Foreigners living in Korea may find some idiosyncrasies in Korean society quite difficult to understand. Some of the baffling phenomena stem from cultural differences, so foreigners can come to learn and accept the differences. But some phenomena are unreasonable and inscrutable to logical foreign eyes, and even to some native ones for that matter. 

When you drive to northern Seoul, for example, you must pay a toll as soon as you cross one of the bridges over the Han River. It is a well-known fact that the toll was first implemented in order to reduce the number of cars entering the crowded areas of northern Seoul. Thus the toll was named the “metropolitan traffic congestion fee.” The puzzling thing is that you must pay again when you exit northern Seoul. 

In other countries, things are different. When you drive to Niagara Falls, for example, you must pay a toll. When you return from your visit, however, you will not find any tollgates collecting money. When one drives to downtown San Francisco from Berkeley, you must pay a toll. But when you return from the city, you do not have to pay again. Americans seem to think that it is absurd to collect a toll from exiting cars. In Korea, however, few seem to realize it is illogical and unfair.

In many places in the United States, when you purchase a house, you do not need to pay tax when closing the deal. Only the seller is required to pay taxes, because he, not the buyer, acquires income by the transaction. After buying the house, the new owner is obliged to pay property taxes. Americans seem to think that since the buyer spends money, it is absurd to impose a tax on him. This system also encourages people to buy a house without the burden of paying tax. In Korea, however, both the buyer and seller have to pay taxes.

When Thanksgiving or Christmas is just around the corner, American department stores launch special holiday sales. During the holiday season, therefore, prices are considerably marked down so that people can buy goods at significantly reduced prices. The American policy is “quick sales at small profits.” In Korea, it is quite the opposite. During the Lunar New Year or Chuseok season, prices abruptly skyrocket and customers end up spending a lot more than they normally would.

Another enigmatic phenomenon in Korea is the eagerness of writers to join presidential election campaigns and to publicly support candidates and political parties. Even more baffling, Korean writers, who are divided into the left and the right, often vehemently skirmish and slander each other on the Internet, on TV and in the newspapers. In other countries, writers are almost always aloof from the political arena. Foreign writers seem to believe that it is a writer’s duty to express his or her thoughts through his or her works, since writing itself is a political act and a form of social engagement. Many of them also believe that a writer should not serve as a tool for political propaganda.

When his or her people are oppressed by tyranny, a writer should assume the responsibility of protesting against the dictatorship. In peaceful times, however, a writer should not be involved in petty bickering and party politics. That is why foreigners were perplexed by the fact that more than a hundred writers signed a petition to support a particular presidential candidate in a democratic nation during peaceful times.

In “Why I Write Poetry,” American poet Zack Rogow writes: “There are many ways of making political statements: speeches, nonfiction writing, posters ― even literary fiction. As a form of political speech, I find poetry the most persuasive.”

Rogow continues, “By putting a political statement into poetic language, the writer is challenged to make the diction as fresh, immediate, and original as possible.”

A novelist would say essentially the same thing, simply changing a few words: “By putting a political statement into a novel, the writer is challenged to make the diction as symbolic, metaphoric and satiric as possible.”

Instead of putting political statements into poetry or novels, some Korean writers choose to squabble loudly on the Internet, through their blogs and Facebook. And such behavior puzzles foreigners.

To understand these strange phenomena, foreigners will find it useful to become familiar with Korean history. During the Joseon Dynasty, most politicians were either writers or scholars. Naturally, writers and scholars were closely interrelated with politics and political power. That tradition persists in Korean society. It is only natural, therefore, that in Korea, writers and scholars gather around a presidential candidate and his or her political camp.

In addition, Koreans have traditionally despised business and believed merchants were on the lowest rungs in society. Perhaps this is why we lack a practical and responsible business mind, which is well reflected in the unreasonable toll and tax systems.

Given such historical backgrounds, we need to reform the absurd phenomena prevalent in our society in order to keep abreast with other countries in a rapidly globalizing world. 

By Kim Seong-kon
Kim Seong-kon is a professor of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. ― Ed.