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Bibimbap lovers are all over the world. A Korean airline has been serving 비빔밥 as traditional Korean food on the airplane food menu since the 1990s. Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow is a big fan of 비빔밥. She once mentioned that 비빔밥 was one of her secrets to keeping her healthy and slender body.  

Today, I would like to talk about what Bibimbop means to Koreans.

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The word of 비빔밥 is comprised of two nouns, which are 비빔 (bi-bim: a noun of 비비다) and 밥 (bap: rice, meal). The first word 비빔 comes from a verb, 비비다 (bi-bi-dah: to mix, to rub). 밥 (bap: rice, meal) is a noun. It means a bowl of rice, which is mixed with other food ingredients and rubbed with 고추장 (go-chu-jang: Korean red pepper paste). My personal interpretation of 비빔밥 is a bowl of salad with rice. It is healthy and easy to make.

You might have seen such a scene if you are a fan of Korean TV shows: an actress, who gets stood up on a date, comes home angry. She directly goes to the kitchen and pours a lot of 고추장 (go-chu-jang: Korean red pepper paste) on top of white rice with a bunch of vegetables. It is certainly not uncommon 장면 (jang-myeon: a scene) in Korean dramas.

Bibimbap could be comfort food for Koreans. Koreans like spicy food and they will 공감하다 (gong-gam-hah-dah: sympathized with, empathized with) when some people choose spicy food as a way of releasing stress. Koreans also eat 비빔밥 when they 입맛이 없다 (it-maht-ee-up-dah: don’t have an appetite) or 무기력하다 (moo-gi-ryeok-hah-dah: feeling low or spiritless). Eating too spicy food could be bad for your stomach, but it certainly works for many Koreans.

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The history of 비빔밥 began with 품앗이 (pu-mah-si: exchange of labor, communal sharing of labor) in 농촌사회 (nong-hon-sah-hwei: farming village, rural society). In olden times, Koreans had a culture to exchange manual labor on farms. To save time and effort during lunch, each individual brought a part of 비빔밥 ingredients and put them together in a big pot to make 비빔밥 for lunch for the whole village people. 

Some say that 비빔밥 started from 제사 (jae-sah: an ancestral rite, a memorial ceremony for ancestors). When Koreans have 제사, there is usually plenty of quality food such as meat, vegetables, fish, seasonal fruits, and so on. After the rite, Koreans end up having a lot of food. Therefore, they might have invented the idea of 비빔밥 to prevent wasting good food. 

The principle of 비빔밥 is to reflect various flavors with different colored vegetables. 비빔밥 also mirrors each providence of authentic characteristics.

What did you think about the interesting history of 비빔밥? Every culture has its most loved food. Koreans love 비빕밥 and it has become one of the most loved healthy food in the world. If you haven’t had a chance to taste 비빔밥, let me share my favorite recipe below. I hope you enjoy the most loved Korean food.  (https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/bibimbap)

     

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• Four-Character Idioms That Will Improve the Level of Korean
• Old and New Traditions in Modern Korean Society (Part 3)
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Today, I would like to talk about some of the distinctive elements of Korean life, such as technology in daily life and the unique house payment system.

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1. IT 강대국 (kang-dae-guk: a powerful nation) 대한민국 (Dae-han-min-guk: Republic of Korea)

As a native Korean, who has been observing Korean digital culture from far away, I often feel that I may be left out of the center of fast-changing technology evolution, particularly in communication technology. I am an average person who uses technology in my daily life without major issues, but I sometimes feel it is overwhelming to try to catch up with the speed of technology progression. 

If I was living in Korea, my mental exhaustion in technology might be more intense only because there are many technological options to enhance the quality of life. Advanced technology is deeply immersed in modern Korean life from 근무 (geun-moo: work), 가사 (gah-sah: housekeeping), 육아 (yook-ah: childcare), 교육 (gyo-yook: education), 의료 (eui-ryo: medical care), 통신 (tong-shin: communication), 교통 (gyo-tong: trandsporation) to 물류 (mool-ryo: logistics) – the list seems endless! Every time I hear about new technology trends from Korea, my jaw just drops.

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If we use technology for the right purpose, the benefits from it are tremendous. Please consider, for example, how technological advances have benefitted Koreans by controlling the spread of COVID-19. 

When COVID-19 had just broken out, the Korean government immediately created a variety of practical apps that facilitate the Korean citizens’ safety. For instance, if there are any COVID positive test results in your neighborhood, you would get a notice on your phone. The notice, of course, won’t tell you the personal information of 확진자 (hwak-jin-ja: the confirmed case). It is simply designed to alert you and your family to be more cautious in your environment. 

