Opinion - The Korea Times

Japanese influence on Korea

By Mark PetersonJapan's influence on Korea is still visible in some ways. And invisible in other ways. The Japanese colonial occupation of Korea was a failure in all regards, politically, morally, ethically. But the evil results of the occupation remain in many ways.The obvious affects include the diplomatic mistrust of Japan and resentment of Japanese actions during the occupation (1910-45) and after the liberation of Korea as well. Sore points between Korea and Japan flare up every now and then, most often over the “comfort women” ― accepting responsibility and providing compensation ― and contention over the Dokdo islets, Korean territory, and the use of the term the “Sea of Japan” that Korea argues to be the “East Sea.”But there are other issues, some of them centered on historical interpretations. For example, there is more than ample evidence that the royal family of Japan, the Yamato clan, may well have come from the Korean Peninsula. It is clear there was Korean migration from the peninsula to the Japanese islands ― as was there migration f

Aug 30, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Traditional Korean 'seoja' discrimination

By Mark PetersonTwo things have set my mind recently to writing about traditional social class and discrimination between classes. The first was a video I was asked to make for the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles ― it was a video, actually four videos, about Pak Ji-won and his lesser-known disciple, Pak Je-ga. More on that below. The second occurred when I binge-watched “Crash Landing on You” in the last few weeks ― it was the “throw-away fact” (incidental mentioning) that the main female protagonist, Seri, was born “illegitimately.” This brings up the topic traditionally termed “seoja” ― a child born between a “yangban” aristocratic father and a commoner or slave mother. The reason filming videos about Pak Ji-won and Pak Je-ga brings up the subject is that Pak Je-ga was a seoja. He was one of the successful seoja because he lived at a time when the king and the court allowed a limited number of seoja to take and pass exams. For most of the 1390-1910 Joseon Kingdom, a seoja could not take the exams, and therefore could no

Aug 16, 2020By Mark Peterson

Traditional Korean 'seoja' discrimination

Mark Peterson

'Correct' history

By Mark PetersonI usually object to the saying that certain words or phrases are untranslatable. I like to think that if one is clever enough, every word and phrase can be translated well. But I have to admit that some translations simply don't work.Such is the case for the slogan I saw on a Korean government website ― “correct history.” The translation doesn't appear to be a problem, but it really is. And the problem is cultural. Many Koreans have no problem with the term. When I've mentioned it to my Korean friends, there is no negative response, but rather an understanding that, yes, there is “incorrect history” and yes, there is “correct history.” Such is not the case at all for Americans. If you say “We need to have correct history,” to an American, inevitably, you get an uncomfortable response, a response of “should I say what I'm thinking” because an American inevitably thinks, “'correct' according to whom?” Americans want to make that judgment; they want to decide whether it is “correct” or no

Aug 2, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Sijo contest in LA

By Mark PetersonThe Los Angeles Korean Cultural Center (KCCLA) announced the winners of their sijo contest last week. It was an online contest with contestants from all across the United States. This is the first annual sijo contest for Korea's LA cultural center, which means they intend to do it again next year and thereafter. This is welcome news and a positive indicator that sijo is catching on in America.I've reported previously on the Sejong Cultural Society in Chicago that has held a sijo contest online for the last 13 years for high school students, and last year was the second year for the post-high school group. The KCCLA  contest is open to all.The contest had a theme: “anything inspiring to get through COVID19.” The awards were announced in a virtual award ceremony ― a very nice, visually appealing video with an abstract background and with music. Go to Facebook, search for “Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles,” and the award ceremony is easy to find. They start with the bottom up, from third place (five winners) to second place (three winners)

Jul 19, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Charm of K-drama

By Mark PetersonOkay, call me slow. Yes, I know everyone else has been talking about K-drama forever. But I've finally gotten on board. The key to my conversion has been “Crash Landing on You.”My wife had watched “Crash” twice and finally talked me into watching it with her. Sixteen episodes, each one ending with a classic cliff-hanger that leaves you anxious to see the next episode and wondering how in the world they're going to resolve this crisis. But every time they did, and we launched on to the next episode.“Crash” has everything. Suspense. Romance. Humor. Charming characters, rogues, lovable rogues and villains, absolutely unmitigatedly evil villains. And clever, even devious good guys that can out-maneuver the bad guys. And oh, the bad guys. Your skin just crawls when the chief bad guy figures out what is happening and zeroes in on the hero and heroine.The acting was really good. It draws you in, both the good guys and the bad guys. I looked up the record of the actors and was surprised to see many of them had shallow experience. There were

Jul 12, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Improving Korean education

