50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 19. Kim Wan-Seon

[Series Index]

19. Kim Wan-Seon [김완선]

Also romanized as:  Kim Wan Sun

Years of Activity: 1986-present? (Last regular album in 2005, a single released in 2011)

Discography:

Korea:  Regular Albums

Kim Wan-Seon 1 [김완선 1집] (1986)

Kim Wan Sun 2 (1987)

88 Kim Wan-Seon: Too Lonely to Dance Alone [88 김완선: 나홀로 춤을 추긴 너무 외로워] (1988)

Kim Wan Sun Vol. 4 (1989)

Kim Wan-Seon 5 [김완선 5집] (1990)

Kim Wan-Seon 6 [김완선 6] (1992)

Talent [탤런트] (1996)

S & Remake (2002)

Return (2005)

Taiwan

The First Touch (1994)

Sayonara (1995)

迷迷糊糊 (1996)

Representative Song:  The Pierrot Laughs at Us [삐에로는 우릴 보고 웃지] from Kim Wan-Seon 5

삐에로는 우릴 보고 웃지
The Pierrot Laughs at Us

빨간 모자를 눌러 쓴
A red hat pushed down on my head
난 항상 웃음 간직한 삐에로
I am a Pierrot with a constant smile
파란 웃음 뒤에는
Behind the blue smile
아무도 모르는 눈물
A tear that no one knows
초라한 날 보며 웃어도
They may laugh at my sad little sight
난 내 모습이 너무 아름다워
But to me I am so beautiful
모두들 검은 넥타이
A black tie on everyone
아무 말도 못하는 걸
Unable to say anything

사람들은 모두 춤추며 웃지만
People all dance and laugh
나는 그런 웃음 싫어
But I don't like that kind of laugh
술 마시며 사랑 찾는 시간 속에
In the time spent drinking and finding love
우리는 진실을 잊고 살잖아
We live forgetting the truth

난 차라리 웃고 있는 삐에로가 좋아
I'd rather like the Pierrot, who is smiling
난 차라리 슬픔 아는 삐에로가 좋아
I'd rather like the Pierrot, who knows sorrow

Translation note:  난 차라리 웃고 있는 삐에로가 좋아 is deceptively difficult to translate. Not happy with the current version, but can't think of anything better. As always, suggestions are welcome.

In 15 words or less:  The developmental template for future mainstream K-pop artists.

Maybe she should be ranked higher because...  she totally owned the scene for five-plus years, a rarity for female artists.

Maybe she should be ranked lower because...  can it really be said that she influenced what came after her? Isn't it her producers who influenced that?

Why is this artist important?
Kim Wan-Seon is the only solo female pop artist who sold over a million copies of a single album in Korea. That number alone makes her very important in K-pop history. Like Lee Hyo-Ri after her, she completely owned the scene by redefining how women are to be presented in pop culture. When you watch the video above, look for the signs of suggestive sexuality, which may not be obvious to the contemporary eyes ruined by crass exposures of skin. (More examples here and here. In the first video, Kim -- then a 17-year-old -- sings a song called "Tonight", with the lyrics that say "Tonight, I am scared of the dark." It is about as blatant as a sexual advance can get from a woman in mid-1980s.) Kim's smooth and sinewy dance was nothing like Korea had ever seen at that point. Calling her "Korea's Madonna" (as her fans like to do) might be an overstatement, but like Madonna, Kim defined how female sexuality is to be packaged and sold through mass media for a good decade.

(Trivia question: without clicking the link, can you guess which female K-pop artist released the second best selling album? Hint -- she is already ranked on this list. Answer is below.)

But Kim's importance goes much farther beyond being a sexy pop star. Her career is a prototype of a mainstream K-pop star today. The process of training Kim, as well as the career paths that Kim took, served as a model for the K-pop stars that will go on to sweep the world.

Kim's maternal aunt was a woman named Han Baek-Hee, who sang  for the U.S. troops stationed in Korea during the 1960s. (America's influence over Korean pop culture is again evident here.) Han recognized Kim's talent early, and persuaded Kim's parents to have Kim live with her. Kim moved in with her aunt at age 14 -- thereafter, she would not be able to visit her parents for the next three years. Instead, she underwent a Spartan training of ballet and gymnastics at Han's dance studio. Han opened up her studio for any dancer to use for free, as long as the dancer taught his/her best move to Kim. Kim recalls that she was not allowed to sit down during her waking hours. She did not attend any more school, and had no friend.

