'Seonbi can be Korea's cultural icon'

Yeongju Mayor Jang Wook-hyeon speaks during a recent interview. / Courtesy of Yeongju City Government

By Jung Min-ho

YEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province ― Like Buddhism thrived in other parts of the world beyond India where it originated, Korea is often referred to as a more Confucian society than China or any other country in the world.

Christianity, now the religion of nearly 30 percent of people living in Korea, has affected the country greatly in terms of its belief system over the past century, but Confucianism remains strong in the way people live their daily lives.

“Seonbi,” the term used to indicate a Confucian scholar, is now used for any intellectual who is also ethical. Mayor Jang Wook-hyeon reckons this is a unique Korean cultural product that deserves greater attention.

“Like the Japanese have Bushido (the samurai way of life), Koreans have the seonbi spirit,” he said. “A seonbi is an intellectual who continues to learn and has a great sense of responsibility for society, which is exactly the sort of intellectual our age needs.”

Over the past few decades, Korea has grown much economically but has paid a heavy price for material prosperity, including the loss of traditional values and national identity, he said.

“Yeongju will be the main guardian and transmitter of the seonbi spirit, which is to pursue social justice through tenacity and knowledge,” he said.

Starting this year, students at all public elementary and middle schools have been required to learn etiquette for at least five hours a year. Special lecturers from education institutions, such as Seonbi Spirit Campaign Center and Humanism Education Leaders Association, teach them traditional virtues like filial piety and loyalty.

The Yeongju City Government is also building a major cultural theme park near Seonbichon, a cultural village where visitors can see many types of traditional houses, and Sosu Seowon, Korea’s first state-approved private academy.

The Korea Culture Theme Park, which is expected to open in 2020, is for people who want to learn about Korean history and culture. Once the construction is done, it will complete the golden triangle of “exploration of seonbi” in the tourist area, Jang said.

The project is expected to boost the number of visitors there, which was about 360,000 last year, according to the city government.

Ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which will be held Feb. 9 to 25 next year, the city government is also stepping up its efforts to promote tourism.

“Yeongju is only an hour and a half away from the host city. I think many visitors, especially those from Southeast Asia, would love to see the breathtaking views of Mt. Sobaek, which is always beautifully decorated with snow during the winter season, and discover our city’s seonbi spirit,” the mayor said.