An Oxymoronic Nation

Korea’s inability to mix the old with the new and the problems this will cause

By Kyle Van Horn

I live in a country that produces some of the world’s most cutting edge technology.  The students who live on this modest peninsula, which is inconspicuously wedged between Japan and China, are among the world’s most academically apt. The country’s literacy rate flirts with 100 percent, and the education system here quietly churns out some of the world’s best standardized test scores.  The city in which I dwell is a growing hub of economic and political activity and culture in East Asia and around the globe.  One can walk the streets here to find delightful museums and art galleries, or to eat at top class restaurants.  Over 80 percent of residences here have broadband internet and South Korea was the first country in the world to provide high-speed internet access from every primary, junior, and high school.  The list goes on to explain scores of other reasons why a modern traveler might want to visit, or even live in South Korea.

                                               Seoul                                                                   

All this being said, there is one glaring problem that needs to be addressed here.  Without question, this society is on the right track as far as becoming a global leader in many aspects.  The social characteristics of Korea, however, remain medieval in numerous ways.  Today, I’d like to inform you about some of the ways in which the past and the present are mixing together to create a highly toxic situation in this small country in East Asia.  Further, I’ll evaluate the measures being taken to stifle this situation, and explain what the final outcome could look like for the Korean people in the future.  

A recent string of suicides among high-profile Korean celebrities has caused quite a stir among ordinary citizens, other celebrities, and the Korean government alike.  The trend officially kicked off in 2005 when 24-year-old actress, Lee Eun-joo, slit her wrists and hanged herself in her apartment.  Lee battled with depression which stemmed from shameful feelings about nude scenes she performed in the 2004 Korean version of The Scarlet Letter.

         Lee Eun-Joo                          Jung Da-bin                                                  

A couple years later, two more Korean celebrities decided that death by suicide was their only option.  In January of 2007, twenty-five-year-old singer, Yuni, hanged herself at her home in Incheon.  A few weeks after that, actress Jung Da-bin, 26, chose the same fate.  They were both victims of vicious comments about their alleged plastic surgery that circulated like wildfire on Korean blog sites.  "Internet space in our country has become the wall of a public toilet," said Hong Joon-pyo, a senior politician. 

The story continues.  This year, there have already been four celebrity suicides, the most notable being that of actress, Choi Jin-sil.  Choi was 39.  Her reasons for suicide appear to be multi-layered as she lived a blessed life on screen, but a very difficult one behind closed doors.  First, she was married to and divorced from high-profile Korean baseball player, Jo Seong-min.  Their failed marriage left her to be the single mother of two young children, a very difficult situation in South Korea due to skepticism about divorced women across society. 

After her divorce, her career struggled at first as most directors were unwilling to cast her in similar roles to the ones she had always performed before.  Rather than continue to play the beautiful girl with the magical life, she was forced into roles that oddly mirrored her personal life which were those of a struggling divorced mother with nowhere to turn in a society that shunned her whether the divorce was her fault or not.

Not surprisingly, as she was all but playing herself in her new roles, Choi maintained her spot as one of the most convincing and talented actresses in South Korea.  Slowly, the disapproving public seemed to be accepting that even though Choi was an inferior divorced woman, she somehow was still worth a damn in her profession.  She was just beginning to emerge from a dark valley when more tragedy struck her life.

In early September of this year, Ahn Jae-hwan, the husband of Choi’s long time friend, comedian Jung Sun-hee was found dead in his car.  He had poisoned himself with carbon monoxide.  The public was later informed that Ahn had piled up debts somewhere in the vicinity of $4 million (US), and was being hassled and threatened daily to pay them back or else.  He chose ‘or else’ under his own conditions.  He was 36.

A few weeks later, yet another rumor surfaced on a Korean blog site, this one identifying Choi Jin-sil as the “loan shark” who had lent the money to Ahn, and had since been relentlessly trying to reclaim what was hers.  Again, the “Netizens” of Korea made their voice heard, this time a bit too loudly.  Let me reiterate that this was only a rumor started by one person on the internet, and that the “Nation’s Actress”, as she was known, maintained its falsity until the end.

Choi Jin-sil was found hanged in her bathroom on the morning of October 2^nd.