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Communication technology in Korea has been readily accessible. It facilitates establishing systematic social distancing regulations, self-covid testing and other preventative measures still in use today. At the beginning of the pandemic, when nobody seemed to know what to do against the virus, this kind of system definitely helped ameliorate public confusion.

The Korean government got praised by many countries because they did an excellent job preventing the virus from spreading throughout the nation and in keeping the case numbers as low as they could under the circumstances. The Korean government and the local health departments were proactively promoting the citizen’s participation during the pandemic using technology apps. This was the perfect tool for  Koreans, who are already accustomed to utilizing technology in daily life. 

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2. 전세제도 (jeon-sae-jae-doh: lease a house or a room on a deposit basis)

There are mainly three ways to have a home in Korea; 월세 (wol-sae: monthly rent), 전세 (jeon-sae: lease a house on a deposit basis) and 매매 (mae-mae: deal in, buy and sell). 

You can buy or rent a house, that is a 매매 system. If you choose 월세 (wol-sea: monthly rent) payment, you need to pay a relatively small amount of 보증금 (boh-jeung-geum: security deposit, key money) with monthly rent every month. 

With a 전세 system, you can lease a house paying a big portion of the house price as 전세 보증금 (jeon-sae-boh-jeung-geum: deposit money for leasing a house). You can take 전세 보증금 back when the contract ends. If you choose 전세 payment system, you don’t need to pay monthly/yearly rent. 

What did you think about the Korean housing payment system? I believe 전세 is a unique concept that Koreans deal with when they lease a house. 

Image by 강춘성 on Pixabay

I hope you enjoy learning about aspects of Korean culture. I have been sharing this series of posts for the last couple of months. If you haven’t had a chance to look at them yet, I strongly recommend you read them. I would love to know what you think, and I will look forward to hearing from you soon.

https://blogs.transparent.com/korean/old-and-new-cultures-in-modern-korean-society-part-4/?preview_id=7280&preview_nonce=eb36af0a96&_thumbnail_id=7285&preview=tru

https://blogs.transparent.com/korean/old-and-new-traditions-in-modern-korean-society-part-3/?preview_id=7271&preview_nonce=27b94f9410&_thumbnail_id=7276&preview=true

https://blogs.transparent.com/korean/old-and-new-cultures-in-modern-korean-society-part-2/?preview_id=7249&preview_nonce=dbefa20849&_thumbnail_id=7251&preview=true

https://blogs.transparent.com/korean/old-and-new-cultures-in-modern-korean-society-part-1/?preview_id=7235&preview_nonce=1fd078c049&_thumbnail_id=7242&preview=true

     

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Today, I would like to talk about Korean cultures that only exist in Korea.

1. 빨리 빨리 문화 (Bbali Bbali Syndrome: hurry syndrome): 

In the 1988 Summer Olympics, the whole world was surprised by how quickly the South Korean economy had risen from the devastating war in the 1950s. Most Koreans are hard-working people, but there were a few cultural factors that facilitated the rapid growth in a relatively short time.  It is called 빨리 빨리 문화 (Bbali Bbali Syndrome: Hurry Syndrome). (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/11/117_13800.html)

Koreans value high productivity and efficiency in daily life. Customers expect the quality service with 신속 (sin-sok: quickness) and 정확 (jeong-hwak: precision) in 배달 문화 (bae-dahl-moon-hwa: a culture of courier service).

퀵 서비스 (Quick-Service: a delivery service system, similar to FedEx or UPS system in the States, but it is cheaper and readily available with a variety of services inside Korea.) would most likely deliver your mail from Seoul to Busan in a day. 

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Koreans expect convenient and systematic service using cell phones. 배달 음식 (bae-dahl-eum-sik: a delivery food) is pervasive and popular in Korean culture. I am not exaggerating when I say that a delivery man would get your meal on time, even if you are out in the forest.

In a restaurant, you would wait to get more water until your waitress makes eye contact with you or you deliberately call for assistance. In Korea, you just press a call bell on a table. Most Korean restaurants have a service call bell installed at the corner of the table. This is connected to a server’s panel at the front desk to alert the waitress for the next service. I bet you would instantly fall in love with this bell once you experience this swift and convenient service. 