In the meantime, Han used her connection in Korea's nascent entertainment industry to collect the best songs from the best composers available. The venerability of the composers for Kim's songs is shocking to those who regard Kim only as a vacuous dance musician. Her debut song "Tonight" was composed by Kim Chang-Hoon, member of Sanullim -- unquestionably one of the greatest rock bands in K-pop history. One of her greatest hits, "That Dance in the Rhythm," was composed by the legendary Shin Joong-Hyeon.

After Kim's debut, Han controlled every last aspect of Kim's career. Han chose everything for her niece -- not only the songs and the dances, but also clothes, shoes, hairdo and makeup. At the end of each performance, Han stood Kim in a corner and berated her errors regardless of who was around. (The scolding was so intense that many people around them were convinced that Han was not Kim's real aunt.) Han even did Kim's interviews on her behalf. She also strictly forbade her niece from speaking with any fellow pop musician, men or women. In 1992, at the absolute height of Kim's popularity, she suddenly announced retirement -- again at the direction of her aunt and against her will. Kim then was shuttled to Taiwan and Hong Kong, releasing three albums there and enjoying a relatively successful career. (Here is a clip of Kim Wan-Seon appearing on Taiwanese television. Considering she must have learned Chinese in her late teens, her Chinese language skill is pretty ridiculous.)

Most incredibly, Han never paid a penny to Kim for 13 years, until the two finally had a falling-out in 1998. (Reportedly, Han used nearly all of that money into a failed business venture.) Freed from her aunt, Kim moved alone to Hawaii to study design at University of Hawaii. In 2002, Kim returned to Korea to resume her musical career on her own, in a world that now holds hundreds of other beautiful, talented young girls who were trained just like her.

As arguably the first manufactured "idol" of Korean pop music, Kim's career foreshadowed both the best and the worst of what was to come in Korean pop music industry. Kim Wan-Seon would dominate the public consciousness through the sheer force of looks, sexiness and dancing, backed by catchy tunes composed by talented musicians. As early as 1994, Kim took her career outside of Korea and found success. Considering that the first outbreak of "Korean Wave" began in Taiwan -- indeed, the word "hallyu" was first coined by Taiwanese media -- Kim's successful foray into Taiwan is doubly significant. Yet, like other "idols" that would follow her footsteps, Kim hardly saw the fruit of her labor and essentially worked as an indentured servant. This pattern would repeat itself in Korean pop music industry, long after Kim faded out of the scene.

Trivia answer:  Lee Sora.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 20. Crying Nut

[Series Index]

20.  Crying Nut [크라잉넛]

Years of Activity: 1998-present

Members:
Park Yoon-Sik [박윤식] - Vocal, Guitar
Lee Sang-Myeon [이상면] - Guitar
Han Gyeong-Rok [한경록] - Bass, Guitar
Lee Sang-Hyeok [이상혁] - Drum
Kim In-Su [김인수] - Accordion, Keyboard

Discography:
Run the Horse [말달리자] (1998)
Circus Magic Traveling Troupe [서커스매직유랑단] (1999)
Love Song Under the Water [하수연가] (2001)
Old Radio [고물라디오] (2002)
Cow at the OK Corral [OK 목장의 젖소] (2006)
The Uncomfortable Party [불편한 파티] (2009)

Representative Song:  Circus Magic Traveling Troupe [서커스매직유랑단] from Circus Magic Traveling Troupe.

서커스매직유랑단
Circus Magic Traveling Troupe

[Intro]

안녕하세요 오늘은 김선생이랑 같이 나왔어요
Hello! I came out with Dr. Kim today
아이고 김씨 아저씨도 나오셨네요
Oh my, Mr. Kim came out too
아랫마을에 장이서서 서커스가 왔데요
The village is holding a market and a circus came
아~ 그럼 우리한번 가볼까요
Ah -- then should we go take a look?

아이구 장에 나오니 사람 참 겁나게 많네요
Oh my, the market is so crowded
글쎄 써커스단 이름이 뭐래요
What's the name of the circus by the way?
서커스 매직 유랑단 이래요
They call themselves Circus Magic Traveling Troupe.

