I´ve been away to the Amazon Basin where it was hot and humid,
Internet was super expensive,
hence the lack of update,
but I´ve arrived to La Paz where the Internet is abundant, relatively fast and cheap.
before I start writing about my repulsive travel,
let me get to this South Korean news that my parents informed me…
but before I go on,
let me remind you about my background:
I was born near Philadelphia, PA USA to Korean parents. Three of my grandparents were from North Korea originally and my aunt was born in North Korea as well and she remembers fleeing during the Korean War. My aunt had been an U.S. citizen for several years before my birth and had invited my mother so my mother had been a legal resident(she´d appreciate me pointing this out as many pregnant Korean women stay illegally to give birth in order to obtain the citizenship for their kids) long before she gave birth to my older brother.
My father was still living in Korea at the time, supporting my grandparents. Thinking that we would be moving to the U.S. permanently in a few years time, my mother went back to Korea a few months after my birth. Our stay turned out longer than we had expected:a few years to several and before we knew it, we were celebrating my 12th birthday in the midst of IMF/Asian financial crisis. Soon after that, my aunt suggested that my brother and I move back to the U.S.A. for better opportunities in terms of education as my parents were starting to struggle. That was 1998.
Ever since the final return, I went back to Korea every summer and sometimes during winter breaks, realizing its rapid change. My last trip(and the longest stay since my departure) was in spring 2007 to study at Yonsei University as an exchange student. My parents finally moved to the U.S. March 2008. Except for my dad´s younger sister, all the other closely-related family members have been living outside of Korea, either in China or in the U.S.A.
I speak, read and write fluent Korean and I imagine that my academic level of Korean would be that of a freshman in college.
so having said that,
I want to clarify that I identify myself as an American because I think the term embraces multi-ethnic backgrounds. I am close to my Korean roots, as my family is still very much Korean.
one thing I hate about Korea´s collectivisitic culture is that people can be irrational about certain issues: Trends spread insanely fast and if you are with us, you are the enemy. The popular opinion is the only one that matters.
I tend to forget that Korea hasn´t achieved the ¨1st world¨status…(when I was little, I learned that it was 1.5 or something like that ¨developed country in process¨..whatever that means) somethings are far more advanced than their western counterparts: I often felt that I was coming back to the past whenever I came back from Korea. Then the Korean politics remind me how far behind they still are: since the 90´s, 3 of the ex-presidents have been involved in (mostly bribery) scandals, 2 of them having served jail sentences.
The last president committed suicide in the midst of a bribery scandal involving his wife and son last Saturday. Even if he didn´t directly receive the money, it´s obviously hard to believe that he was completely unaware of his wife and sons´involvement.
Some of the English articles involving this can be read here: 1, 2
Now,
while I feel bad for the guy for committing suicide,
I don´t support Korean media(giving into public´s pressure) making a martyr figure out of him. I´ve been reading several articles regarding the news in Korean and none of them said anything negative about him. They are digging up his campaign pictures showing how he was the ¨people´s president¨ from a humble background. In fact, the investigation regarding the bribery is closed.
People are pouring into the streets, mourning for his death(in fact the media is using the formal, noble term for the death, instead of calling it what it was: a suicide) demanding respects to be paid, pointing fingers at the current goverment. A news anchor cried during the report, celebrities are tearing up while delivering the news. An eulogy read that we live in a time where a president has to die, and along with his broken body, went away the dreams of democracy. Oh and the entire funeral process was paid with the government fund.
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god…
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please tell me that my family and I are not the only people who think this whole ordeal is absolutely ridiculous and irrational.
hopefully I have enough will to vent about disgusting repulsive people I´ve been meeting on the road and my experience of accidentally kicking a river dolphin in the head. sorry.
