Busan Reflections

Today was a very nice and relaxing day. I've been told that you haven't "experienced" Korea until you have gone to a public bath. So, I took these words with heart and set out for the nearest public bath.

For some who are unfamiliar, public baths are places where Korean men strip down completely and chill out in pools of hot, jacuzzi-like, water. Well, today, I did just that, took the clothes off my back, and became "Korean" for a moment. Here's the view from the hot pool:

For 1000 won more, they will give you a customary outfit for public baths. They look something like this:

I spent the rest of this day relaxing at the spa, reading some of Josh's "Korea" travel book. It had some interesting tid-bits on North and South Korea; of course, I was more interested in North Korea.

There's something about a country which is still highly isolated in this day and age. The best the book could do in describing North Korea was to say that visiting Pyongyang (North Korea's main city) would be like going back to the Cold War communist days. That says a lot, considering that much of the Cold War ended in the late 80s, early 90s.

As the book would say, much of what we know about North Korea seems to be mostly rumor, and, as a result, it is hard to say what is "true" and what is "false." The truth remains that living standards are very minimal within North Korea, where everyone has highly limited freedom and low access to food and/or other resources.

The book also discussed the emergence of Kim Jung Il and the diplomatic relations North Korea has had with the US over the years. According to the book, Kim Jong Il came to power in 1997, after his father, Kim Sung Il, died of a massive heart attack in 1994. Interesting fact, Kim Sung Il is the world's longest ruler, even surpassing Elizabeth II. The sad part about Kim Sung Il's death was that his death occurred around a time in which Clinton was making strides in improving US diplomacy with North Korea; this involved disarmament in return for aid.

Late in Kim Jong Il's reign, efforts were once again made to improve diplomatic relations with South Korea and the US by inviting both figureheads to come and visit North Korea. However, by this time, Bush was flying words around, labeling various countries as an "axis of evil." No surprise, diplomacy with North Korea has since greatly suffered, with North Korea testing nuclear missiles last year. Not only that, but most North Koreans are fed anti-US propaganda as a result of this deterioration in diplomatic relations between the US and North Korea.

Of course, the political situation and the events which have led up to today are not quite simple, but I'm eager to talk more about some of the other experiences I've had so far in South Korea.

The day before my trip to the public bath, I and some of Josh's friends hiked Jangsan mountain, which is located to the north of Busan. For the sake of geography, Busan is in the southeast corner of South Korea -- clear across the country from Seoul -- and is right on the beach. Busan also has a mountain range to the north of the city. This really makes Busan a beautiful and lively city; if there isn't beach fun, you can always find yourself a hike.

So, I hiked on Monday up to the top of the mountain. It was fun hiking with Josh's friends; one of them had been teaching in Japan for 3 years. She had a lot to say in the way of Japanese relationships between men and women. She had mentioned marriage in Japan and said that it is largely seen as a "contract" between men and women. Once women become married, they soon evolve into the role of "mother" and quit their day jobs to raise the children. She also explained that women subsequently control the family's finances, and sex between a husband and wife is greatly strained; husbands do not believe in sexual intimacy with the "mother."

She also talked a bit about Japanese notions of "race" and what it means to be "Japanese." Her understanding is that, unless you are born in Japan, you'll never really be Japanese.

One conclusion that we all reached from our conversations with each other is that generalization is an easy, but dangerous mistake to make. Though she obviously knew something about Japan -- she lived there for 3 years -- and I know more about China at this point, we both still need to be mindful of diversity and differences within culture and society.

In other words, it isn't enough for me to simply say, "Chinese people are nice." Sure, some will be nice, but others will be bad. Likewise, for her to say that old Japanese men are rude and mean would be a gross generalization of Japan's elder population.

I think this is true, not just for people, but also for other aspects of a country. In the end, I just told her, "Don't listen to me. Experience China for yourself." That's really all I can say at this point, other than to share my own personal experiences.

I have not forgot to take things with a "grain of salt." Instead, I will remember what has been told, and then proceed to reach my own conclusions with well-needed research.

I had to point this out, because it's been bugging me a lot. Since being in South Korea, I have suddenly become a spokesperson of China for those who wish to visit the country. In some cases, I had to defend China in the face of criticism for those who have visited China

However, much like my situation with Japan and South Korea, these people only visited China for maybe a week. It's a bit of a stretch to say you know China after having been there only 1 week.

In my mind though, China still has to be my favorite place of the Asiatic countries I've visited. I admit, I am biased; China has become my second home. I really like China, and I can further say this after having spent time outside of the country once again. There is something there about the people and the culture which goes a lot further than just nice beaches and high technology; believe me, I was quite surprised by Korea's "bullet train," which went up to 300 km/hr!