[Song]

헤이! 헤이! 요기조기 모여보세요 요것조것 골라보세요
Hey! Hey! Come one, come all. Pick one, pick all
우리들은 서커스 매직 유랑단
We are Circus Magic Traveling Troupe

안녕하세요 안녕하세요 우린 매직 서커스 유랑단
Hello hello we are Magic Circus Traveling Troupe
님 찾아 꿈을 찾아 떠나간다우
We travel to find our honey and our dreams
동네집 계집아이 함께 간다면
If a girl from the town will come with us
천리만길 발자욱에 꽃이 피리라
Flowers will bloom at her footsteps for ten thousand miles

우리는 크라잉넛 떠돌이 신사
We are Crying Nut, traveling gentlemen
한 많은 팔도강산 유랑해보세
Let's wander around the sorrow-filled Eight Provinces
마음대로 춤을 추며 떠들어보세요
Dance and talk as loud as you want
어차피 우리에겐 내일은 없다
For us there is no tomorrow anyway

오늘도 아슬아슬 재주 넘지만
Again today performing the thrilling stunts
곰곰히 생각하니 내가 곰이네
But to think and think, and I am the bear
난장이 광대의 외줄타기는
The midget clown's tightrope walking is
아름답다 슬프도다 나비로구나
Beautiful, sorrowful, a butterfly

우리는 크라잉넛 떠돌이 신사
We are Crying Nut, traveling gentlemen
한 많은 팔도강산 유랑해보세
Let's all wander around the Eight Provinces filled with sorrow
마음대로 춤을 추며 떠들어보세요
Dance and talk as loud as you want
어차피 우리에겐 내일은 없다
For us there is no tomorrow anyway

커다란 무대위에 막이 내리면
When the curtain falls on the big stage
따뜻한 별빛이 나를 감싸네
The warm starlight shrouds me
자줏빛 저 하늘은 무얼 말할까
What does that violet sky say
고요한 달 그림자 나를 부르네
The silent shadow of the moon calls me

떠돌이 인생역정 같이 가보세
Let's go together on the vagabond life journey
외로운 당신의 친구 되겠소
We will be friends for you who are lonely
흥청망청 비틀비틀 요지경 세상
Extravagant, stumbling, kaleidoscopic world
발걸음도 가벼웁다 서커스 유랑단
The steps are light for the traveling circus

오늘도 아슬아슬 재주 넘지만
Again today performing the thrilling stunts
곰곰히 생각하니 내가 곰이네
But think and think, and I am the bear
난장이 광대의 외줄타기는
The midget clown's tightrope dancing is
아름답다 슬프도다 나비로구나
Beautiful, sorrowful, a butterfly

우리는 크라잉넛 떠돌이 신사
We are Crying Nut, traveling gentlemen
한 많은 팔도강산 유랑해보세
Let's all wander around the Eight Provinces filled with sorrow
마음대로 춤을 추며 떠들어보세요
Dance and talk as loud as you want
어차피 우리에겐 내일은 없다
For us there is no tomorrow anyway
떠돌이 인생역정 같이 가보세
Let's go together on the vagabond life journey
외로운 당신의 친구 되겠소
We will be friends for you who are lonely
흥청망청 비틀비틀 요지경 세상
Extravagant, stumbling, kaleidoscopic world
발걸음도 가벼웁다 서커스 유랑단 헤이
The steps are light for the traveling circus. Hey!

Translation note 1:  The song contains a lot of cultural allusions that need full background to understand.

- In traditional Korea, the market was consisted of traveling merchants who would appear every five or seven days to set up shop. Very rudimentary circus troupe sometimes travels with the merchants. This persisted in rural Korea through 1960s and early 1970s, and still continues to a very small degree to this day.

- The "Eight Provinces" is an idiom that refers to Korea, as traditional Korea was made up of eight provinces.

- The reference to "bear" is designed to evoke Korean old saying, "The bear dances and the owner takes the money," which is used in a situation when someone went through a lot of effort that ended up benefiting someone else.

Translation note 2:  There was no good way to translate 흥청망청 비틀비틀 요지경 세상. As always, suggestions are welcome.

In 15 words or less:  The reigning kings of rock in Korea.

Maybe they should be ranked higher because. . .  Greatest rock band of Korea in the 2000s. Doesn't that count for more?

Maybe they should be ranked lower because . . .  Has rocked mattered that much in Korea in the past decade?

Why is this artist important?
Seeing today's K-pop scene, it is difficult to believe that only 25 years ago, rock was the king of Korean pop music. But it was true -- through late 1980s, legendary rock bands like Deulgukhwa were dominating the charts, radio waves and TV times. Starting from early 1990s, however, Korea's rock began to cede the public stage to dance, hiphop, and general corporatization of pop music. By early 2000s, Korean rock was at a nadir. It appeared that, against the depressed consumer market following the East Asian Financial Crisis, the album market ravaged by the introduction of Internet downloads, and the swarm of manufactured idols backed with massive capital, Korean rock was gasping for its last breath in the self-segregated enclaves of Hongdae and Daehakro.

