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1 2013 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS)

2 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS)

3 LASTING FRIENDS

4 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS)

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6 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS)

7 LASTING FRIENDS Leslie A. Bassett

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13 LASTING FRIENDS Prof. Kihl s Project to Bridge US-ROK Relations In the American society, many Korean- Americans volunteer to teach Korean language for senior citizens or younger generation. Young Whan Kihl, professor emeritus of political science at Iowa State University, is one of them, who teaches at the Laguna Woods Village community center in Orange county, California. Mr. Kang Chu who teaches beginners and intermediate Korean Language Course there is another example. Professor Kihl refused to simply enjoy comfortable postretirement life to teach Korean politics and culture for senior American citizens. His students appreciate that he is a devoted scholar making extraordinary efforts to share his accumulated knowledge and experiences with them. Based on his lecture outlines, s, class handouts, reference readings, I (Chun) can certainly feel that he is a devoted and respected instructor. He regards his teaching at the community center seriously which requires careful planning and preparation in advance. It is no doubt that Professor Kihl is a professional educator who motivate his class students and keep constantly communicating with them. He wrote, During the Day 9 class session on October 29, I was able to visit with each of the students who expressed an interest in joining the project(part II) on the Progress Made on

14 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS) the on-going Learning Korean Class at LWV. Dr. Kihl was pleased to report that at least 4-5 additional members were working on to finalize their individual statements for submission to me. Encouraged and urged(?) by professor Kihl, his five senior students sent me their essays on Korean politics and culture within two weeks. The American students certainly learned about Korean politics and culture from Professor Kihl s class, in turn Korean readers can also learn something about American culture and way of life. Professor It may be reasonable to say that the contribution of the Professor Kihl s project is to bridge the two countries and the peoples across the Pacific ocean. Positive Responses of the Kihl s Students Professor Kihl s project presupposed to directly connect his class students to me. He encouraged them to write an essay for the KAFS journal the Lasting Friends. I wonder how he could make multiple students positively responded to his call for essays. It can be fairly said that positive responses of his students is based on mutual trust and communications between prof. Kihl and his students. First response came from Ms. Linda B. Blakeney who have lived for twelve years at LWV. She has had interest in K-pop since 2010, and wanted to be able to understand and sing along with those songs. She prefers hobbies of a mental nature rather than of physical nature like sports. Learning unfamiliar foreign languages is similar with cracking a code to her. She, an optimistic lady, does not necessarily seek fluency in Korean, but learn for fun. Another lady responded is Ms. Betty Adney Leonard, who grew up in Indiana, and her first exposure to another culture was that of the Native American Indian. She was taught about American history in her grade and high school days, and learned about European history from her college courses. With the excellent handouts and meaningful words, she became quickly interested in the Korean culture. She has talked to her family members about visiting Korea in the future. Third lady, Ms. Pauline Thom, sent me a very concise and perceptive essay, My Little Mystery, which is based on her experiences to teach Asian students English as a second language(esl). She wonders if perhaps the poetic way Koreans had of expressing themselves in her English class has something to do with their having been brought up in country with a Confucian background. An

