Asia

How to plan a Korean-style protest

Last night after work I went to a happy hour in downtown Seoul.  I was surprised to find that my way was blocked by a very large group of protesters, the largest I’ve seen since I arrived in Korea.  The protesters were in full force and protesting the Korean National Assembly’s recent ratification of a deal to increase nearly double the quota of imported rice from 4% of the Korean rice market to 7.96%, phased in over the next nine years.  Imported rice is a topic for economic policy wonks, but on the streets and in the fields of Korea, rice brings out the passions of the Korean people.  7.96% does not seem like a big deal to foreigners, who note that as much as 92.04% of the Korean rice market will remain the hands of Korean domestic rice producers through 2014.  However, rice is an inevitably explosive topic in Korea (perhaps that’s why the Korean word for rice sounds like "pop").  Some Koreans oppose the opening because of market share concerns and the assumption that the price of rice in Korea will go down as the market opens to imports.
 
Anyway, I walked through the police lines and protesters to get to where I needed to go.  Although I was briefly caught in the middle of some marching policemen in riot gear, I made it through without fail.  Tthe protesters rallied in opposition to foreign rice imports, yet as a foreigner I did not feel threatened as I walked through the protesters.  They were not overly aggressive, and I felt safe with all the policemen close by me.  I reckon that about 500 protesters showed up for the protest, most of whom appeared to be in their 20’s and 30’s.  I doubt that most, if any, were Korean rice farmers.  Most were likely students or members of Korean unions.  The sheer number of protesters, policemen, the blocked traffic, the bonfires in the street, and the silhouettes of the rally leaders under the streetlit statue of Yi Sun-Shin cast a surreal pall over the scene.  I wasn’t the only pedestrian passing through the protest, but I felt conspicuously out of place as I walked there.
 
This wasn’t the first rally I’ve seen, but it certainly was the largest I’ve seen here.  Korean protests are quite unique.  They are Asian in nature, emphasizing union and solidarity over individual protestation common in the West.  In order to plan a Korean-style protest, you need to do the following:
  • Wear matching jacket vests and hats.  You need to wear color-coded jacket vests against light colored clothing and matching baseball caps.  The caps and vests should ideally contain some slogan related to the topic of the protest.
  • Wear white arm bands with red or black lettering.  It’s always a good fashion accessory to have a conspicuous arm band on your arm featuring a protest slogan.  If you don’t have a hat, you can substitute it with a protest headband.
  • Hold the rally in an open location as close to the source of the irritation or at a patriotic rallying point.  For example, anti-Japanese demonstrations are typically held near the Japanese Embassy.  Anti-American or anti-U.S. Forces Korea protests are typically held either near the American Embassy or a U.S.-ROK military installation.  You can also protest near the statue of Yi Sun-Shin or the statue of General Douglas MacArthur in Incheon.  This protest was near the Blue House, the Korean White House, following another rice protest near the National Assembly in Yeoido.
  • Make sure that at least five policemen are in attendance for every protester.  There’s nothing better to magnify the effect of a protest than to bring out five additional people for every protester who comes to the rally.
  • Designate at least one man and one woman to work the bull horn.  The bull horn is a very effective way to address a large crowd.  Male and female rallying cries show solidarity and promote diversity and equality.
  • Sing patriotic union and solidarity songs.  Protesters draw from a large repetoire of songs and chants with which to rally to their cause and announce their message.
  • If the rally is large enough, the police will close off the street for you, amplifying your message by impacting the community at large.  There is nothing like getting the attention of everyone driving in a five-kilometer radius who is caught in horrendous traffic and must find alternative driving routes.
  • Serve food, water, and soju for large and lengthy rallies.  A large crowd will be a hungry crowd, so a good way to control and entice the crowd is to offer food, water, and soju.  I thought it ironic that the protesters served ramen noodles made of wheat and bottles of soju, a potato alcohol, at a rice protest.  Of course, ramen and soju are cheap and plentiful but not very symbolic at a rice protest.
  • Build some bonfires in key intersections to keep warm and cook food.  Use whatever you can find, whether it is wood or plastic.  The downside to this strategy is that the police must keep firehoses handy, which they could use to douse protesters as well as fires.

