Nostalgia of first snow

By Park Moo-jong

What did you do on Saturday?

The first snow of the season blanketed the nation white on Saturday.

Lots of people like snow ― wishing and waiting for the first flakes ― no matter how much it will affect traffic.

But there are certainly some powerful men in the presidential office who hated the first snowfall of this winter.

Saturday's first snow made citizens exclaim in one voice: "I have never experienced such a heavy snow as the first of the season."

Officially, the snow, which turned the entire capital white for three hours from 7 a.m., was the heaviest on record since 1981 when snowfall amounts first began to be measured.

Pyongyang also had its first snow the same day, though heavier than in Seoul, with the Workers' Party mouthpiece the Rodong Sinmun reporting: "Joyful laughter overflows the Taedong River with snow scenes unfolding."

Indeed, the first snow makes the people of the South and the North feel thrilled alike as it has such a romantic and wonderful meaning.

There used to be a saying in Korea: "If you are out in the first snowfall of the season with someone you like, true love will blossom between you."

The first snow transports many people back in time, back to the thrill they felt as a small child as they watch the flakes tumble in slow motion onto the bare trees each like gems.

It's so sad, if people no longer thrilled by the first snow of the season. As Lady Bird Johnson, the first lady of the United States (1963-1969) as the wife of 36th President Lyndon B. Johnson, expressed, "I'd know I'm growing old."

The beauty of the first snow is that it is the first, unmatched by anything else this new winter season. My excitement for the first snow has not changed, though I have gotten older. I am fascinated with the way the snow shapes itself as it falls.

Snow is pretty, romantic and fun. It, especially the first snowfall, brings back happy carefree childhood memories for stressed-out adults.

Whenever I notice the snowflakes start to fall, I like to sit by my window and stay warm inside to watch the winter picture paint itself. The importance of the first snow is how simple it is, how it is something pretty to look at.

Here is a quote from Candace Bushenell, an American author, journalist and TV producer whose column for the New York Observer was adapted into the bestselling "Sex and the City" anthology, the basis for the HBO hit series "Sex and the City" (1998-2004):

"Thank goodness for the first snow. It was a reminder ― no matter how old you became and how much you had seen ― things could still be new if you were willing to believe they still mattered."

The first snow is the snow of love. There used to be and maybe still are many lovers who promised to meet at a certain place when the first snow falls. Also, there must be many people who get lost in old memories, watching the snow fall silently like angels in white.

But some were unhappy. The weathermen were in hot water due to their wrong forecast of about 1 to 3 centimeters of snowfall instead of the actual 8.8 centimeters. City officials were on alert due to the slippery roads.

Presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok was also unhappy as he was pressed to dismiss Tak Hyun-min, an event planner-turned-protocol official, blamed so far for his words degrading women, as he promised in summer to do so when the first snow falls. Im flatly said it was a joke, refusing the opposition camp's demand.

Im, recognized as the second man in South Korea after President Moon Jae-in, expressed his impression about the first snow on Facebook: "Seeing the white snow, I extraordinarily recalled Manchuria and Continent. It will be possible to have a groundbreaking ceremony to connect the South-North railroads." Im may have wished for no snow during President Moon's tenure.

Interestingly enough, snow or "nun" in Korean (not a female religious community member but pronounced "noon") in Korean is a homonym of "nun" or eye. "Nunmul" or eye drop is also a homonym of "nunmul" or snow water.

"Cheonnun" or first snow is something more special in its relationship with "cheonnun" or "first eye" (meaning first sight).

Lovers at first sight can be translated in Korean as "cheonnun e ban hada" as many people may be tumbled for first snow ("cheonnun e ban hada)."

It was fortunate for Seoul citizens to see such a snowstorm Saturday morning for their first snow of the season, even if they had to spend a lot of time on the slippery roads during the morning hours as cars could only crawl at a snail's pace.

But, it is not that easy to see such heavy snow these days due to climate change featuring the worsening global warming, even though those in charge of traffic may heave a sigh of relief.

I hope that white "nun" will fall from time to time this winter, despite the global warming, to blanket the whole country white, thus hiding the ugly and dirty things from our "nun."

Park Moo-jong (emjei29@gmail.com) is a standing adviser of The Korea Times. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English daily newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter since 1974.