What to make of the national reaction?

I was quite perplexed when Koreans and Korean Americans reacted the way they did at the Blacksburg shooting. Their reaction was that of a real, visceral shock with some strange consequences - the Korean ambassador to the U.S. calling for a collective fast (although I think this was a translation mistake exacerbated by his inarticulateness), statements of apology by Koreans who had nothing to do with it, the heavyhanded involvement by the Roh administration, town hall meetings in which Korean Americans sought assurances from American elected officials that there would be no racial backlash, etc. What gives? I thought much of it was wildly inappropriate and was quick to condemn how Koreans inexplicably took it on themselves to feel so apologetic and shameful about it. But then, an astute friend of mine reminded me of the massive hysteria unleashed during the World Cup at every Korean goal or at the apocryphal achievements of a certain geneticist to be thoroughly discredited later, and that such reactions and that of the Blacksburg shooting have much the same DNA - deep nationalism tinged with a herd behavior. And you take the good with the bad.
- Roger in DC

Perspective from DC

It's been a tough week. That I somehow got involved in the sausage-making process of news gathering didn't make it easier. I'm not a specialist in covering crimes and misdemeanors. But as a Korean speaker, I was asked to track down as many friends, acquaintances, church members and relatives as I can.
It basically involved three days of driving all over town, talking to pastors, community leaders, diplomats, reporters, laundry shop owners, realtors, video shop clerks, hairdressers and other hard-working Koreans in Fairfax County. I met more Koreans in a span of three days than the two years I've lived here. Most were reluctant, and only two or three knew anything substantive.
As troubled as I was about the event, being involved in the coverage made me somewhat more detached and helped me cope with the news. When I attended the Tuesday night candlelight vigil in Fairfax County held by about 400 Koreans or so, I was there more as a newsman and had little time to participate in the collective outpouring of sorrow and apology.
Still, it was not easy tossing out direct questions at reluctant and defensive Koreans who had nothing to do with the act itself.
While I'm at it, let me add that I think the issue of racial backlash will turn out to be an overblown news angle. Most Koreans will find out that the racism they may or may not face isn't any worse than it was last week. And for some Korean Americans to believe otherwise may be a reflection of their inability - even after decades here - to shake off the we-are-still-guests mindset.

Sad to say ....

I think most Asians awaited with bated breath upon hearing that the shooter in the Virginia Tech killing spree was an Asian male. Was he Chinese? Was he Korean? Was he Vietnamese? In the car today, my co-worker and I breathed a temporary sigh of relief when we misheard that the killer was of Chinese descent only to hear that the killer was, in fact, a Korean national. I felt bad about my initial reaction … relief that the killer was not Korean - as if that made this tragedy somehow less tragic.

Then the news in Korea went on to report, incorrectly it now appears, that the murderer's parents had both committed suicide - the father dead from slashed wrists and the mother in the hospital after swallowing poison.

In Korea, this news of course is all over the place. It seems to be a source of collective shame that the killer was ethnic Korean. The headlines all point to fears of racial backlash and possible repercussions. I trust that level heads will prevail and that we all realize that this is just one troubled and sick individual. Regardless, to have an ethnic Korean linked to the worst mass murder in U.S. history is difficult and race may have played some part in his feelings of alienation, detachment and weakness and certain stereotypes will be bolstered to those people who do not know many Koreans or Asians very well.

The news in the US all point to him being Korean but this guy has been in the U.S. since he was 8. He majored in English. He spoke almost perfect English. Also, I hate to admit, I was "glad" he spoke English so well. Why? Does it really matter? But, at least it helps in diminishing the typical racial stereotype. OK, time to stop feeling so defensive I tell myself.

We all know many Koreans who immigrated to the US and have such similar stories. His sister graduated from Princeton, his parents works their tail off in a laundry store and lived in a nice middle class home. They did everything for their children. Probably, also very much into Christianity. It makes this thing all the more tragic.

It would be interesting to hear what Koreans living in the U.S. are feeling and experiencing. I hope, once the shock diminishes this whole thing doesn't descend any further than it has to.

-Pat in Seoul

Love is in the air. Or is that just the bouquet?

