.

Oct 5, 2024By David A. Tizzard
Why 'Ode to My Father' remains relevant today
Opinion

Narrating Korean life - Part 3

Autumn in Korea is magical. You can even smell it coming, walking the streets late at night. Barbeque joints, chicken houses, and all sorts of other cafes, bakeries, and places selling food and booze finally open their doors and windows, putting customers out in the road. People no longer run from building to building seeking either the sweet solace of an air conditioner or the safety of an umbrella. Now, instead, they dawdle. Loitering outside, catching the breeze, and drinking long into the night. A local joke has it that it’s not just the horses that get fat in autumn, it’s the people too. Love and mischief can be heard and seen everywhere. It feels like this is a season when not only are a lot of babies made, the divorce count and counselling rates probably jump up as well.

Sep 28, 2024By David A. Tizzard
Narrating Korean life - Part 3
Opinion

Who was Park Chung-hee?

I’ve often made the argument that history in Korean society is one of the most dangerous topics to explore. One is obliged to consider sensitivity rather than facts, to be cognizant of the prevailing national mood, and to tread carefully around issues of colonization, culture, and important figures. The trepidation one feels is added to by the presence of national defamation laws which can see people sued for saying things about people, living or dead, that might affect their reputation in a negative manner, even if what is said is true. Consider that rather complex sentence one more time to make sure you understand it. You can get sued for defamation even if you are telling the truth.

Sep 21, 2024By David A. Tizzard
Who was Park Chung-hee?
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