However, as its adherents have reminded the world for decades, rock will never die. Korean rock came back in a huge way in the early 2000s, and Crying Nut was the band that led the charge. How? Arguably, Crying Nut is the best translator of Korean sensibility into rock format since Deulgukhwa of the mid-1980s. The band's best songs consistently invoke the slightly retro, nostalgia-inducing images of Korea (well represented in Circus Magic Traveling Troupe) and marry them sometimes with manic energy, at other times with deep sentimentality.

Crying Nut has been building momentum in the underground indie scene, but it truly exploded into the scene during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, for which the band composed the official supporters' anthem for Korea's national soccer team. This opportunity for an outpouring of passion once again proved that there was no better music than rock to express overwhelming energy; rock bands like Crying Nut and Yoon Do-Hyun Band would lead the rebirth of rock by holding massive outdoor concerts that doubled as a viewing party for the World Cup. The renewed appreciation for rock reverberates in Korean music to this day, as more talented indie bands are marking their territory even as the manufactured idol groups march on their path toward world domination.

Interesting trivia 1: The two Lees of the band are twins.

Interesting trivia 2: Apparently, the band was formed after the members, who were high school classmates, went out on a field trip and saw a guy with a guitar attracting many girls. Therefore, initially the band was made up of five guitarists. The owner of the club in which the band was set to perform had to forcibly allocate the appropriate instruments for Crying Nut to be a legitimate band.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! News: Dr. Jim Yong Kim Nominated to Lead World Bank

This is exciting. President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Jim Yong Kim, president of Dartmouth College, to lead the World Bank. To be sure, Dr. Kim is not the only nominee for the post. Angola, South Africa and Nigeria put forward Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Nigerian finance minister and former World Bank official. José Antonio Ocampo, a former finance minister of Colombia and a professor at Columbia University in New York, has also been mentioned. But given the World Bank's structure and history, Kim is overwhelmingly likely to head the organization.

Kim's nomination was generally unexpected, but is being praised as "an inspired pick" for the World Bank, which provides loans to developing countries. He was a former director of World Health Organization's AIDS/HIV department. Prior to working for WHO, Kim spent 16 years founding and operating Partners in Health, a non-profit healthcare provider which now employs more than 13,000 people in 12 developing countries. Given the importance of health issues in the developing world, Kim is expected to bring valuable new perspective to the World Bank, whose goal is to reduce global poverty.

This blog has long been a fan of Dr. Kim. Here is an excellent short video of Dr. Kim discussing leadership.

A great quote for those of you who want to help people:

I find myself giving that advice to my students today. You know, it's great to have all those great ideals. But when you go to Haiti, when you go to Africa, they don't ask you, "How much do you feel for my people? How much have you studied my people?" They say, "Have you brought anything?"

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Shame on You, Yale School of Management

The Korean usually steers clear from discussing too much Korean politics in this blog, because Korean politics requires too much advanced knowledge to fully understand. But this particular issue does not, and it actually involves an American entity as well -- specifically, Yale University School of Management.

First of all, a short history lesson is in order for those who are unfamiliar with the main subject of this story -- former South Korean president Chun Doo-Hwan. A concise description of Chun would be: a dictator who killed a lot of people. Because Korea emerged into the world's consciousness relatively recently as a prosperous democracy, this part of modern Korean history involving Chun Doo-Hwan and other dictators tends to be generally ignored. But until late 1980s (and arguably until early 1990s,) South Korea was a fascist dictatorship sponsored by the United States, just like the way U.S. has sponsored other dictatorships in the Middle East and Latin America during the Cold War. (Generally, that part of the U.S. history has also been blissfully ignored.)

Chun Doo-Hwan
(source)

Chun came to power illegitimately, through a good old-fashioned military coup d'etat. The previous dictator Park Chung-Hee was assassinated in October 1979, and there was a small hope that South Korea could transition into a true democracy. However, within two months after the assassination, Chun stormed Seoul's military bases and essentially held the interim president, Choi Kyu-Ha, as hostage. 