Now with spring slowly easing upon us, the wedding season is kicking into high gear. Every weekend, in hotels, churches, wedding halls, families gather for that special 30 minute ceremony where single men and women can finally brush off the marital pressures they’ve been suffering since they graduated from college. Yes, I said 30 minutes. With the reception, the whole thing finishes up in 45.

Let me paint the picture. You are invited to a wedding at a “traditional” wedding hall. (Churches and wedding halls are the two most visible buildings dotting almost every other block in this country. Starbucks is becoming a close third.) The hall is usually three to four stories high with a wedding ceremony happening on each floor starting fifteen minutes from each other. Why fifteen minutes, you ask? After you witness the blazing ceremony pass you by, there needs to be enough time for the wedding party to speed down to the reception in the basement. You’d think the parents are paying for the wedding by the hour. But it actually is the hall management who are trying to turnover as many weddings as possible in one day.

So you can imagine a constant flow of bodies, going up the elevator, down the elevator, wedding gowns, sashes, flowers, confetti just flying everywhere. But the people who manage these halls perform this dance with such precision, one wedding party never runs into the other. I can easily imagine a team of Samsung managers using the halls as case studies for their own assembly lines.

I'll be going to my first wedding of the season in two weeks. Trust me, I'll have my running shoes on.

- Mark in Seoul

A Korean win in MLB

The 2007 ML baseball season is a bit less exciting for me now that Korean players are nowhere to be seen. I've been perusing the box scores every morning to see if any Korean players show up, and have come up empty. But yesterday, I saw that Jae Kuk Ryu pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to get the victory. It's the second season in Tampa for the 24 year old from Choong-chung Do. Other than that, I don't know much about him. Poor guy. Can't be easy for a Korean living in Tampa.
- Roger in DC

How do I talk to my child?

With my eight-month old son growing up so fast, I've been thinking a lot about a topic that intrigues all bilingual parents - in which language do I speak to him?
I'm most comfortable in English (and later on, he'd be too). But I also want him to speak Korean. And, to be honest, speaking Korean to my son - because it's what I grew up with - just feels more intimate and heartfelt to me. At the same time, I plan on reading to him nightly and instill in him the joy of reading and love for the English language. For that, I'd need to speak English at home primarily.
This is made more complicated by my wife's intention of speaking to him in Mandarin Chinese when they're alone. I fully support this, though they'll have their own secret code. It's a small price to pay for him to learn one of the most important languages in the world.
Other parents who've gone through a similar conundrum tell me to let it be - to talk to him in the most natural way. Others say I should be disciplined and stick to one. I'm still not sure how I'll respond.
- Roger in DC

The General from Florida

I recently finished translating a Korean script into English with a local film director here in Seoul. The movie is a love story between a US soldier and a North Korean nurse set against the backdrop of the some of the biggest battles during the Korean War. Intriguing? Maybe. But not as much as the details behind the film project.

Apparently, the local producers met through a Korean-American intermediary some Florida retirees who've been dying (literally and figuratively) to make a movie about the Korean War. One of these men, aptly named the "General," was, according to him, one of thousands evacuated at Heungnam Harbor on December 24th, 1950, fleeing from the Chinese who were advancing south from the Yalu.

Ever since the producers initially agreed to work with the General, he has been telling them that he will involve the president of a major Hollywood studio and attach some of the biggest stars on the planet to this movie. He also added that the film will probably cost over $350 million to make. The local producers who happened to be quite experienced can’t believe their good luck. I can’t believe for reasons I’m sure you could guess.

Needless to say, the details of the project are more fascinating than the script itself.

I’ll keep you up-to-date on how this develops…

- Mark in Seoul

Old Korea hand

I ran into Don Kirk at the National Press Club in downtown Washington DC on Monday. I was hurrying to go to a press conference and didn't have time to chat for very long. But he is a DC native and apprarently visits often. Don, as they say, is an Old Asia Hand - especially knowledgeable about Korea.
When I worked in Korea, he was Seoul correspondent for the International Herald Tribune and we used to run into each other at press conferences and lunches. He first visited Korea in 1972 and has covered a number of key historical events, including the assassination of President Park Chung Hee in 1979 and the Kwangju revolt in 1980. Based in Seoul, he's now a freelancer. Check out his stuff and some interesting North Korea photos at his website. I sent him an email the following day, and he responded by hawking his book. So much for that encounter.
- Roger in DC