       Choi Jin-sil                                       Ahn Jae-hwan                            

In the week following Choi’s death, two more celebrities who were lesser known but in no way less significant, hanged themselves.  One was twenty-six-year-old transgender celebrity, Jang Chae-won, who killed herself the day after Choi Jin-sil.  The other, who died on the 7^th of October, was twenty-three-year-old model, Kim Ji-hoo.  He had recently appeared on a new Korean television program entitled “Coming Out”.  I have little doubt that the reasons for their decisions to depart early from this world are not difficult to perceive given the constrictions of the culture in which they were raised.

            Jang Chae-won                                                    Kim Ji-hoo

One of the most serious issues to arise because of the celebrity suicides is the tendency for others to follow suit.  The Werther Effect, or string of copycat suicides, that Korea is witnessing at the moment is not limited to celebrities.  Each time a celebrity commits suicide, the hotlines that have been established in Korea to deal with issues like this light up with calls from ordinary people who want to kill themselves, too.  In fact, the number of calls to suicide hotlines has more than doubled in the first two weeks of October.  More worrying, still, is the fact that many ordinary people are actually acting on their words.  

Of the seven high-profile suicides described above, one was because of stress caused by nudity on screen, one stemmed from a public divorce, two resulted from disapproval of cosmetic surgery, one was a transsexual, and one was gay. 

On the surface, some Korean women, especially celebrities, are some of the most scantily dressed, sexually connotative women on earth.  Is it their own decision to display themselves in this manner?  No way.  When talking to these women in person, one sees that their true characters are usually incredibly conservative and very innocent for the most part.  I would even venture to say that the majority of South Korean women are deceptively naive in regard to the image they portray to society as a whole, and to men in general.  Their choice of clothing is strictly for fashion value.  Dressing like this is trendy.  That’s it. 

As we know, in the modern world, sex sells.  It is everywhere, in every form of media.  Korea is definitely up to date if not a world leader in this marketing strategy.  Everywhere you look a sexy girl in a miniskirt and heels is beckoning you to buy something.  Celebrities are forced to present themselves in this manner in order to stay employed and thus in the spotlight.  A huge number of ordinary girls, due to the obsession young people have with celebrities in this culture, mimic their every catch phrase and fashion decision.  It’s amazing how many women you see walking down the street these days with the same mushroom haircut and outfit as (current top TV personality) Seo In-young.    

Seo In-Young

Korea is known, even among other Asian countries where Western features are sought after and attained regularly via nips and tucks, as a Mecca of sorts in the world of cosmetic surgery.  According to Time magazine’s Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, “in Korea, surgeons estimate that at least one in 10 adults have received some form of surgical upgrade and even tots have their eyelids done.”  Korea even offers plastic surgery tours.  For one low price, one can get airfare, a hotel, do some sightseeing, and get a boob job in Seoul.  It is glaringly obvious that young ladies in Asia, and namely Korea, are ashamed of their Asian looks and will go to great lengths to attain what the media tells them is the current version of beautiful.  To be specific, Koreans want to be leggy, skinny, and busty with wide eyes, a high nose, a defined chin, and less prominent cheek bones.  As in any modern society, the craze and procedures needed to achieve the desired results begin with the famous folks and trickle down throughout the rest of the population.  And those who aren’t fortunate enough to have been born with ideal looks or a pocket full of money are the ones who suffer more times than not.  They are the ones who are likely to become devout “Netizens” and vent their bitterness on the internet.

Divorce.  A big no-no according to many Koreans, especially in the older generation.  They think people should not get divorced under any circumstances.  Children of divorced parents are often discriminated against in the classroom.  According to accounts I’ve heard, and luckily not witnessed, some mothers will go so far as to discourage their children from befriending those students who don’t have two parents at home.  “That boy doesn’t have a father at home,” they might say.  “He can’t learn proper manners.”  I am no advocate of divorce, but it just seems very contradictory for Korea to have the world’s number three divorce rate yet still have the majority of its citizens behave, especially in regard to marriage, as if they were living in the 1920s. 

Finally, a Korean co-worker of mine once told me “there are no gay people in Korea.”  She was dead serious.  Being gay here is simply not a comprehendible reality according to most Koreans.  Sure, Korea has a show called “Coming Out”, the premise of which is pretty self explanatory.  Do not be fooled, though.  This is not a sign of growing progressiveness.  The show is aired solely for its entertainment/shock value.  It’s something for people to laugh at and/or to be scared of.  It is viewed by Koreans in much the same way as Americans might view Jerry Springer’s popular talk show. 