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(https://discover.hubpages.com/food/Why-do-Korean-Restaurants-have-a-call-bell-on-tables)

However, 빨리 빨리 문화 doesn’t always contribute good things in the society. In 1995, a department store in Seoul suddenly collapsed and many people were killed or injured. It was the most distraught tragedy that many citizens still remember till today. After the incident, 빨리 빨리 문화 was harshly blamed and there was a big reflection time on how Koreans needed to make a balance between efficiency and quality of work.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampoong_Department_Store_collapse)

2. Korean Entertainment: 

When I was in middle school, movie stars from Hong Kong were very popular in Korea. Even I was a big fan of Jet Li. After I moved to the States, a few of my acquaintances sometimes asked me about Korean celebrities or Korean songs. 

Image by kimjinwoo73 on Pixabay

I, however, have recently noticed that more young people are asking me about Korean entertainment such as K-Pop, movies, and even TV shows that I had never heard of before. I try to give them the best answers as much as I can, but I sometimes feel a little embarrassed that I don’t have the depth of knowledge that I could offer them. This encourages me to reconnect to Korean culture through media. I am proud that South Korean culture is now deeply appreciated by many people from different languages and cultures. 

What do you think about a call bell as a restaurant service in Korea? I miss many things from home, but the bell is one of them that I wish we had here in the States. 

I have been collecting ideas for a long time to share real Korean culture with you. I have one more post to write about Korean culture and I will be talking about the housing payment system and others. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts about Korean culture and traditions in the Comments box below. I would love to hear from you.

     

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(https://blogs.transparent.com/korean/old-and-new-cultures-in-modern-korean-society-part-1/)

(https://blogs.transparent.com/korean/old-and-new-cultures-in-modern-korean-society-part-2/)

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Today, I would like to talk about 양육 (yang-yook: raising/nurturing children) in Korea. 

1. 산후 조리 문화 (sahn-hoo-joh-ri-moon-hwa: the culture of post-natal care)

There is a special post-natal care culture in Korea. After delivering a baby, most Korean women go through the periods of time called, 산후 조리 (san-hoo-joh-ri: post-natal or postpartum care). This time is considered to be crucial for women’s health in the long term because Koreans believe that women’s bodies, particularly 골반 (gol-bahn: the pelvis) and other bones, need time to realign and heal from child delivery. 

During this time, Korean women are strongly recommended to avoid house chores or heavy physical labor. In old times, bed rest was strongly recommended during the 삼칠일 (sahm-chil-il: three weeks) after 출산, but today’s doctors have been recommending a light level of physical activities, such as walking.

Good nutrition and rest in a warm environment are strongly recommended at this time. There are many different kinds of nutritious foods for new moms. 미역국 (mi-yeok-gook: a seaweed soup) is one of the most typical 산후 조리 food. 

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Traditional Korean medicine has been teaching Korean women to avoid drinking cold water or cold food after 출산 (chool-sahn: childbirth) because it is believed that teeth  and bones are susceptible to being sensitive to cold after childbirth. Therefore, 산모 (sahn-mo: a woman after childbirth) is recommended to rest in a warm environment. While they rest, 친정 엄마 (chin-jeong-um-ma: a mother who raises a person)  or 시어머니 (si-uh-muh-ni: a mother in law) will usually assist a new mother and take care of a baby.

In modern times in Korea, there are many care facilities for 산모 because not everyone could get help from their family members nowadays. In a care facility, medical doctors and other certified experts are present and facilitate the wellness of 산모 during 산후 조리.  산모 gets comprehensive care from getting a quality diet, weight management service, or other health issues after postpartum to even receiving baby care classes, etc. 

2. 학원문화

Babies grow fast and they eventually get into a school system. As former president Obama mentioned many times, 학구열 (hak-goo-yeol: education fever, ardor for study) is very high in Korea. Many Korean parents strive to provide the best quality learning environment for their children financially and emotionally.  As Korean society has been becoming more diverse and embracing a variety of cultures, the power of an elitism or 명문대 (myeong-moon-dae: privileged college) 지향주의 (jhyang-joo-eui: to the pursuit, an aspiration)  is diminishing. However, they still exist in Korean culture.

