By gwrobinkim
In South Korea, there is a very popular television program named 비정상회담 ("Abnormal Summit"). Loosely mimicking the G20 Summit, it features a panel who openly discuss a number of topics related to Korean culture. This show is unique in that the panel is made up male foreigners who live in Korea. Not only that, but they all speak fluent Korean. Ranging from nationalities (e.g. Italy, USA, Mexico, China, Ghana, and Poland - to name just a few), they also vary in occupations (e.g. students, professors, corporate workers). They're also diverse in their length of time in Korea ranging from 2 to 10 years. Despite purposely focusing on the differences in Korea and the panel's respective countries, the show also highlights the similarities in experiencing South Korea as a foreigner.
I was invited to an event at 홍대 (Hongdae) that was hosting four of the 비정상회담 ("Abnormal Summit") members to discuss "Peace and Citizenship," specifically targeting students studying abroad. Of course, I said heck yeah.
Their discussion time was split into three parts: 썸, 밀당, 연애.
썸 ("Ssum" - Flirting): Why did you come to Korea? What first caught your attention about the culture? Talk about your first experiences and how you "flirted" with the country and culture.
밀당 ("Mil-dang" - Playing Hard to Get): What hardships did you face as a foreigner living in Korea? Were there language barriers? Did you ever regret your choice? This portion really focused on cultural differences and some of the cultural issues Korea can tend to have towards foreigners.
연애 ("Yeon-ae" - Love): At what moment did you fall in love with Korea? Why? When did you know you wanted to stay here? Some said it was love at first sight, others took a while to warm up to the culture.
More than anything, this experience was rewarding. Here I was, amongst a hundred other foreigners living in Korea, listening to famous foreigners talk about their experience living in Korea. I think deep down, I was always just afraid of how I would be judged as a Korean American studying abroad in Korea. But watching an Italian, a fellow American, a Mexican, and a Chinese express their love for a country that they share absolutely no heritage or blood with - it heart warming. Anyone could see their passion towards the Korean culture, and that made me feel confident. It gave me strength to be proud of both my Korean and American identity and so I'll always remember this moment.
