Lately, the age and rate at which Koreans marry has become an alarming issue in the country. I asked my Korean friend, Jae Ho, and Park Kyung Joon, a teacher assistant about the issue, and he told me the following: over the past several decades following the Korean War, South Korea has become a highly developed country where the cost of living in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, far exceeds the cost of living in any other city in Korea. The issue arises because of the costs involved with marriage. Normally, the wife pays for the wedding costs, and the husband has to pay for the home. However, the price of an apartment in a nicer part of Seoul, such as Gangnam, can easily amount to a million dollars. Even cheaper apartments are around the 200,000 dollar mark. In contrast, the wife’s family only needs to contribute around a tenth of the cost. Also, it is difficult for many Koreans to earn that kind of money. Therefore, I can now see why this might be a contributing factor as to why the average age of marriage in Korea is around thirty.

Later on, I interviewed a female teacher assistant at Sogang University about the same issue. Eun Young said that many parents wish for their children to stay home even when they go off to college. That way, they can keep an eye on them. Also, in Korean culture, if the son leaves the household then the parents do not have to worry about him. It is not the duty of the parents to watch over the son any longer. If the son gets married and leaves the household then the mother might feel as if her son has been taken from her. Additionally, buying a house in Korea is extremely difficult. Therefore, the children will just stay in their parents’ house for as long as they have to until they have enough to buy a house of their own. Relating back to the issue of low marriage rate, Koreans find it very difficult to get married if one or the other in the relationship, especially men, do not earn enough money. The reason is because it is too difficult to support oneself let alone a whole family.

Being part of the Sogang Korean Immersion Program, I have been able to meet many students from all over the world. So, I decided to interview two people I just met through this program. Kyle Blanquera, a Hispanic student in level one, told me that many Korean people are intrigued by the fact that he is trying to learn Korean. For the past several years, many foreigners have been interested in Korea because of popular Korean dramas or K-Pop. Kyle tells me that sometimes Korean people will stop to look at him as he walks across the subway or will stare at him. However, he knows that it’s completely normal because, for one, he is not Korean, and Koreans are not used to seeing foreigners. Furthermore, many Koreans have fair skin, meaning that it’s white and clear of blemishes. However, his skin tone is much darker causing him to stand out amongst the crowd. Additionally, he noticed that speaking in another language such as Spanish or English draws attention towards him. Even though he is stared at, Kyle says that Koreans are amiable and courteous. For example, he can ask any person walking along the street for directions and they will take their time to directly point out where he needs to go. Overall, he finds that it’s completely different from the U.S., because people in the United States don’t stare at him for being Hispanic.

Another student I interviewed was in level four. Jessica who is from Switzerland says that Koreans will also stare at her because she is European and so much taller than the average height of females and males in Korea. Also, taxi drivers, small business owners, and merchants on the street try taking advantage of her because she is white. However, Koreans are thrown off guard because she can speak, read, and write Korean so well. Anyways, she told me that it is completely normal that people stare, because people in general tend to stare at things that are not the norm. Some girls on the subway might point, stare and talk about her because they might be jealous of her height or facial features (double eyelids or raised nose bridge). Although they secretly talk about her, Jessica says that the comments directed at her are not bad. She states that these kinds of behaviors can be found in every country.

Bibimbap or “mixed rice” is one of Korea’s signature foods. It’s one of the first meals served on Korean airlines. Normally, the bowl of bibimbap is served as a bowl of rice with vegetables, meats, red chili pepper paste, and an egg. Multiple variations of this dish exist and the most famously known version is Jeonju bibimbap. The reason why it is so famous is because this variation used to be served to Korean kings during the Joseon period. Some of the vegetables used are cucumbers or zucchinis, white radish, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts, and carrots. Then one or two spoonfuls of red chili pepper paste, sesame seed oil, meat (beef, fish, and seafood) is added to the dish. Bibimbap is appealing to those who eat it because it is extremely healthy, colorful, and, most importantly, delicious. The colors of the vegetables complement each other and create the feeling of harmony and balance in the dish. As I mentioned above, a food fit for a king! After asking a waitress about the preparation, I learned that it is fairly easy to make and extremely hard to mess up. However, if one puts in too much pepper paste or sesame oil, the entire dish could be ruined. The only solution is to add more rice and vegetables.

While in South Korea, I interviewed my friend Jae Ho. He recently graduated from the top high school in Korea and is the same age as I am. He came to the United States for elementary school and has a general sense of issues in the U.S. He told me that Koreans in general wish to speak more English. Therefore, they take English classes from when they are elementary school students until they graduate college. Because the United States is the number one world power and because it influences other countries, South Korea (which has close ties to the U.S.) has also been influenced. For example, Korean society values western facial features such as double eyelids or raised nose bridges. Therefore, more Koreans have been getting plastic surgery in order to attain those features. My friend says that many girls look gorgeous but it slightly scares him to think how many girls faces aren’t their true face.

When I spoke to my older female cousin about why Koreans developed a sudden interest in the U.S., she said that it was because many people watched American dramas and TV shows. In the shows, everybody leads such an interesting life. The nightlife seems amazing, people live in houses compared to living in apartments, people can spend money on whatever they like, and TV characters are able to spend every day hanging out with each other without having to work. This is a more specific reason as to why Koreans want to go abroad and live in the U.S. or desire for their lives to be more like what they see on TV. As a result, some of the dating culture and nightlife has slightly changed in Korea. Beforehand, couples would not kiss in public (street, subway, amusement parks, etc.). However, couples now show more affection than they did several years ago.

After talking with Martin, a graduate MBA student from Sweden, in the Korean Immersion Program, I now have a better understanding of how different nations, especially the ones in Europe, might view politics in the United States. I asked how people in Sweden think about President Obama. Martin said, “We see how he is trying to make changes that positively impact the U.S.”. Also, there are more people in Europe who seem to support Obama than oppose his actions. I’ve also asked this question to those living in Korea, and Koreans seem to like Obama as well. Korean students will say that the general public likes Obama because he uplifts Korea’s image. However, Martin has stated some problems within the U.S. politics. He sees it as a huge problem when the president is only supported by slightly more than half the people in the nation. Moreover, it does not help that Republicans try to deter him from making any changes which then force Obama to push for certain reforms. Finally, Martin added that because the United States has such a great influence on other nations, how their economies run, and their politics, etc. the U.S. should pay more attention to what other nations have to say regarding current issues in the U.S.

Postcard(s) from Abroad: