A Foreign Journalist's Thoughts on Koreans

In a recent Korean e-mail I received, was a list of 4 shortcomings that a journalist leaving Korea after 11 years made known to his questioner. He only had the intention of giving the strong points of the Koreans; being urged repeatedly to give the weak points also he acceded very hesitantly. Below is the four that he mentioned:

1) Koreans do do not look forward to the future but rather look back at the past. They do not talk about future plans and dreams but rather talk about the life in the military, past political incidents, fellow classmates etc..

2) They use many excuses. When things do not go well, they do not admit it frankly but blame those above or below, use excuses or hold responsible the circumstances.

3) In personal relationships Koreans do not know how to lose. Compromise and concessions are seen as failure and they have a black and while rational for everything.

4) Koreans have a princely mentality wanting to harvest what they have not planted. As the saying goes they will even drink lye if it is free..

The e- mail ends with the words of the questioner: since the journalist had a love for Korea we should take his words to heart.

Also being a foreigner I would agree with the first one after thinking over what he said, but have difficulty in seeing the other three as any different from what humans have as a basic weakness. I do not see Koreans any more disposed than other peoples to excuse their failures, have difficulty in losing or like to have things for nothing. I probably have been in Korea too long and have been inculturated to a point where these human failings are not seen as such : something that came with the air I breath and the water I drink (?)















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Helping the North Korean Defectors

The Seoul Diocese linking with the Catholic Farmers Association are helping North Korean defectors to move to the country. There are well over 16,000 now in Korea and they expect to have about 20,000 next year The Korean Government gives the defectors about 6 thousand dollars and a short period of reeducation to settle in South Korea.

Different terms are used to refer to these refugees. Saeteomin (people of new land) was the word used in the article in the Catholic Times. Talbukja (people who fled the North) is commonly used but not favored by the refugees and not pleasant to the ears of the North. A newer term is "residents who renounced North Korea". They are all refugees looking for a better life and for most it is not easily achieved.

It is a difficult move for many. They have fled political persecution and severe shortages of food and medicine; arriving in a new land and settling into a new culture is demanding. The diocese has many programs to acclimate them to this new life in the South. The Protestants are doing much more and have been involved much longer but the diocese of Seoul with the help of Save The Farm Movement and the Catholic Farmers Association is serving as mentors to those who choose to live in the country.

The biggest problems facing North Korean defectors are unemployment and poverty. A large percentage of North Korean defectors are jobless and many others have to live on a pittance. Most have temporary work, and only a small minority find full-time positions or start their own business. It is difficult for the government to provide indefinite assistance.


The North Koreans find it difficult to shed the label defectors which they dislike. One refugee sighing : "I will have to get use to being a foreigner. The culture, economy, the value system is just too difficult to adapt to." This will be a large problem when unification does come.



A refugee from the North, Mr. Kim who is now a member of the Kwangju Catholic Farmers Association is helping those who choose to settle in the farming areas. He tells all those that he mentors to look closely and deeply into the reasons you have settled here in the farming area. He tells them if they were looking for an easy life the chances they will fail are great.


Helping the North Korean refugees is a great work and will tell South Korea how successful they will be in becoming one nation again when unification does come.

25th Anniversary Feast of Korean Martyrs

Today is the Feast of St. Andrew Kim Taegon, Chong Ha Sang Paul and Companions. The companions mostly are laymen and women, some old some young, some are children some were bishops some were priests, altogether there were 103. Pope John Paul II canonized them in Seoul in 1984.

In the breviary for today the second reading is taken from a letter of St. Andrew Kim in which he mentions some lessons we learn from seeds. The lessons are many let us reflect on a few of them:

The Blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church


1) Seeds point to the future. We wait in patience and work towards the harvest which will come.

2) The seed has to die before it breaks the ground and shows us life.

3) What we sow we will reap. If we plant potatoes we get potatoes if tomatoes we get tomatoes.

4) We plant one seed but the seed at harvest time becomes many. In our Lords words, "producing fruit a hundred times as much."

5) The produce benefits not only the farmer who planted the seed but his family and others.

6) We can not make the seed grow all we can do is remove the obstacles for growth. If it does not have enough water , we water, if the nutrients are missing we spread fertilizer, if the bugs are there we get rid of them, if the weeds are a problem we remove them.

7) The seed matures according to the nature of the earth it has found. Jesus in his parable in all three synoptic Gospels makes this one of his well know teachings.

8) The seed will develop depending on the concern the farmer has during the period of growth.

9) There is a time for the seed to be sown.

10) We will have to plant good seed if we want a good harvest.

This year is the 25th anniversary of canonization, a good time to reflect on what these martyrs have taught us.

Korean musical instruments with Chinese silk


The makers of Korean string instruments, to maintain the
Deep sounds try to obtain the materials from Korea.
However, the silk that goes into making our instruments
Has to be obtained from China.
We have farmers who raise silk worms but only for medicinal
Purposes and not for the silk.
The Chinese know well that we are not producing silk
So every year the price goes up.
Our artisans have no choice but to buy,
The Chinese producers of the silk are in control.

We are little by little giving up what we can do
And becoming subservient to others.
Do you think this is only in the area of silk?

From an e-mail.