In May 1980, Chun declared martial law, on the fabricated pretext that North Korea was preparing to attack South Korea. The martial law prompted nationwide protests demanding democracy, the largest of which was in the city of Gwangju with 200,000 protesters. On May 18, 1980, the massacre began in Gwangju. The paratroopers fired at the citizens of Gwangju indiscriminately, killing not only protesters but also women and children. In response, the citizens of Gwangju raided the local armory, armed themselves and barricaded the provincial capitol building. For a little more than a week, Gwangju became a war zone, as the paratroopers cut off access to the city and lay siege to it. Finally, on May 27, the paratroopers re-captured the capitol, killed the resisting civilian militia, and quelled the protest. Over 600 people died as a result of this violent suppression.

Streets of Gwangju in May 1980
(source)

In August 1980, Chun ran for the president unopposed, in a sham election held in a gymnasium in which only the small "electoral college" could vote. (The "electoral college" voted by applauding rather than casting ballots.) In the same time period, to suppress any potential dissidence, Chun opened up a North Korea-style gulag in which nearly 40,000 people, arrested without a warrant, were sent to hard labor. 57 of those prisoners would die from disease and beating.

Chun's reign would end in 1987, when another massive wave of democratization protests, sparked by the death of a student protester who died while being tortured by the police. After Korea democratized, Chun was put on trial in 1997 and was sentenced to life in prison. During the trial, Chun was found to have amassed 1 trillion won (i.e. approximately $1.2 billion, in 1987 dollars) -- which was nearly 1% of the entire South Korean GDP in 1987 -- in his private slush fund during his reign. (Chun claimed that he could not pay back the slush fund because his total worth was a checking account with 290,000 won in it. This claim would be funny if it was not so disgusting.) Chun was released from prison in 1998, based on a historic pardon in the spirit of national reconciliation, granted by then-president Kim Dae-Jung.

Chun Doo-Hwan is unquestionably the worst president/ruler that South Korea has ever had. Even the former Korean dictators who sought lifetime presidency -- Rhee Syngman and Park Chung-Hee -- did not order the soldiers to fire indiscriminately into peacefully protesting citizens, nor did they operate a gulag. Under Chun, with respect to political freedom, South Korea came the closest to being indistinguishable with North Korea.

So what did the students of Yale School of Management do with Chun Doo-Hwan? Did they make him a case study of dictatorship? Did they denounce Chun's massacre of democracy-demanding citizens? No -- they visited Chun and took a group photo, grinning like idiots.

(source)

More after the jump.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 21. Lee Seon-Hee

[Series Index]

21. Lee Seon-Hee [이선희]

Years of Activity: 1985-present

Discography:
Oh the Good Old Days [아! 옛날이여] (1985)
Lee Seon-Hee vol. 2 [이선희 vol. 2] (1985)
The Lost Promise [잃어버린 약속] (1986)
This Place Where the Love Sets [사랑이 지는 이 자리] (1988)
With a Round of Laughs [한바탕 웃음으로] (1989)
Why Only Me [왜 나만] (1990)
Walking in the Memories [추억 속을 걷네] (1991)
A Small Boat [조각배] (1992)
A Bloom of Chrysanthemum [한 송이 국화] (1994)
First Love (1996)
Dream of Ruby (1998)
My Life + Best (2001)
Adolescence [사춘기] (2005)
Oh Love [사랑아] (2009)

Representative Song:  Dear J [J에게]

J에게
Dear J

J 스치는 바람에
J, in the glancing wind
J, 그대 모습 보이면
J, when your trace appears
난 오늘도 조용히 그댈 그리워 하네
Today again, I quietly long for you

J 지난 밤 꿈 속에
J, in last night's dream
J, 만났던 모습은
J, your visage I met
내 가슴 속 깊이 여울져 남아있네
Remain dyed deeply into my heart

J 아름다운 여름날이
J, even though the beautiful summer days
멀리 사라졌다해도
May have disappeared far
J, 나의 사랑은
J, my love
아직도 변함없는데
Still remains unchanged

J 난 너를 못잊어
J, I cannot forget you
J 난 너를 사랑해
J, I love you

J 우리가 걸었던
J, at the place we walked
J 추억의 그길을
J, on that road of memories
난 이밤도 쓸쓸히 쓸쓸히 걷고 있네
Tonight again, I walk all by myself

Translation note 1:  Does anyone have a good word for 모습? -UPDATE- Translation is updated with two different English words for 모습. (See the comment section below for details.)
Translation note 2:  This song actually had an English version, as Lee Seon-Hee released one album in English. The translation, however, is the Korean's own.

In 15 words or less:  The greatest female singer of the 1980s.

Maybe she should have been ranked higher because . . . The peak of her popularity was matched only by the peaks of the greatest figures of Korean pop music.