Having a charity ball

Where is Jerry Lewis when you need him?  A friend of mine invited my wife and me to a charity benefit tonight at the Seoul Grand Hyatt Hotel Grand Ballroom.  The benefit honored the many donors who graciously gave to the victims of muscular dystrophy, a debilitating disease.  The setting for the event was gorgeous, and we had excellent seats not far from the stage.  The atmosphere was very festive with the sights and sounds of Christmas pervading the Grand Ballroom.  (It was wonderful to hear all the Christmas songs you never seem to hear in the U.S. anymore.  Instead of "Santa Baby," "Jingle Bells," "Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer," and "Frosty the Snowman," tonight’s Christmas repetoire included "Silent Night," "Away in a Manager," and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing.")  My friend’s mother-in-law helped organize the event, and we were happy that they thoughtfully included us in the affair.  Another friend who attended won a new bed in a raffle, and he gave it to my other friend’s mother-in-law.  What a nice gesture!  It’s a really nice bed.
 
The entertainers tonight were quite different from Jerry Lewis, who heads the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Telethon.  The stars of tonight’s event were the Korean children who are victims of MD, especially one child who read a Christmas carol and a group of children who sang an inspiring song with singer Chui In Hyuk (최인혁).  Other artists who performed included pop artist Gang Ta (강타), who cut short his China tour to perform at the charity benefit, crooner Pak Hyo Shin (박효신), female artist Jang Yoon Jeong (장윤정), boy band Oriental New Land (동방신기), Song Il Guk (송일국), Jo Hae Ryeon (조혜련), and Pak Sang Won (박상원).  If you don’t know these Korean artists, never fear.  I didn’t know most of them either until I heard them perform tonight.  I was happy to see Pak Hyo Shin perform a couple of songs, because he is my wife’s favorite Korean singer.  I call him the "Michael Bolton of Korea," partly tongue in cheek.  He doesn’t look a thing like Michael Bolton, but his deep, raspy voice is reminiscent of Michael Bolton’s (that is either a compliment or a slam, depending on your view of Michael Bolton’s music).  Oriental New Land did their best impression of N’sync, although their songs are bit catchier than N’sync’s bubble gummy pop.  Jang Yoon Jeong’s tunes were energetic with a hint of ethnic flavor, far different from the young male singers who I thought were much too much like "gotminam," or "flower men" (꽃미남–sometimes referred to in English as "girlymen").  I thought it very interesting that these artists were performing for a decidedly older crowd.
 
A man and a woman hosted the event tonight, much like the variety shows you often see on Korean television.  They improvised and elicited laughter from the crowd, although I couldn’t really follow the dialogue with my meager Korean.  I did understand when they poked fun at some big donors, such as hospitals, who donated less than $100 to the cause.  Their style was true to Asian form, most akin to the banter that occurs in the U.S. during awards ceremonies such as the Oscars or Grammys.  American media rarely feature male-female hosts on television anymore.  We were again treated to a succulent dinner, dessert, and wine.  I think this will be the first of many dinners and parties during the final weeks before Christmas.  The food is scrumptious, but I just hope that my New Year’s resolution next year won’t include shedding weight I rack up during the month of December.

The National Museum of Korea

I’ve been meaning to write about our visit to the National Museum of Korea.  Until now, I haven’t had much time to sit down and do the research necessary to write about the museum.  The museum’s new, permanent home opened one month ago near Yongsan Family Park in the Yongsan District of Seoul.  I went with my son a couple weeks ago on Veteran’s Day (November 11) to check out the world’s newest national museum.  Billed as the world’s sixth largest museum, it is an expansive, elongated building situated on a site formerly known as the Yongsan Army Garrison Golf Course (some Yongsan inhabitants still lament over the loss of their golf course and the need to make a 45-minute trek to another course).  The museum building had been completed and vacant for months, but the Korean Government needed to wait to open the museum until the Yongsan helicopter pad moved to another location, paving the way for the completion of the museum’s front gate and outdoor parking lot.
 