15 LASTING FRIENDS American teacher s little mystery perceived through her unobtrusive observation deserves further discussion and a comparative study. the essays of the Korean class students, it is quite clear that considerable progress has been made at the Korean language and culture class. Mr. Clyde Fletcher and Mr. James Mathews were kind enough to contribute another essays again. Mr. Fletcher learned about Presidents Rhee Syngman and Park Chung Hee, and read The Third Wave by Samuel Huntington. He surprised me by reading the South Korean constitution as amended from 1948 to the Ninth Amendment in He was especially touched in the Preamble by reference to the March First Independence Movement of 1919 and the democratic ideals of the April Nineteenth Student Revolution of He, a senior Engineer, proved himself to be an active student who dared to make comments on a number of articles of the Korean constitution. Mr. Fletcher deserves a compliment for living up to Prof. Kihl s expectations. Mr. Mathews, who stationed in Korea in , volunteered again to sen me a follow-up letter. He wrote, I am really enjoying our class, and managed to impress some of my Korean friends with my knowledge of Korean history, life and culture. He highly spoke of Prof. Kihl as an excellent teacher who enlightens us, not only on the historical events of the past, but also on the recent past and current events. Judging from New Series on Studying the Korean Culture and Politics In Part I(the Lasting Friends, Issue No. 190, pp ), Professor Kihl, introduced basic facts and the fundamentals on the Korean land and people, and contemporary Korean history(day One through Day Three). He also dealt with the Era of Imperialism and Social Darwinism(Day Four), and provided insights into American Imperialism(Day Five). In a sense, his class began to gradually be transformed into a college class. In Part II, he launched a new series on Studying the Korean Culture and Politics: the Past, the Present, and the Future. This new topics seems to fit nicely and well following learning about the weekly subjects on the dynamics of the Korean society and Korean Life Style, with cultural artifacts and manifestations. He began to launch a new series on the topics of religion and philosophy in Korea. Day Eight(Oct. 22) class asked his students to read the text distributed on an Overview of Religion in Korea, which was followed by Day Nine(Oct. 29) on the Emerging Korean Culture, plus a new

16 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS) handout on Taking Culture Seriously. Day Ten(Nov. 5) was an important day for the American students. Professor Kihl requested to read the handout text on Cultural Legacy of Confucianism, and Political Doctrines and Practices of Korean Confucianism. He asked his students to pay attention to the policy implications of South Korea s rising as a post-confucian society. He said, Ideas matter in politics both at the national and global arena: Democracy, modernization, globalization, trade war, regional alignments, spreads of internet usage and social media users increase, and technological innovations, etc. Dr. Kihl continued to launch a new series on the topics of Korean Tradition culture and cultural artifacts that are widely publicized and recognized today throughout the world at large. On Day Eleven(Nov. 12) and Day Twelve(Nov. 19), he introduced, via reading materials passed out, the UNESCO Treasures in Korea. Professor Kihl was notably anxious to introduce the UNESCO Treasures, such as the Bulguksa and the Seokguram Grotto in Kyungju, Haeinsa, Jongmyo, Changdeokgung palace, Hwaseong Fortress, Dolmen sites, Jejudo, Gyongju, and 40 additional royal tombs of the Choson dynasty. His introduction included a book the 5000 Years of Korean Art. which he personally donated to the Art Club Library at LWV. He reminded his students of that there is no a royal road to mastering of the Korean culture, and advised that one way to keep up with our interests in the Korean culture is to regularly watch the Arirang TV station open in English to North American audience for 24 hours. Two Koreas Influenced by Confucianism Professor Kihl, an expert on Korean affairs, felt sorry for not having enough time to teach about current North Korean situations. He wrote, From the perspectives of comparative politics of Korea, as a divided nation state since 1945, the Confucian cultural legacies and value orientation should equally to North Korea as to South Korea. He expressed his view, I venture to argue, as a hypothesis, that the DPRK which prides itself as a socialist modern communist state, seems to personify a post-confucian political system as well. He views that a hereditary political succession formula, a father-son generation after generation, which was in vogue in the feudalism era, is also practiced today in North Korea. Professor Kihl points out extensive influence of Confucianism in Korea, regardless of the socialist state North Korea and the capitalist