Maybe she should have been ranked lower because . . . Her own music came after her peak, and was not all that special.

Why is this artist important?

Korean pop music's dark ages unofficially began in 1975, when a number of prominent pop musicians -- most notably Shin Joong-Hyeon -- were banned by the military dictatorship, ostensibly because of their marijuana use. For the next decade, the pop music that played on television and radio would be vacuous odes to Korea, created at the behest of the dictatorship. When the dark ages ended, the pent-up energy of creativity and talent exploded onto the scene, leading to approximately 15 years of golden age in K-pop.

Lee Seon-Hee was one of the harbingers of that golden age. She first gained fame by winning the Fifth Riverside Music Festival with the song, Dear J. Her strong yet clear voice was a class of its own at the time, and her signature boyish looks -- Lee always kept her hair short and wore pants only -- appealed to young men and women alike.

(Aside:  here is a crazy thing about Korean pop music scene in the 1980s -- it had a number of these pop music festivals that acted as a debutante's ball for aspiring new musicians. Each festival was televised, put out a live album of the contestants, and the winner was headed for an instant fame. Korea had the American Idol before there ever was the American Idol.)

She is ranked here for one reason:  the pinnacle of her popularity was unmatched by anyone ranked below her. (Although, in fairness, Kim Chu-Ja came close.) At her peak, every single song on Lee's album -- not simply the first three or four -- was being played on television and radio. Her enormous fan base ranged from early teens to people in their 60s. 

There certainly may be knocks on Lee as an artist. She did not release an album entirely of her own music until 1996, well past her prime. Lee's clean-cut image was more palatable to the South Korean dictatorship at the time, making it easier for her to appear on television than, say, the wild and unkempt Jeon In-Gwon of Deulgukhwa. But when it comes to the greatest divas in the history of K-pop, Lee Seon-Hee's name would be on the short list.

Interesting trivia:  Lee parlayed her popularity into a brief foray in politics, as she served as a Seoul city councilwoman from 1991 to 1995.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! News: 31 North Korean Defectors Were Repatriated

Terrible news. Mr. Joo Seong-Ha, through Dong-A Ilbo, reports that China, in a clear violation of international law, sent back all 31 North Korean defectors to North Korea. According to sources, North Korea had been arresting and interrogating the defectors' families even before this repatriation -- presumably because China relayed to North Korea the identity of these defectors. Even the families of those who helped these defectors escape out of North Korea are being arrested and interrogated.

The families of those 31 who are in South Korea are wrecked with grief and guilt. One 45-year-old woman met her 70-year-old mother in China for exactly two days before leading her mother to the group in the hopes that her mother would be able to come to South Korea. One high school-aged boy, whose mother died while escaping from North Korea, had a younger sister in that group of 31 that was sent back to North Korea.

This repatriation by China is an unusually aggressive move. So far, when North Korea defectors were arrested in China, the Chinese police would hold the defectors for as long as 6 months before sending them back to North Korea so as to wait for the public reaction to quiet down. This time, however, China repatriated these defectors at the height of the international furor at the issue. (Korean president Lee Myeong-Bak formally requested China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to repatriate these defectors only a week ago.) Significantly, according to sources within the Chinese police, these defectors were not even listed on the usual database, kept by the Chinese police, of North Korean defectors who were sent back to North Korea. This indicates that North Korean Security Bureau [보위부] came to China to directly take these defectors back.

The fight is not over. There are still more lives to be saved -- approximately 300 North Korean defectors who are being held in a Chinese prison as of now. Among them is a mother with a baby who is less than a month old. Also, there may still be the slightest chance of still saving the lives of the 31 people. Several NGOs in South Korea have the names and pictures of the 31 who were sent back, such that the way they were treated in North Korean prison can be tracked and exposed to the world. Although it is not likely, there is a tiny, tiny chance that continued international pressure may yet save their lives.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Suicide in Korea Series: V. Shoes Off?

[Series Index]

So far in this series, the Korean discussed what may be called the "macro" level of understanding Korea's suicide problem. This part of the series will be a kind of an interlude, dealing with a couple of smaller questions about suicides in Korea before going into a more ground level view of the issue.


Dear Korean,

I have noticed that is Asian movies people who commit suicide take their shoes off. Why do people in Asian movies take their shoes off before jumping? Do they do the same thing in reality and why?