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학원 문화 (hak-won-moon-hwa: the culture of a private educational institute) is pervasive in the Korean society. 학원 (haw-won: a private educational institute) is an institute where Korean students perform afterschool activities such as art, music, physical education. However, it is common to study particular subjects such as 국영수 (gook-young-soo: a term for a subject of Korean, English and math). In general, these subjects are the important criteria to be admitted to higher-ranked universities. It is not uncommon for Korean kids to daily spend extra hours in a couple of different 학원 after school. Raising children in Korea could be more expensive compared to other countries due to 사교육비 (sah-gyeo-yook-bi: expenditure of private education).

image by modernseoul on Pixabay

What did you think about these aspects of Korean culture? Were you aware that Korean women get special treatment after childbirth? I have always thought that Korean 산후 조리 culture is unique from the other western cultures.

It often fascinates me how quickly Korean culture is evolving. Things I used to know about Korea might not be as accurate as I believe. In the future, I am planning to post one more entry about Korean culture. Stay tuned!

     

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2022 is called 임인년 (im-in-nyeon: the Black Tiger Year) or it is the Black Tiger, the 39th year in the 육십갑자 (yook-sip-gap-ja: sexagenary cycle). The sexagenary cycle is the Stems-and-Branches or Ganzhi. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagenary_cycle). 

Many people are excited to embrace 2022 because the combination of the color of black and the animal of the tiger rarely happens. Today, I will share some big events in 2022 in Korea. 

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1. Koreans celebrate New Year’s Day Twice

Some Koreans may not consider that the year of 2022 hasn’t really come yet since 구정 (goo-jeong: Lunar New Year) is a more significant holiday than 신정 (sin-jeong: New Year’s Day) in Korea. The first of January is celebrated like the rest of the world, however Koreans do have a special way to celebrate a new coming year by celebrating 설날 (Seollal: Korean New Year’s Day or Lunar New Year’s Day, same as 구정). 

Image by Alexandra_Koch on Pixabay

This 3-day holiday, 설날 usually comes about a month later after New Year’s Day. One thing you want to remember is that there is no fixed date for 구정 because it relies on the Lunar calendar. In other words, you would likely have 구정 on a different date every year. In 2022, 구정 falls on the first of February. 구정 연휴 (yeon-hwui: a long weekend or holiday) starts on 1월 31일 (il-wol-sam-sip-il-il: on the 31st in January) and ends on 2월 1일 (il-wol-on the 2nd in February).

     2. Korean Politics Calendar in 2022

In 2022, Koreans will be busy 행사하다 (hang-sah-hah-dah: to exercise) their 투표권 (too-pyo-gwon: voting rights) between March and June.

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March:

Koreans will have a chance to vote for a new president. There is the 20th 대통령선거 (dae-tong-ryeong-sun-guh: a presidential election) in March. The date is on the 9th of March, and it is a 법정 공휴일 (bup-jeong-gong-hui-il: a legal holiday or a national holiday). Korean citizens can vote anytime between 6 am to 6 pm. 

May:

대통령 취임식 (dae-tong-ryeong-chi-im-sik: the Presidential Inauguration day) is on the 10th of May. 

June:

동시 (dong-si: simultaneous, at the same time) 지방선거 (ji-bang-sun-guh: local/regional election, provincial election) is on the first of June. 

3. Substitute Holidays in 2022 

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There are a total number of 118 national holidays in 2022, including 대체 공휴일 (dae-che-gong-hwui-il: a substitute holiday). Luckily, Koreans will have two more additional holidays compared to 2021.

한글날 (Hangullal: Hangul Proclamation Day) is on the 9th of October. It happens to be on Sunday this year. I hope this extra day would bring you time to study Korean in a more enjoyable way.

In September, 추석 (Chuseok: Korean Thanksgiving Day) starts on the 9th and runs through the 11th. 추석 연휴 ( yeon-hwui: a long weekend or holiday) usually lasts 3 days and the last day of 연휴 this year falls on Sunday. Therefore, it will add one more day on 연휴 according to 대체 공휴일 법 (dae-che-gong-hwui-il-bup: a law of the substitute holiday).

In the last month of 2022, Koreans will have to celebrate 성탄절 (seong-tahn-jeol: Christmas) on Sunday because 성탄절 on Sunday is not 적용되다 (juk-yong-dwe-dah: to be applicable) for 대체 공휴일 법. 

Image by hkama on pixabay

What are your plans for 2022? Have you already made your vacation plans? I am excited for many Koreans that they would enjoy two more additional holidays this year. Most of all, I wish that they choose the best leaders in Korea. 

     

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The rate of marriage has been constantly decreasing in Korea. Younger generations have different ideas of 결혼 (gyeol-hon: marriage/wedding). If people once considered marriage as an inevitable milestone in life, young Koreans are hesitant to accept the idea. They measure every ounce of physical, financial, and emotional burden as a married person and compare that with their unlimited freedom as a single person. 