In many ways, South Korea is the very definition of oxymoron.  The technology here is barreling into the future while many of the minds remain trapped in the distant past.  And this might look like a nice little way to bring this story to a close.  The message of the story:  Those who are unwilling to accept differences within society, please reconsider your stance!  Celebrities have feelings, too!  Use this amazing technology you have not to slander them, but to join together to make a better society!  Insert blissful sigh accompanied by promising jingle playing softly in the background.    

But this, unfortunately, is not the end of the story.  In fact, it may be just the beginning.  It seems that the Lee Myung-bak administration is using the recent tragedies to implement long sought after restrictions on blog sites.    

Earlier this year, the nation was in an uproar over imminent imports of US beef.  Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest the government’s actions, and millions were actively involved in the anti-President Lee campaign in some capacity.  One of the main avenues for people to make their voices heard not just in Korea, but anywhere in today’s world, is the internet.  And Koreans did just that.  The now infamous “Netizens” made their voices heard by coming together on the internet for a common cause and taking action.  Lee has made it abundantly clear time and again that any “leftist” thought that opposes his own should be considered dangerous and must be stifled.  I find it very hard to believe that he puts protecting the citizens of his country from malicious slander on the internet anywhere near things like privatizing major industries on his “things to do” list.  Here’s why.    

If President Lee really wants to put an end to this situation and thus make his country a better place, he will attack the many roots of the problem rather than cover it up with an old rag.  Korea is socially way behind the times because presidential administration after administration fails to step up and create social programs that will help Korean people get up to speed.  The current administration is only perpetuating the problem.

Korean President Lee Myung-bak

A Lee supporter might argue that Lee is, in fact, taking action to solve his country’s current crisis.  Under a new edict from the Education Ministry, teachers are now required to teach students about online ethics starting in primary school. Well, that’s fine and dandy, but it still isn’t addressing the root of the problem.  It isn’t what the “Netizens” say.  It’s why they say it!  Instead of wasting their time teaching children how to insult someone online in a politically correct manner, they should be starting programs that teach children that divorce, though not ideal, is a part of the world we live in, and that it is not the child’s fault if the parents decide to split up.  Or how about making youth programs that teach children that beauty comes from within?  And surely the country would benefit if the government were to create programs which teach children that it’s okay to have strong Asian features because, well, for one thing… THEY’RE ASIAN! 

The issues of transgender and homosexuality are a little harder to tackle as even in America, which has arguably the most liberal population in the world, these are still hot topics.  In this case, the “nature v. nurture” debate is still alive and well, not to mention the sensitive issue of religion.  Just for once, though, I’d like to hear someone in Korea (a high-profile celebrity or a government official would be ideal) say that while (ahem!) I might not be gay myself, being gay is not a problem in my opinion. 

Homosexuality has been around for as long as humans have, and it’s not going away.  And it doesn’t pick and choose which society to enter and which to stand clear of.  Gay is not contagious.  And gay people are never going to go door to door selling their gayness like Mormons, so there really isn’t anything to worry about in that regard.  In fact, the gay community should at least have some sway in the Christian conservative (i.e. Lee Myung-bak’s) sector of society in that they are guaranteed never to fight for abortion rights!  But seriously, the faster people realize these truths, the faster people like Kim Ji-hoo, they gay model who killed himself last Tuesday, will stop having to live in a world where the only option is to tie a rope around their neck, cut off their air supply, and die!

Since Lee Myung-bak made his heroic plans to rid the internet of slander via restrictions punishable by law, I have been trying to rally Korean people to, despite the terrible tragedies they’ve been forced to witness as of late, stand up for their freedom of speech at all costs.  If they don’t, they might not like the snowball effect that might ensue. 

You might be familiar with an incident that occurred in America in 1995.  It is known as the Oklahoma City Bombing.  While I don’t need to go into the details as it’s already been heavily documented, I want to point out one thing.  The Clinton Administration used this incident to pass an anti-terrorism act in America which gave the US government just a bit more power and authority to invade people’s lives… in the name of safety and freedom, of course.  This was when 9/11 was just another day on the calendar.  This was prior to the current “War on Terror”.  In the heat of the moment, this minor intrusion seemed like a very sound and responsible idea.  Most Americans agreed that in order to reach the optimal level of safety, we would have to give up a little bit of our freedom.  It was for the good of the country.  God bless America! 