Skeptigirl

Taking shoes off before jumping off a building/bridge/etc. does happen in reality. The reason for it is not completely clear, mostly because it is not as if we can ask the dead. Certainly, there is an element of "that's what people do" -- that is, a person who is about to commit suicide simply remembers what s/he has heard or seen in movies, and simply imitate the action.

Generally, there are two theories as to why people take their shoes off before committing suicide. One theory is that it is a way for a person who is about to kill him/herself to leave a final mark in the world. Particularly if one jumps off a bridge, there is a good chance that one's body is never found. If your shoes are left on the ledge, people may know your whereabouts after you had jumped.

Another theory is that it is a way for a person to mentally prepare for death. Just like the way Asians take off their shoes before entering homes, taking off one's shoes prepares the person for an entry into another dimension, i.e. the afterlife.


Dear Korean,

Is there no shame attached to suicide in Korea? Conversely, is it seen as honorable at all?

Guaria del Bosque

It is fair to say that there is no general trend one way or the other. Instead, it depends on the circumstances. There are certainly cases in which a person commits suicide for reasons related to honor. The suicide of Nam Sang-Guk, the president of Daewoo Construction, is one example of that. In 2004, Nam was indicted for having attempted to bribe the older brother of then-president Roh Moo-Hyun. In a later press conference, Roh directly mentioned Nam and said:  "I hope a person like the president of Daewoo Construction, who was highly educated and is very successful, would not bow their heads and give money to a nobody living in some remote place." Shortly after the press conference, Nam jumped off a bridge, presumably because of the humiliation he felt.

The irony, of course, is that Roh Moo-Hyun also ended his life in a suicide, as he was undergoing a corruption scandal involving his family (and potentially himself, but his suicide stopped the investigation.) Also in the case of Roh's suicide, a lot of honor- or shame-related reasons were offered after the fact. Roh's political opponents, naturally, denounced Roh's suicide as a shameful tactic to stop the corruption investigation. Some of Roh's allies, in contrast, saw it as an honorable of way of atoning for his inability to check his family's corruption.

Next part of the series will be an examination of a localized series of high profile suicides -- that is, the suicides at KAIST -- and an overview of how Korean society received that news.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

What About Those Who are Left Behind?

Dear Korean,

How far SK is helping to these defectors by taking them in? As we all know that when a defector leaves NK and enters SK, his relatives back home are harassed by regime. Is it logical for a person or group of persons, to come out and take fresh air, while at the same time, making life for those left behind, a misery-elevated one ?

Narendra


Narendra's question is a legitimate one, and a difficult one to answer. Mr. Joo Seong-Ha, who has been on the front line of the North Korean defector issue of late, gave his answer as to why he began this campaign.

*                     *                     *

I know the despair of the North Korean defector, being dragged back to North Korea in shackles. Because I experienced it myself. I know also the pain of the families, whose hearts wither as they watch their family members begin their repatriation of death. Because I experienced it myself. I know also the misery of being separated forever with the family who was dragged back. Because that is I, right now. I cannot describe those feelings in words.

On February 14, I wrote a letter to Chairman Hu Jintao, pleading that the 31 North Korean defectors, who were arrested in China on their way to South Korea, be released. I endeavored to write relevant articles every day, such that the flames of life-saving efforts would continue to spread. Now, the North Korea repatriation issue has gone international. I have received occasional praise for having done so. But I am in so much pain.

Actually, this development is against my personal conviction. Previously, I had thought that the more the issue of North Korea defectors in China was publicized, the greater the loss. For example, in the past, there used to be waves of North Korean defectors who broke into foreign embassies within China. The several dozens who succeeded lived, but the following sweep of North Korean defectors in China led to thousands of North Koreans being sent back. The flow of North Koreans to South Korea must continue like the frozen river, with the water flowing underneath the sheet of ice -- that was my conviction.

Then why did I do this. On February 8, 12 North Korean defectors who were headed to South Korea were arrested in Shenyang. I received the list of their names within hours. My decade-plus experience in handling the defector issue was telling me that they would ultimately be sent back to North Korea. In the six days until the local activists finally informed me that the under-the-table bargaining failed, I endlessly asked myself: do I bury this, or do I blow it up?

I know well the full meaning of blowing it up. It means that China would go into another sweep of North Korean defectors, leading to repatriation of those who might not have been caught otherwise. North Korea would stiffen up also. Tens of lives, perhaps hundreds of lives, depended on my choice.