17 LASTING FRIENDS and impacted by a set of particular prevailing religion and philosophy of the time, like Shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, with both branches of Catholicism and Protestantism, and more recently the Islamism, etc. state South Korea. Dr. Kihl recommend the reading of a website posting on the North Korea: Witness to Transformation which is, according to him, one of the most useful and analytical objective sources available. samples of the latest report such as North Korea s Trade Pattern, South Korea s Attitudes Toward the North Korean Nuclear Program, US-ROK Alliance Edition I & II, and Korean Peninsula Security Survey, and Yongbyon Restart, and so on. He, as a social scientist, tend to subscribe to the notion of culture as a way of life and artifacts as produced by a society at a given point in time, like the values, norms and institutions(gertz, 1973). He sides with Swidler(1986) who holds that culture, thus defined, will influences the human action and interaction. This statement presumably reveals Prof. Kihl s own expectations and hopes. Prof. Kihl s Last Class and Parting Remarks At the last Day 15(Dec. 10) class meetings, Professor Kihl reexamined the two-fold topic: first, a clarification on the definitions of and a theory on What Culture Is and second, whether and how the future generations will successfully inherit and replenish the good reputation and quality of the Korean culture, with a view to the accelerating the progress of the Korean culture into the future so as to contribute toward the world at large. He emphasizes that the Korean culture has historically been placed under the influence As his fall semester ended on the Day Fifteen(Dec. 10), he tried to draw a few conclusions and lessons, and to touch his hand to some of popular topics as tourism, tour guide and maps on Korea for those interested. He also recommended to learn how to use the You Tubes programs on Korea and the Korean culture. He reminded his students of that the Korean Embassy and the Smithnian Institute in Washington, D.C. had a program of co-sponsoring the special topics on the Korean Kim Jang making and sharing of Kimchi. Its

18 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS) web site address is Korean culturedc.org. Its mission is to emphasize activities and events that contribute to understanding of Korea and Korean culture at a deeper level, the statement noted, and Young Professionals Hallyu Network is also made available, among others. As His fall semester came to an end, he became somewhat emotional. He recollected, One year ago, as this program of The Korean Language and Culture Class was inaugurated at LWV, my partner and colleague Mr. Carl Chu showed a You Tube program on the Psy s Oppa Gangnam Style. He left an emotional farewell remarks at the last moment of his Korean class: As I bid my farewell, I wish you all the best in the days ahead, and good bye for the time being, Someone may still come up as a volunteer to fill in the vacancy as I leave. Professor Kihl, Professor Emeritus at Iowa State University, did everything what he can do for his Korean class students. His quality teaching virtually transformed the LWV Korean language and Culture class into a college level class. He successfully fulfilled his mission. He can be proud of that remarkable progress was made within such a short period of time.

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21 영원한 친구들 LASTING FRIENDS 제 192 호 길영환 교수의 마지막 강의와 작별인사 사모님을 기절시킨 이메일 강원도에 사는 사업가 김씨가 부산 지방으로 출장을 갔다. 도착하자마자 그는 아내에게 이메일을 썼다. 그런데 그만 실수로 아내의 이메일 주소를 잘못 쳐서 메일이 엉뚱하게 얼마 전 세상을 떠난 김 목사님의 사모님에게 발송되고 말았다. 목사님 사모님은 이메일을 읽고는 그만 기절하고 말았다. 정신을 회복하고 나서 사람들에게 보여준 메일에는 다음과 같은 메시지가 쓰여 있었다. "여보 무사히 도착했소. 그런데 이 아래는 정말이지 무척 뜨겁구려." 영원한 친구들 LASTING FRIENDS 호 21

22 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS) I am a retired high school ESL(English as a Second Language) teacher. My students were from all over the world, but about 20 percent were Korean. One quality I noticed about my Korean students was that they had a unique way of describing things. Even in the beginning English class, when they would describe something during paragraph writing practice, they seemed to express themselves in a very poetic way. To read what they wrote made me feel like I was observing a beautiful art work. This has always intrigued me. Now I am taking Korean class, one of our teachers, Professor Kihl is explaining Korean history, philosophy, and culture, etc. and the other, Mr. Chu, is teaching us the language. After participating in the Professor Kihl's lectures, which I find very interesting, I am wondering if the poetic way Koreans had of expressing themselves in my English class has something to do with their having been brought up in a country with a Confucian background. This might account for a kind of reverence and appreciation for life that I didn't see in my other foreign students. Not that the other students didn't respect life, but they did not seem to speak in such Pauline Thom beautiful, poetic, and humble ways. My Korean students did not have to work at it. It came naturally to them. It had to come from somewhere! But where? I think this is one of the reasons I took this class. I really wanted to find out how such young people spoke so respectfully with such ease. I wanted to learn the secret! I understand that Korea is in transition and the younger generation has many influences upon them from different countries and different ways of being, but I believe that this

