In progress...Demographic Change in Korea

I am in the process of writing the next blog on demographic change in South Korea and its impact on higher education, the labor force, and Korean identity.

In the meantime, I'd like to recommend that you check out Barbara Derick's new book, "Nothing to Envy," which chronicles six North Korean defectors to the South. The book's website is: http://nothingtoenvy.com

Images of Andong, Korea

Dinner on the Fourth: Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Cole Slaw, and Oh…, a Side of Kim chi, Please.

I returned home from South Korea in time to celebrate Independence Day. Some very close friends, the Cooke family, took pity on this jet-lagged soul and asked me to join them for a classic July 4th meal of hamburgers, hot dogs, and cole slaw to commemorate our country’s 234th birthday. My wife and children are visiting relatives in Brazil this summer and hence, I am alone here in the USA. Rebecca Cooke’s father and mother, Edd and Ruth Rowell, also joined us to celebrate the Fourth.

The conversation over dinner turned toward my recent visit to Korea, which focused on the 60th anniversary of the Korean War (June 25, 1950) and the prospect of what the peninsula would have been like had it not been for the U.S. and other multinational support of the South’s forces. We pondered on what the South Korean economy would have looked like had it not been for an alliance between the South and the United States. Would Hyundai have become one of the fastest growing global car manufacturers? Would LG and Samsung have become household appliance names? Would Seoul have become the ‘most wired city’ in the world? Would South Korea’s ‘economic miracle,’ and hence, per capita income have increased three-fold to around $30,000 in thirty years had it not been for this alliance? If we were to address these questions vis-à-vis the current political economy of the North, the answer would be unequivocally, no.

Evidence of the South Koreans’ appreciation of the United States and other allied powers was present throughout the streets of Seoul. Banners commemorating the 60th anniversary of the war and of gratitude to the United States for its on-going support were obvious. I do not mean to romanticize my reflections or minimize the enormous sacrifice Koreans (a conservative estimate of 595,000) made during the war but Seoul’s residents were extremely gracious to me and my fellow Americans. Children in school groups approached me to converse in English and demonstrated enormous interest in Americans. Random people celebrating South Korea’s World Cup match invited my colleagues and me to join their street party at Seoul’s City Hall (a large square that can accommodate hundreds of thousands of people). A leading educator whose family originated in the North but managed to get to the South expressed to me in a private meeting the importance of bilateral ties with the United States and hope of a democratic reunification, a political event that is deeply cultural and personal for many older generation Koreans.

I even had one cab driver in his late fifties refuse payment from me on the 60th anniversary of the day that Seoul first fell to the North Koreans (four days following the invasion of the South). He kept repeating to me, “thank you, thank you” as I attempted to give him my 24,000 won (approximately 19.59 USD). I was absolutely confused during this odd exchange of words and non-payment but upon further reflection have succumbed to the notion that his politeness and this historical date were not a coincidence. He was expressing his gratitude toward me, the American. Was this act of kindness because he remembered how devastated Seoul was during its occupation? Could he have been a defector from the North? Whatever the case, his appreciation brought new dimension to my simple understanding of the Korean conflict – and on freedom.

I learned during dinner that Dr. Rowell had served his military duty near the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) fifty years ago. He shared endearing stories of Korean culture and his encounter with a local family. These memories, however, reflect more of a sacrifice than simple nostalgia. It is estimated that 33,000 American military personnel were killed or went missing during the conflict. Dr. Rowell’s personal sacrifice for God, country, and Koreans alike resonate with me on this particular Independence Day.

I typically celebrate this day with a conventional (and in hindsight, a superficial) nod of gratitude for the liberties granted to me and my family. Actually, I am embarrassed to say that I often give little attention or reverence to those veterans who defend the U.S. and its allies in the name independence. The gratitude for liberty I encountered in Seoul, however, was humbling. My time spent with the Cooke and Rowell families was equally meaningful. While the Spears family has never had this tradition, it was fitting that the Cookes/Rowells ended the evening by singing the “Star Spangled Banner.” It also seems appropriate, therefore, that my observation of the Fourth extends itself across the Pacific to our friends in South Korea. Gamsahabida, or rather, thank you to our troops and veterans in Korea (and around the world) for their defense of life, liberty, and justice for all, whether they are at home or abroad.

UPDATE: Forthcoming Entries

My schedule in Korea was very intensive, culminating in 12-13 hour days of meetings, visits, and official lunches/dinners. I plan on doing one reflection per week over the course of the next month. Entries will focus on the political economy of Korean higher education, demographic change in Korea, culture and society, and donuts (yes, more on those later!). Stay tuned...

60th Anniversary of the Korean War

Tomorrow morning at 4am, Friday, June 25th, will mark the 60th anniversary of the North Korean invasion and the official launch of the war. In rememberance to all those whose lives were lost (civilians and troops) and to those families who remained divided from relatives and their ancestoral homeland.

Peace.

Regards from Daejeon.

Busy in Korea!

