korea group

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Members of the Korea group may use this thread to discuss what should be taught....

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Having joined the class late on the second Monday, I had not yet read the articles when our group discussed South Korea. However, now that the holiday brouhaha is over, I am catching up on my reading. Actually, the structure offered in your discussions (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) helped me mentally outline the article. Fortunately, we only have five minutes to share as the Economist article raised more questions than it answered. Admittedly my background on South Korea, past and present, is seriously lacking. However, it appears that this country has been on a good upward trajectory for many decades. It also seems that President Roh is well positioned to assist Korea in navigating the political, economical and cultural challenges facing this nation. Here are some of the points I thought the article effectively explored:

FOREIGN POLICY
How South Korea continues and adapts its “sunshine policy” with North Korea will be important to all Asian nations, as well as the US. Particularly interesting is how differently the two generations, seniors and youth, view both the North and US. Obviously, how these differences are addressed will heavily dictate future foreign policy.
I wonder what foreign policy experts have to say about these issues. Should S. Koreans feel threatened by the strange N. regime or more complacent and conciliatory as the S. Korean youth suggest? I feel embarrassed and sad that S. Korean youth feel so
Negatively about my USA, but I can understand their viewpoint. Do we really need to “occupy” this country? Is it really for their protection?

ECONOMICS
While my expertise in this field is nil, I realize the juggling of the myriad variables in a country’s economy is a delicate dance for even the most stable countries. Certainly in the last 50 years South Korea’s economy has been an amazing story that starkly contrasts to the depressing one of North Korea. According to the article, S. Korea has progressively made decisions to bring more strength, more transparency and more security to the country’s economy. As with all countries, challenges remain. The reform of the chaebol must continue, the role of such skilled “temporary” workers needs to be resolved and, as for all major players, Korea’s spot in the global economy must be preserved. Fortunately, S. Korea has a highly educated, technologically astute younger generation.

POLITICS
The article suggests that Mr. Noh’s election was a big step for S. Korea’s democracy. This country continues to move to a more representative government with greater freedom for its citizens. What a contrast to its northern neighbor!

I've run out of steam. Talk to you later.
Christine Schumacher

[Anonymous]

South Korea 5 Minute Lesson

On an overhead projector, display a graphic organizer of a t-chart. The t-chart is labeled as Short Term Goals and Long Term Goals. The teacher prompts the students with the following question: If you were in the position of President Roh of South Korea, think of both short term and long term goals that can be accomplished during your five-year presidential term providing a sustained legacy for future generations of South Koreans. As a class, students will answer this question and the teacher will record their replies on the t-chart.

Lea Frlekin

[Anonymous]

Hi. My name is Tadashi Suzuki and I am a Japanese teacher at Palos Verdes High School. I was born and raised in Northern Japan. I chose to study about Korea because that country has always fascinated me. Although the country of Korea is located very close to Japan (about 2 hours by plane) and the people share many similarities with Japanese, both in physical appearance and culture, still there are many striking differences that are interesting to me. I have heard that Korea is the one country in Asia that is the most similar to Japan. The language has a very similar grammar structure and many words share the same pronunciations. Some of the differences that I have noticed, just by observation, seem to be centered in the family structure. They have a definate hierarchy and seem to have a very strong family bond. I also enjoy the differences found in the Korean diet. Many Korean foods have worked their way into the Japanese culture as well. I am enjoying reading the literature on this subject and look forward to your comments in the future.

Thank you,

Tadashi Suzuki

[Author]

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