23 LASTING FRIENDS quality which I observed is still a part of them. As a teacher it was a delight to witness this is in my classroom. My Korean students were like a breath of fresh air in a world that seems to be losing its humility and appreciation for people and life in general. I am excited to learn more about Korea and solve my little mystery. Written by: Pauline Thom

24 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS) Linda B. Blakeney Dear Dr. Chun In-Young: I am a student in the Korean class at Laguna Woods Village taught by Mr. Chun and Professor Kihl. My name is Linda Blakeney and I'm one of the youngest residents at this retirement community. At the same time, I could also be considered an 'old-timer here, since I have lived for 12 years. Before 2005, our community was called Leisure World. I live here with my husband, who is old enough to qualify me to live here and my cat, who I take outside on walks to show her off to the neighbors and give her outdoor adventures. Lack of opportunities have forced me into early retirement, so I have been able to pursue hobbies. Although I go for walks around the neighborhood, use our gym and play some basketball, I prefer hobbies of a mental, rather than physical nature, such as crossword puzzles, sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, and foreign languages. Over written Japanese. I like to think of learning foreign languages as 'cracking a code', especially those that don't use a Roman script. Even knowing just a few words and phrases of a foreign language can serve as an icebreaker when dealing with foreigners. In California, we get a lot of foreigners, particularly from Latin America and Asia. So why Korean? Well, since 2010, I've had interest in K-pop, and wanted to be able to understand and sing along with those songs. My favorite K-pop group is the Royal Pirates. Last year, I missed them because they left California to go to Korea to make their debut. I looked at one of their social network websites, and found a photo of their schedule on their calendar. Next to the name of their bass player, James Lee, it showed days that he was taking Korean lessons. Like most fans, I thought that it would be if I cold in his class. Lo and behold, near the end of last year, I found flyers around our community advertising for free Korean lessons. Unlike the Royal Pirates' bassist. I don't really have such practical reasons to take the class-i just do it for fun. So I here I am in this year's class. I have no goal of achieving fluency in Korean, but learning some basic vocabulary and some useful phrases is good enough for me. I am literate in Hangeul, though even if I can't make sense of what I am reading. I can easily read the English loanword, like 'computer', 'supermarket', etc. I get along well with my classmates and I truly appreciate Mr. Chu and Prof. Kihl's generously sharing their time and expertise with us so that we can learn the written and spoken language as well as the culture and current events of Korea.

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26 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS) Betty Adney Leonard Since I grew up, in the American Midwest( a farm near Indianapolis, Indiana), my first exposure to another culture was that of the Native American Indian. My father found a tomahawk in a corn field while plowing. In my grade schooldays, we were taught about American history. The subject was augmented by my membership in the Children of the American Revolution(CAR). High school history was mainly American history with emphasis on Washington and Lincoln. College history courses were mainly European history, England, France, and Germany. When I moved Laguna Woods Village, I met many interesting people from other countries. My next door neighbor is a charming woman from Korea. When I first read about this course, I wanted to learn to say 'Happy Thanksgiving!' to her. With the excellent handouts and meaningful words from the teacher, I quickly became interested in the culture(history, government, and education). I hope to transfer this interest to friends and family. Dr. Kihl mentioned that this interest is in 'full bloom' in the village now. I hope this bloom is a perennial and will continue for generations. I talked to my son an attorney, his wife ateacher, and my daughter a research analyst about visiting in Korea in the future.