The problem lies in that Clinton’s little acts were a miniscule wedge that kept the door cracked.  On the other side of that door was fascism, though we couldn’t quite see it yet because that little wedge was only big enough to keep the door from latching completely shut.  In 1995, though, something began to seep through that crack in trace amounts.

Thirteen years later, Americans are nearing the end of a presidential administration that has used the leverage that little wedge gave them to insert an even bigger wedge.  Americans, and thus the world, stand before a door which before allowed us only to smell the fumes of fascism.  Now we can see beams of its blinding light shining through the crack.  Those beams come in the form of new government policies like the Patriot Act which, in a nutshell, allows the US government to rape the world’s citizens by monitoring nearly every aspect of our personal lives without warrant or consequence.  Please, if you haven’t done so already, read the details of the new law of the land to see where the current president of Korea might be leading his country. 

When I’ve talked with South Koreans about the possibilities new laws restricting free speech on the internet might entail, they don’t so much as raise an eyebrow.  Truthfully, of the dozens of Koreans I’ve talked to about the issue, the overwhelming majority; if not all of them, believe that the coming internet restrictions are a responsible and necessary action by the government.  Yu Eun-sun of Seoul, 31, agrees.  “Celebrities are people,” she says.  “Some people have stronger characters than others.  Celebrities with sensitive characters need some kind of protection from the terrible things that people say on the internet.”  She and most of the other Koreans I’ve talked to went on to point out that I can’t truly understand the mind of Koreans, and that I can’t truly realize just how damaging these comments can be to celebrities. 

I concede that no amount of studying and research I do on the subject will substitute for the thousands of years of thought and culture indoctrinated within the Korean psyche.  And I may not even have a similar thought pattern to most Korean people.  I do, however, have the ability to recognize the fundamental issue at hand as well as the freedoms that are at stake as a result.  These internet restrictions are only a tiny wedge now, and right now there might only be a faint scent emitting from the other side of the unlatched door that stands before the people of South Korea. But hear this.  This wedge will help future administrations blind the people here with the light that is just beyond the door.  And it will sting.  And it will be all-penetrating.  And it will erode away everyday liberties the people of the free world so often take for granted.

So here is the real ending of this story: We must reconsider our stance and begin accepting that there are differences among the many people in our society!  We must realize that celebrities face the same social pressures as us.  We must stop following them blindly,  for nearly everything they do and say is being fed to them by advertisers.  The advertisers have the ability to continue selling them this garbage because people keep buying it.  Celebrities are merely middlemen in a grand scheme to take all the money out of our pockets.  Further, there are certain characteristics present within our society that people are never going to agree upon fundamentally.  But things like divorce and homosexuality are a part of Korea just like rice and kimchi.  If Choi Jin-sil had preferred potatoes to rice, would Netizens have slandered her name?  If Kim Ji-hoo hated kimchi, would we have looked upon him with disgust?  Let’s use the amazing technology we have in Korea to join together to ensure a better society!  What I mean is, let’s work create new programs to educate the youth about the evolution of social norms.  Let’s work toward solving outdated social problems before the government strips us of our freedoms in order to achieve what we might now believe will be a similar end.        

Sources and Links:

Choi Jin-sil article http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/12/technology/kstar.php

Lee Eun-joo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Eun_Joo

The Scarlet Letter  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Letter_(2004_film)

Yuni http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U;Nee

Jung Da-bin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jung_Da_Bin

Choi Jin-sil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choi_Jin-sil

Jung Sun-hee and Ahn Jae-hwan http://coolsmurf.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/jung-sun-hee-reveals-possible-reasons-behind-ahn-jae-hwans-suicide/ 

Jang Chae-won http://seoulfull.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/jang-chae-won-also-commits-suicide/

TIME article http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/1101020805/story.html

Patriot Act http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act  

The Werther Effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide

Anti-Terrorism Act 1996 http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-07-29/news/power-over-the-people/1   AND   http://www.boogieonline.com/revolution/legal/police/terror95.html

Clinton Excerpt http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Prison_System/LegislatingRepression.html 

Korean divorce rate http://www.womenofchina.cn/focus/marriage_and_family/5166.jsp AND  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E7DA113AF932A1575AC0A9659C8B63

Facts about Korea http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107690.html

Homosexuality in Korea http://koreabeat.com/?p=231  AND  http://www.utopia-asia.com/tipskor.htm