By Michael Stevens
I'm writing in response to an April 17 op-ed article, ``Westernization of Korea?'' by Steve Schertzer. The sad fact is that many foreigners that arrive from Western countries such as America or Canada come to Korea often with a certain idea or belief about what they believe Asian culture is.
This is especially true for older foreigners who have formed a number of different prejudices. One is that Korean wives and mothers do everything for their family ― cooking and cleaning and never complaining openly about their husbands who come home late after drinking or have a mistress on the side.
Secondly, there is this belief that Asian children are hard working and study hard at school and are always respectful to their elders. Often these prejudices come from books they have read or movies from Hollywood that they watched in the past.
However, after coming to Korea many of them find that what they expected to be an Asian utopia of no crime and obedient women is far from the case.
They find that the Korean people are very similar in nature and attitude to Western people when it comes to business, relationships and home life since it has become a modern country.
Sadly, people like Schertzer would have us believe that the blame falls solely upon foreign English teachers and Western businessmen who come here. And even if a few teachers or businessmen were truly advising Korean women on how to leave their husband or boyfriend, it would be foolish to suggest that they are causing Korean women to undermine the values of their country.
In addition, so-called feminist writings and other books which openly advocate radical social change can freely be bought in almost every Korean book store in the Korean language throughout the country.
I find it very presumptuous and condescending for Schertzer to believe that Koreans are so naive and gullible that they can be manipulated by Western teachers' so called agenda.
Korea in only five decades has come a long way and in the past Korean culture did not truly nurture creativity, wealth making and equality of gender.
The fact is that from the very moment electricity was made available in Korea, this country has been down a path to become more Westernized and foreigners like Schertzer must give the Korean people credit for overcoming adversity in such a short period, which they did by being flexible and adapting to the world when called for.
Schertzer and others like him need to understand that the whole world is changing, not just Korea and more often than not for the better.
Koreans are not going to wake up one day and find themselves Westerners but what I believe will happen is a blending of the two cultures.
That part of Korean culture that is outmoded and truly needs to be changed, the Korean people will get rid of, while the parts of Western culture that benefit this country, its economy and its people, will be embraced, as this the natural process of change.
Those who want this country not to embrace this change will only have to look to North Korea and see the effect of a country that is not flexible or willing to adapt to the world around them.
The writer is a Christian teacher living in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. His email address is eslcity@gmail.com.