By Mark PetersonI'm really hesitant to give my opinion on the Korean education system, but on the heels of my article last week about the Harvard admission policy, perhaps I can venture to offer my humble opinions in hopes of improving an already excellent educational system.The Korean education system is unquestionably one of the finest in the world. On some scales it is No. 1 or No. 2. What improvements could possibly be necessary? If there are to be improvements, what are the problems, if any? The first thing that jumps out at us is the suicide rate for high school students. A quick look at the Wikipedia page on suicide in South Korea shows that suicide is a serious problem in the country. Prominent people, actors, actresses, even a former president, have taken their own lives. And the suicide rate for the student-age population is high, and there is evidence that the pressure on high school students to perform in a highly competitive school environment is part of the reason.Maybe the Harvard approach is part of the answer?As I outlined last week, the Harvard admission standard in

Jul 5, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

How to get into Harvard

By Mark PetersonPersonally, my experience at Harvard, a master's degree and a Ph.D., has helped me in many ways to open doors to opportunities along the way. But it has been interesting to me that the word “Harvard” is met with such awe, particularly in Korea. Korea has an understanding of both hierarchy and the value of education, and Seoul National University is often assumed to be the best university in Korea, and Harvard is assumed to be the best university in the world. This may or may not be the case, but I have seen the reaction from many in Korea when the word “Harvard” is heard. What does it take to get into Harvard? The assumption is you need the best scores on tests (ACT or SAT) and a perfect grade point average (GPA). Well, it turns out that's not true.I was reminded of Harvard's admission policies a few days ago when I saw a press release about Harvard's change of admission requirements because of the COVID-19 situation. They announced that since many students, “particularly those from modest economic backgrounds,” would not be able to

Jun 28, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

American sijo movement

By Mark PetersonLast week I wrote about the sijo contest hosted online by the Sejong Cultural Society based in Chicago. And I've heard rumors of another sijo contest being organized in Southern California. This gives me hope that the “sijo movement” that I've been waiting for is getting off the ground! The response from the article last week was welcoming, so I've decided to write a little more about the winners in the contest.I've written several articles about sijo in the past year, and during that time I see several signs that there is more interest in America in the sijo as a widely-known, widely-practiced poetic form. Why have I termed an interest in sijo as a “movement”? It's because I see us in Korean Studies in the U.S. as playing “catch-up ball,” in regard to catching up to the popularity of haiku. Japanese haiku is well-known in America, and it is well-practiced ― meaning that all students in the last 30 years or so have been studying and writing haiku. That's the thing! Haiku is not just an abstract or object of study, but students actua

Jun 21, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

American 'sijo'

By Mark PetersonI have set up a research foundation, the Frog Outside the Well Research Center, where I work on three areas ― and only three areas ― where I have some degree of expertise. They are: traditional Confucian practice, the re-evaluation of Korean history, and encouraging the writing of “sijo” in Korean and English.Sijo is a traditional Korean poetic form. The largest online sijo writing contest recently concluded and I would like to share the results with The Korea Times readership.The contest was the 13th annual event sponsored by the Sejong Cultural Society, a private organization of mostly Korean-Americans based in Chicago. It was the 13th year for secondary school students in what they call the pre-college division; two years ago they opened an adult division. In the pre-college division, the judges selected two first-place winners ― a tie.There were first, second and third-place winners and several “honorable mentions” in each division. There was a prize of $500 for first place, down to $50 for honorable mentions. When the contest began, there

Jun 14, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Need for new history

By Mark PetersonWhen I first arrived in Korea, in November 1965, Korea was a very poor country. It had hardly begun to recover from the Korean War that had ended 12 years earlier. Per capita annual income was $125. South Korea in those days was much poorer than North Korea and was one of the absolute poorest countries in the world. Korea had been victimized by Japan and by the catastrophe of the war. The history of Korea that I started to learn then was a story of victimization ― told in terms of the many depravations Korea had suffered at the hands, or swords, of foreign invaders. It was a poverty-stricken history of victimization of a country that was poverty-stricken and victimized.In the 55 years since, Korea has progressed to where per capita annual income is around $30,000. The once-poor country is now one of the richest countries of the world. Yet, with all the changes in the standard of living, the history has not changed and it needs to. Let me introduce a radically different idea about history: history is not just that which happened a long time ago; history is now! What th

Jun 5, 2020By Mark Peterson

Mark Peterson

Read more

Japanese influence on Korea

Traditional Korean 'seoja' discrimination

'Correct' history

Sijo contest in LA

Charm of K-drama

Improving Korean education

How to get into Harvard

American sijo movement

American 'sijo'

Need for new history

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