But ultimately, I chose to blow it up. I determined that the flow of escape had already frozen over completely, because of Kim Jong-Un regime's redoubled border patrol and the treatment of defector that cannot possibly get any worse, as well as the favorable China-North Korea relations that can hardly get better. It is indisputable that, as of now, the difficulty of defection and the punishment of the defectors are the worst they have ever been. I judged that the benefits of burying this issue was dwarfed by the benefits of the international society focusing on this issue.

However, the critical reason that moved me is another one. I came face to face with the agonized cries of the families who were begging -- please, please save my family from death. Who could calculate anything in front of that. That they would continue the pain I suffered finally shook me.

Since my family has been sent back to North Korea, I spent my winter without heating my house. When I think of my family who would tremble from fear and terror in the frozen prison cell, I feel guilty even putting on a blanket. They had to live through my painful life again, spending sleepless nights only to show up to the work next day smiling. I had to place the feint hope of saving the defectors' life with the public opinion. But to the nameless defectors who will be harmed by the increased surveillance as the public opinion grows, I am a sinner.

It is impossible to know if my choice was the right one. That judgment cannot be made right now, nor can it be made by anyone else. Someday, only the conscience will be the judge. Until then, I can only hope that more lives are saved than sacrificed.

"나는 안다, 북송 탈북자의 절망을 . . ." [Dong-A Ilbo]

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

"Chink in the Armor," and How to Think About Race Relations

Dear Korean,

As a basketball fan, I am sure you are aware of the Jeremy Lin story that made NBA and the New York Knicks, in particular, relevant again. And perhaps you are also aware of the controversial headline at ESPN’s mobile website that had gotten the editor/writer responsible for the headline fired. The dismissed employee has apologized and stated that it was an honest mistake and he had no intention of being funny or punny. I read many of the comments from users that claim that they weren’t even aware of racial connotation until it became an issue. I don’t know if the writer is telling the truth or not, but if he was, this would imply that he saw Lin as just another person, not another race. In effect, he was color-bind. 

Isn’t this what minorities strive for, equality irrespective of race? Let’s consider the situation: the previously floundering basketball team finds a new hero and the new hero not only brings back the team but made it appear almost invincible then amid the feeling of this invincibility, the team suffers a loss. The phrase, a chink in the armor, seems to be perfect for describing this situation. If the hero was not Asian, then the writer would still be happily employed. Who’s the racist in this situation: the people who got offended by the title or the writer who made an unfortunate choice of words (giving him the benefit of the doubt about his intent)? 

R

Nobody knows for certain how Jeremy Lin, the basketball player, will pan out. He may end up being an Asian American Kevin Johnson (49% FG percentage, 18 points per game, 9 assists per game,) make multiple All-Star Games and have an outside shot at being inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame. (This is the probably the most optimistic scenario that is still within the realm of reality.) He may end up being a flash in the pan -- no shortage of those in the NBA -- like, say, Tony Delk, who scored 53 points in one game but otherwise had an unremarkable career as a bench player.

Jeremy Lin in Harvard - Boston College game.
(source)

But Jeremy Lin, the cultural phenomenon, has probably reached its zenith already. America has already come face-to-face with the many conundra that Jeremy Lin posed:  How is America to handle a mainstream Asian American star? How is America to handle a prominent Asian American that rigorously fits (Harvard education, Tiger Parent,) yet completely defies popular images of Asian Americans (athleticism, masculinity)? Even if Lin goes onto have a long and highly decorated NBA career, it would merely serve as a reminder of the fact that, once upon a time, his mere presence alone forced Americans to reflect on how they must deal with Asian Americans.

The question of racism involving Asian Americans is a tricky one for a country that is accustomed to looking at the issue of racism through the lens of the African American experience. R's question is difficult because "chink" is not the same as "n-----". Often when Asian American race relations becomes an issue, the habits developed in the African American experience are shoehorned into the Asian American issue. The uproar over ESPN's "Chink in the Armor" headline has an element of that as well -- n-word is bad, and therefore so is the c-word. Yet those two are plainly not the same: there is no such thing as a benign use of the n-word, but the word "chink" has a benign use in a common expression. And as R noted, in his apology, the ESPN headline writer makes a convincing case that he intended to use the word in a benign manner.

When a variation on a theme poses an unfamiliar challenge, it is often helpful to return to the fundamental principles. Race relations involving Asian Americans present new challenges that did not exist in race relations involving African Americans. Those new challenges are more easily met if we have a basic framework in our mind that answers the most fundamental question -- what makes something racist? So here, the Korean will present one possible framework of dealing with that question.

(More after the jump.)

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.