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28 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS) I am really enjoying our class. I have managed to impress some of my Korean friends with my knowledge of Korean history, life, and culture. I have learned about things that they don't know themselves. Professor Young Whan Kihl is an excellent teacher who enlightens us, not only on the historical events of the past, but also on the recent past and current events. Our recent class covered Confucianism. Even though Professor Kihl referred to Korea as being a post-confucian society, he explained that the philosophy continues to influence Korea. Our Language teacher, Mr. Karl Chu, is increasing our vocabulary and understanding of the different levels of formality that are so important in the Korean society. To a Westerner, the importance of determining someone's age and adjusting one's speech pattern to show proper respect is a little hard to understand

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30 Journal of the Korea America Friendship Society (KAFS) Dear Professor Chun In-Young: It is a privilege to contribute to the Journal of Korea America Friendship Society. I am a student in 'the Korean Language and Culture Class 2013' of LWV in the city of Laguna Woods, Orange County, California. Kihl Young Whan, Professor Emeritus, has addressed a large number of topics in his lectures. In the area of politics and government, he has reviewed presidents Syngman Rhee and Park Chung Hee. He introduced us a book the Third Wave by Samuel Huntington. The emergence of democracies began in the 1800s, second after the World War II, and the 'third wave' from 1974 including countries liberated in the late 1980s. One of Prof. Kihl's topics was the South Korean Constitution. I read the English translation of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea as amended from 1948 to the Ninth Amendment in I was touched in the Preamble by reference Clyde Barr Fletcher to the March First Independence Movement of 1919 and the democratic ideals of the April Nineteenth Uprising(*Student Revolution) of I would like to comment on some parts of the constitution which are noteworthy in my view: Article 9 stipulates, "The state shall strive to sustain cultural heritage and to enhance

31 LASTING FRIENDS national culture." Certainly Korean culture is of great importance and has been cited as contributing significantly to South Korean progress in the modern world. Article 26 in summary provides: (1) All citizens shall have the right to petition in writing any government agency under conditions as prescribed by Act." and (2) "The state shall be obliged to examine all such petitions." I believe this is a fundamental right for free citizens in a democratic republic. Brief excerpts from Article 32 caught my attention: (1) "All citizens shall have the right to work..." and (2) "All citizens shall have the duty to work..." Clearly, the Constitution seeks to avoid an entitlement society. Under Chapter V The Courts, I was interested to learn that the Republic of Korea has a Constitutional Court. Excerpting Article 107: (1) When the constitutionality of a law is at issue in a trial, the court shall request a decision of the Constitutional Court and shall judge according to the decision thereof, and (2) The Supreme Court shall have the power to make a final review of the constitutionality...also Article 111 reads, "The constitutional Court shall be composed of nine justices. Perhaps the United States should have a Constitutional Court. Finally, Article 121 attracted my attention with the provision, "Tenant farming shall be prohibited." In viewing historical dramas about Korea on TV, there was a long history of tenant farming on one form or other. Hopefully, Korean farm workers receive adequate compensation today. There is much to be learned about Korea and I thank Professor Kihl for his lectures and instruction. On a personal note, for the wedding reception for my grandson and his bride, the couple chose to bring in Korean catering truck to my grandson's family home. The caterer is Bo Kwon who founded a catering truck business in Portland, Oregon. It is called KOi fusion. On the side of his truck is painted 'KOi Fusion'. My wife, who is Korean, and I sent a pair of beautifully made Korean Wedding Ducks to the bride and groom. Barr Fletcher Laguna Woods, California USA

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37 영원한 친구들 LASTING FRIENDS 제 192 호 이사 정말 잘 왔어 한 남자가 새로 이사 온 후 과일가게에서 수박을 사는데 지나가는 사람마다 자기를 보고 모두 웃는 것이었다. 계산을 할 때 직원도 웃고 나와서 길을 걷는데 마주치는 사람마다 웃었다. 남자는 집에 돌아와서 수박을 건네며 아내에게 말했다. "여보 이 동네는 마음씨 좋은 사람만 있는 것 같아. 만나는 사람마다 웃더라구. 이사 정말 잘 왔어~~~." 그러자 아내가 말했다. "이~그...바지에 붙은 스티커나 좀 떼세요" 바지 정면 앞에는 수박을 고를때 붙었는지 스티커가 붙었고 거기에는 이렇게 쓰여 있었다. " 씨 없는 수박 " 영원한 친구들 LASTING FRIENDS 호 37

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