Apologies for not posting the promised blog entries. The past few days have been booked with cultural visits, long car rides, extensive lunches and dinners, and meetings. I simply have not had the energy to post anything. I am working on a couple of reflection pieces and will notify all when ready. More later...

Day 4: Seoul Update (16 June 2010)

I will visit the U.S. Embassy today and the University of Seoul. Our group had meetings from 9am through 9:30 pm yesterday and as of yet, I have not been able to finish a couple of reflection pieces. My goal is to have a coouple posted by Friday.

In the meantime, the following newslink from NPR on North Korea is a fascinating look into this pennisula and society. It provides both a US and South Korean perspective of North Korea's connection to the outside world. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127836840

Finally, Brazil won its match over North Korea (2-1) on Tuesday (Wednesay in Seoul). The Korean front is suddenly buzzing with activity: UN deliberations on the sinking of the S. Korean vessel and threats of war (http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/06/15/un.north.korea/index.html?hpt=T1), N. Korea's participation in the World Cup (its first since 1966), S. Korea's upcoming World Cup match on Thursday, and S. Korean national strategies to make the Incheon region a global node of capitalism.

I look forward to sharing my reflections with you soon!

Regards from Yonsei University in Seoul.

An FYI: North Korean Soccer Article

Of possible and timely interest. Regards from Seoul!

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/06/08/north.korea.secret.team/index.html?hpt=C1

A few shots of me yesterday and today in Seoul. A footnote: I ate the spiciest chicken-on-a-stick from a street vendor yesterday. My lips were numb for at least 30 minutes. More later... Eric

Day 2 - Lectures & Meetings (Seoul)

Greetings from steamy Seoul, where the humidity rivals that of Macon, GA.

Today's agenda was busy with two lectures at the Fulbright Building, a huge business lunch, and a meeting at the Korean Women's Development Institute. I am in the process of drafting a new post that reflects on today's discussions on twentieth and twenty-first century history, economic development, and gender relations. I hope to have something posted in the next day or two.

Seoul (Day 1)

I arrived at 4:20 a.m.!

Today marks the beginning of my two-week journey through Korean society, culture, and higher education. My fellow Fulbrighters from San Francisco State, Princeton, George Mason, Harper College, Minnesota State, University of Minnesota, and NC State and I are based on the Yonsei University campus for our first week in Seoul, South Korea. One of South Korea's top three universities, Yonsei has been a center for East-West dialogue for the past 125 years. It will now be my base of operation for the next six days.

My objective over the next couple of weeks will be to learn more about Korean society and its policies toward higher education. I hope to understand how this national 'economic miracle' will address demographic change (population decline) and 21st century globalization. I furthermore aim to explore local perspectives of the on-going political threat to the north.

I look forward to sharing these thoughts and images with you over the next fortnight. I hope that you will enjoy this virtual journey as I trek among Koreans, their culture, policies, and geographic landscapes.

Eric Spears
Seoul, 13 June 2010

Global Learning in the 21st Century: Essential to Success

I recently spoke to an audience of Mercer University's finest freshman students. The purpose of my talk was to encourage them to plan a study abroad, research, or service-learning experience in their academic plan. Rather than 'talk up' the conventional aspects of study abroad: learn a language, have a once-in-a-lifetime experience, see a different place, backpack across Europe, etc., I decided to share some important and alarming information.

I explained that I learned during my recent trip to Qingdao, China (one of the biggest and fastest growing cities that you never heard of) that only 60% of qualified Chinese students have a space in a Chinese university. This means that 40% of qualified students in a country of 1 billion people will need to do their degree work abroad, and the USA is the #1 destination. In fact, there is a disproportionately high number of incoming international students and scholars than outgoing American students and faculty researchers. Education in the USA reflects this country's trade deficit. While the importation of foreign students and intellectual talent is actually a good thing for the USA and the world, what troubles me is that only a minority of American students study abroad and even worse, are not proficient in a second language, particularly a critical language such as Mandarin Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, or Arabic. This intercultural trade deficit, if you will, does not serve the US economic or political interests very well.

The 21st century in the 'developed' and 'developing' economies of the world is an informational, knowledge-based platform. Economic success depends on a population's set of intellectual skills that not only focus on innovative products, such as sustainable forms of energy, but also incorporate a set of intercultural skills, which enable our future leaders (a.k.a., current students) to engage with people who pose different perspectives, practice different religions, and speak different languages. The complacency of a post-Cold War America must transform itself from thinking itself as the only superpower to one that is both a competitive leader and a cross-cultural partner of other nations in the global political economy.


Students and other fellow citizens, I encourage you to read the works of Thomas Friedman and Fareed Zakaria. Think of ways you can truly engage the 'other' in the here and now and then imagine how these experiences can effectively change the trajectory of our country and world over the next few decades.

E.K.Spears (11 March 2010)

LEARN MORE! Fareed Zakaria on the 'Post-American World'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kg7_4og2Wk

Welcome to Glocal Perspectives!

Welcome to my new blog! I am in the process of putting some ideas together. Please stay tuned.