Today, I would like to talk about the fast-evolving marriage culture in Korea. 

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결혼문화 (gyeol-hon-moon-hwa: marriage/ wedding culture)

Marriage Expenses

There is no doubt that a wedding is a big festive occasion universally, but also it could be an expensive event. When my brother-in-law got married, I was able to see the similarities and the differences between American and Korean wedding cultures. 

For both cultures, planning a wedding is always exhausting. Most of all, it makes your wallet very thin in a short time. The truth is that many Koreans avoid getting married due to 결혼 비용 (gyeol-hon-bi-yong: marriage expenses). In 2019, average wedding expenses were about 2억 3186 만원 (231,860,000 won), which is equivalent to $195,766 as of December 2021. This is including housing expenses because about 73% of your wedding expenses will go straight into obtaining housing. The rest will be spent on the actual wedding events, which I think is a lot of money to spend for one day. Do you still want to get married?

(https://blog.naver.com/officialduo/221477201809) 

Image by briannad26 on Pixabay

Wedding Gifts

In western culture, a wedding gift registry is common. In Korean wedding culture, 축의금 (chook-eui-geum: money gift for happy occasions) exists. Some people, of course, do give 선물 (sun-mool: a gift), but presenting 축의금 at a wedding is the norm. 

If you are invited to a Korean wedding, you would not miss a small desk in front of a wedding ceremony site. It is a custom that every guest gives away white envelopes that have money in them at the desk. Then, a person at the desk will ask your name and write the amount of 축의금 on a record book. The married couple will eventually see the records and you would likely get the same amount of 축의금 on your wedding day. There is a customary guideline of 축의금depending upon how close you are to the couple. 

There are wedding gifts between a bride and a groom’s family. 혼수 (hon-su: gifts to a bride’s family from a groom) is supposed to be wedding gifts from the groom’s side and 예물 (yea-mool: wedding gifts to a groom’s family from a bride) is from the bride’s.  In the past, 혼수 and 예물were given to represent love and gratitude. However, 혼수 has been sometimes mistakenly measured as 현금 (hyeon-geum:  cash) for some people. It is sad, but true that the quantity of 혼수 sometimes causes family feuds and becomes a deal-breaker between soon-to-be-married couples. 

Wedding Culture

One of the most outstanding differences that I noticed was wedding cultural elements, such as bridesmaids and groomsmen, even flower girls/boys. These extra guests in a wedding do not exist in traditional Korean weddings, but many young Korean couples have adopted the ideas in their weddings. 

As far as I understand, there is 총각파티 (chong-gak-party: bachelor party) culture in Korea, but no bridal shower. The closest concept of a bridal shower I can relate to Korean wedding culture is 돌잔치 (dol-jan-chi: the first birthday party), which is geared towards celebrating a baby’s health. However, modern Koreans do celebrate 처녀파티 (cheo-nyeo-party: bachelorette party) and a bridal shower.

Image by GemmaRay23

Wedding Venue

Choosing a wedding venue can be a headache.  I have seen a variety of wedding venues with different themes in western wedding cultures.  In Korea, 웨딩홀 (wedding hall: a building particularly designed for a wedding event and a reception party) might save you from a headache. 

웨딩홀 is an all-for-one type of place for an indoor wedding ceremony. 웨딩홀 is a specifically designed building that is for the wedding ceremony, including 피로연 (pi-roh-yeon: a wedding reception). Therefore, it is not uncommon for Koreans to get married at 웨딩홀. However, the downside of this place is over-standardization. In fact, a nickname of this building is 공장형 웨딩홀 (gong-jang-hyung-wedding hall), which is translated as a factory-style wedding hall. You are not the only bride in this building because a dozen or more couples are getting married at the same time in the same building but just in a different room. You also have limited time to finish your wedding events because the next couple is waiting for your room! 

Young Koreans are getting more creative with their wedding styles. Some prefer an outdoor wedding, others have a small wedding, instead of inviting hundreds of guests whom you have never met before. In fact, the idea of having a small wedding with family and friends has been popular after some Korean celebrity couples chose that method.

What did you think about Korean wedding culture? I will talk about fast-changing Korean cultures with different topics in the next posts. Stay tuned!