The Difficulties of Korean Farmers

Korea is now ready for a new rice harvest and still much of last year's rice remains. In a news letter for priests we are being asked to be enthusiastic in helping the farmers to sell their produce by dealing directly with the people in the parishes. This has been one of the goals of Save Our Farm Movement.

Cardinal Stephen Kim's homily at the Mass that inaugurated the movement back in in 1994 said : "If we lose the farms we lose our birthplaces. If we ruin the farms it is like ruining ourselves. The pain of the farmers should be our pain."

The desire is to link the farms with the city dwellers to sell the farm produce. There are many outlets in parishes that try to facilitate this direct buying from the farms. The reasons for this concern are listed as:

1) To take care of our health and lives we must avoid becoming subservient to other countries at the table and to avoid tainted foods.

2) Understand the place of food for Korea's national security.

3) The place of farms in balancing the economics of the country.

4) To protect our national lands and environment.

5) Keep the population from gravitating to the cities.

6) The driving force behind development and a resource for tourism.

7) To provide natural settings, rest areas and to experience the verdure of the country.

8) To have an alternative to the industrial society that we have made.

The pastor's intention in the article was to alert us to the plight of the farmers and asking us to support the farmers in selling their produce. Rice production of the country has been abundant in recent years with very good harvests, while the populace is eating less rice. Younger people have not continued the eating habits of the older generation; imports especially from China have hurt the farmers with the cheaper prices. Farming co-ops take the premium types of rice but the other varieties the farmers have to find their own markets, a problem for many. The international price of rice is much cheaper so we can see what will happen when we have tariff barriers disappear.

The Four Fingered Pianist Lee Hee Ah

The Catholic Times had an article about the 4 fingered pianist ( she plays with two fingers in each hand) Lee Hee Ah (Hyacintha) who is well know around the world having a number of YouTube appearances and many concert appearances overseas.

Her story is heart-wrenching right from her birth to now at the age 23. The mother knew before Hyacintha was even born that she was handicapped. Her family wanted her aborted and even after she was born some wanted her to be put up for adoption overseas. The hospital told the mother that she would not live long.

The mother was sure that this was a gift of God and never doubted this for a moment. She now has a daughter that stands tall where ever she goes.

Her last concert was on September 10th and 11th in Taiwan and she is booked in November to go to Indonesia and Hong Kong. One priest has said she is one who has changed her destiny. Her Catholicism is important to her and she enjoys being able to make God known where ever she goes.

The article mentions that the mother wanted to teach the child how to play the piano so she would be able to hold a pencil. She tried to get her into many piano academies with no luck but with extraordinary patience and effort on the part of Hyacintha she did succeed.

What I found interesting was the attitude of many still towards the handicapped. I am not surprised for it is a feeling not easily lost. Because of her disability she was told that people have a loathing to have her on same program and when she went to make a record she was told who wants to hear a two fingered pianist? Even though her name was widely known many were saying that her popularity would disappear and her chances to perform would cease. The predictions were wide of the mark.

She is now well know in her own country, Korea. " This is not the work of humans . It is the work of God and the intercession of our Blessed Mother. God wants me to live as a necessary person in this world 'the way we look is one thing to discriminate is not right' this I want to make known. "

From childhood she dreamed of being a nun. But today without the religious habit she is able to give joy and comfort to many. She has given many charity performances and recently one for the disabled in North Korea.

The Political Left And Right In Korea

In the recent Pastoral Bulletin one of the diocesan priests had a humorous black and white caricature of the difference between the left and right in Korean politics. It would be for some a slander but also not without a basis in reality.

The right is interested in financial well being. A friendly atmosphere for business, doing away with obstacles for their success; lessen the taxes of the rich, flexibility with labor, making it easy to fire workers. Government stays out of labor disputes as much as possible. They want a small government. Moreover, the things that have to do with the citizenry for the most part , health insurance, mass media, electricity, gas etc. they want to put in the hands of the private sector. If big business and the rich do well we all do well.

This is the strategy that we have had in England and the United States with the results we have seen in recent years.

The left is for distribution and equality. Tax money has to be well distributed. Citizens to live well, the government has to distribute the tax monies evenly. Welfare for the poor requires the concern of the government. Tax benefits not only for the rich but for the ordinary citizen. This requires positive regulations by the government. This effort to help the masses live the good life is the aim of the left.

From Chosun times, for the last 200 years Europe has been in the hands of the left. Citizens when sick can go to the hospital, the government provides childcare, and education. The old get a pension to enjoy their life. To have these benefits they have to pay exorbitant taxes, especially the rich. All have to be resigned to sacrifice.

How was this brought about? It was built on the foundation of 200o years of Christianity. Catholics and Protestants working in the field of welfare and the attempt at living the Christian life has brought this about in Europe. The teachings of the ancestors has made this the reality.

Those of us who have been baptized where are our hearts? Is it not that we have followed the ways of the world? Are we willing to sacrifice and pay taxes so that all of us can live well? If we look into this carefully we can see that this is more in keeping with the Gospel. In Korea those who are opting for this kind of government are looked upon as Communists and he blames past Presidents Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee.


In the States stereotypically the Democrats are considered as the left and Republicans as the right. The Democrats want more government regulations and interested mostly with social issues. The Republicans want few regulations and more concerned with moral issues. In Korea the political parties are not known by the ordinary citizens, to have these obvious differences.