The museum was designed by Kim Chung-Il of Junglim Architects and Engineers, Ltd., who beat out many other entries to design the national museum’s new home.  Personally, I prefer the design of the third-runner up submitted by Kim Hyun-cheol, but then, I’m not a big fan of the winning design for the World Trade Center in Manhattan either.  A model of the winning entry is on display at the National Museum.  The museum has moved frequently since the Korean War.  For years, the museum was housed in "The Capitol Hall," located between Gwanghwamun Gate and Gyongbok Palace.  The historical building, built by the Japanese and used as their primary administrative building during the Japanese Colonial Period, was often referred to as "The Capitol Hall" because it reminded some Western visitors of the U.S. Capitol Building.  Although beautiful, it served as a symbol of Korean animosity towards Japanese colonialism, not only because it served a Japanese government building but also because it was deliberately built to overshadow Gyongbok Palace, the former Korean royal palace.  (I heard that "The Capitol Hall," built in the shape of the first part of the Japanese name for Japan, "Ni," complemented the Seoul City Hall building, whose layout resembles the second part of the name, "Hon.")  In 1996, the Korean government demolished "The Capitol Hall" and moved the national museum to a smaller location, the Seokjojeon Building, storing away many precious artifacts until a permanent home could be built.  Nine years later, these artifacts have again been put on display in the new National Museum of Korea complex.  I thought it odd that Korea would destroy the current home of their national museum before building another museum, but apparently resentment over the building led the government to dismantle it prematurely.
 
The museum is grand, sophisticated, and a bit cavernous.  The long central hall leading from a large, circular atrium to the "ten-story pagoda" is quite impressive.  The architecture definitely places this museum in rarified air.  However, when I visited the museum, I was struck by two glaring observations:  1)  The museum building is too large for its collection of treasures; and 2) Although it has also some Chinese and Japanese artifacts, the collection lacks the cosmopolitan feel of world museums such as the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Smithsonian.  Granted, many of the world’s best museums are dedicated to perserving their nation’s cultural heritage, most notably the awe-inspiring Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt.  The National Museum of Korea easily ranks among the world’s top museums in this category.  It features extensive collections of art and artifacts from three millennia of Korean history, including pieces from the Silla, Joseon, Baekche, and Goguryo dynasties.  It’s also good that it has room to grow, because its collection will surely continue to grow.  I’m torn as to whether it is better to collect pieces from around the country in a single location, because I’ve heard that regional and local museums suffered when many of their prized treasures were transferred to the National Museum.  It’s nice to see them all in one place, but to me personally, there’s nothing like going to a place such as Gyeongju and seeing Silla artifacts in a museum close to where they were excavated.
 
My son really enjoyed the museum.  Although it has a great children’s museum, we went into the adult museum instead.  He especially enjoyed the small-scale models of the currently museum and of the buildings that previously housed the National Museum.  We spent a long time playing with one of the museum’s interactive computers, playing games such as "Making pottery and jewelry," and "Learn calligraphy."  As to be expected in "wired" Korea, the museum is fairly high tech.  You can check out headphones and a portable guide that explains more about the museum pieces in your native language, and you can search the museum’s entire collection in a single database.  The museum exhibition hall now spotlights the history of the National Museum, although it will also be used for other exhibitions.  The exterior offers amenities such as parks, reflecting pools, and an expansive view of nearby Yongsan Army Garrison, a U.S. military base.  Many Koreans have never seen Yongsan Garrison; now they get their chance to see it even if they still cannot enter the military base.  It is, after all, also a significant piece of Korea’s cultural heritage.  Perhaps best of all, the museum is free through the end of the year.  The entrance fees are reasonable, but you can’t beat free.  If you’re Seoul this year, be sure to stop by the National Museum while you’re here.