     

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• Old and New Culture in Modern Korean Society (Part 5)
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I now have different opinions about the comment. In my opinion, it is a dangerous idea to generalize a group of people only because they are from a certain era. After adding layers of life experiences as an immigrant myself, I have learned that these people, including myself, don’t always share common characteristics as a group of people who choose to live in a new country with foreign culture. Personal circumstances such as when they leave their home country, or which generation they come from, could be a contributing factor in determining whether a person is constantly progressing or not. However, I believe that each individual’s values, personality, and goals in life eventually will guide them.

Today, I would like to introduce you to some existing Korean Cultural traits. Some of them are not as significant as they used to be since they are slowly fading away in society. Others are already deeply rooted. 

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1.화병 (Hwa-Byung) is an anger syndrome that only could be seen among South Koreans, especially among married middle-aged women. If I understand correctly, 화병 comes from prolonged suppression of one’s personal desires by social norms. In fact, it is listed on DMS (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)-5 by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6955430/)

APA dictionary describes Hwa-Byung  as :

a culture-bound syndrome specific to Korea and characterized by a range of symptoms that are attributed to the suppression of anger (Korean, literally: “anger disease”). Symptoms include a feeling of a mass in the throat, chest, or abdomen, a sensation of heat in the body, headaches, palpitations, indigestion, insomnia, fatigue, panic, dysphoria, fear of impending death, anorexia, generalized aches and pains, and poor concentration. Also called suppressed anger syndrome; wool-hwa-byung. (https://dictionary.apa.org/hwa-byung)

Image by JillWellington on Pixabay

I remember my mom’s generation used to say that one should be able to express each one’s needs frequently, otherwise he/she would get a 화병. It is unfortunate that the syndrome is officially listed on the DSM manual. It is presumed that 화병 is one of the most predominant syndromes in Korea, but the younger generations might not be as susceptible as the older generations in Korea since they seem to be more outspoken. However, it is still dangerous to generalize one group into the same basket!

2.장남 장녀 컴플렉스 (jang-nam-jang-nyeo-complex)

It originated from 유교사상 (yoo-gyeo-sah-sang: Confucianism). This condition is not as prevalent in Korean society as it was in the past, like many other cultural issues that derived from Confucianism. It defines the special role of the eldest children, whether a boy or a girl, stating that they should take care of their parents physically, emotionally, even financially.

There is an old Korean saying: 큰딸은 살림 밑천이다. (keun-ddahl-eun-sal-lim-mit-chun: the eldest daughter is seed money for an entire household economy.) Koreans in the past used to see the eldest children, especially the eldest daughter, as a household asset who could help out their parents when they are young. The eldest children in a family were unfairly burdened for generations. This concept was widely accepted when Koreans used to live in a form of 대가족 (dae-gah-jok: an extended family). 

Image by manseok_Kim by Pixabay

Modern Koreans live in an era of 핵가족 시대 (haek-gah-jok-si-dae: age of the small family), even 일인가정 (il-in-gah-jeong: a single-family member household). This structure supports social and cultural changes, such as individualism in society. In fact, people simply don’t 수긍하다 (soo-geung-hah-dah: to agree) with the idea. Korean society is too advanced to reconsider this idea. I believe sharing the roles and their responsibilities as family members are reasonable in our time. 

Image by Bessi on Pixabay

3.남아선호사상 (nahm-ah-sun-ho-sah-sang: Boy Preference)

This idea has existed throughout all cultures, but the idea was strongly supported in Asian cultures due to Confucianism. My father wanted a boy when I was younger. Although this changed as time went on. Whenever my father expressed a yearning to have a boy, my mother used to say that parents who have a son would get a limo ride to visit the son’s house in order to clean it, but the parents who have a daughter would get a flight ticket to travel abroad. 

My father, over time, must have been seeing the changes: there are more women in the workforce and plenty of cases that prove financial and social success is not necessarily dependent on sex anymore. 

It is believed that the older generation preferred a boy to a girl because they could carry the family name as well as they could be financially more reliable when parents get older. The gap of one’s capability, however, between men and women is getting narrower all over the world. It is a fairly outdated thought to think that certain sex of a child would be guaranteed financial success any longer in Korea.

Image by algrin25 on Pixabay

What did you think about these elements of Korean culture? Korean cultures are changing at a rapid rate, just as in many other cultures. Please note that this post is a collection of my personal observations of Korean culture. This post is entirely based upon my personal opinions.

I have more ever-changing Korean cultures to share in the next post. Stay tuned!

       

Comments

• @Jennie In reply to Jennie. Hi Jennie! I am glad that you ... by Flying Oyster
• thank you for sharing this! interesting to read. i'm a korean ... by Jennie

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