A Tale of Two Koreas: 추석 in the Land of the Morning Calm

Every 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar Calendar, Koreans celebrate 추석 (Chuseok), the festival of good harvest. It is tradition to visit one's ancestral hometowns and eat traditional foods such as 송편 (songypeon, a type of rice cake). And thanks to the Korean government, we also had a week long break from school.   The Chuseok season is very reminiscent of Thanksgiving season back home- the travel industry booms as millions of people flock to their ancestral hometowns and department store sales spike as spam gift sets  fly off the shelves (for some reason Koreans love this American mystery meat). Yet modern commercialism aside, Chuseok is anchored in thousands of years of tradition and lore. Folk games and tomb offerings are commonplace throughout both North and South Korea. 
This dichotomy between the modern, commercialized Korea and its ancient, traditional past was fascinating for me. Maybe I have ignorantly placed my own perceptions of the Korea I wished to see, ignoring the fact that the tides of modernization have been in effect for over twenty years. In a way, I was hoping for a static Korea. Part of me would have  been really happy with a Chuseok celebration that was more reminicent of 1910 than to 2010.  While I did experience traditional foods, we didn't visit any ancestor's graves due to weather. And while I did get to meet the extended family,  the majority of the time was spent transfixed on the latest episode of World's Dumbest Criminals.   As Danny Bonaduce highlighted some of America's best and brightest, I chowed down on delicious Korean cuisine that probably symbolizes something important.  

My host sister in traditional hanbok, while throwing up the  predictable "peace sign"

South Korea has experienced tremendous economic growth in the past 20 years. Ever since the 1988 Summer Olympics debuted "the Land of Morning Calm" to the world, the country has taken off.  Companies like LG, Samsung, and Kia have breathed new life into a country that experienced dictatorship a mere two decades earlier. There is a stark contrast between people over the age of 40 and under the age of 40. In a similar manner to the Greatest Generation that grew up in the Depression and their Baby boomer children who came of age in the prosperous 1950's, those that have lived through the "old Korea" seem to operate by a different set of standards.
One of the highlights of the Chuseok festivities was a hike I went on with my host dad and uncle. My host dad explained his humble upbringing in the 1980's, which was punctuated by military dictatorship, and at times, hunger. He illustrated how when times were rough,  him and his brothers would scour the local mountains for berries and roots from mother nature's pantry. But it was a simpler, more innocent time he described. He said that he worries that the complexities of modern life will jade his daughter.   My host dad was describing life in the old Korea, a Korea before neon lights, bullet trains, and McDonalds. It was a collective experience shared by multiple generation  that ended in the not too distant past. 

My host dad and his brother looking at their hometown from the top of the mountain. As they spoke in Korean, I imagined them reminiscing on a bye gone era of simpler times. I desperately wished I could understand what they were saying to catch a glimpse into the old Korea. They were probably just talking about their mortgages. 

Yet for my generation, and most definitely the generation of my host sister, my host dad might as well have grown up in a different country.  As a country with a 5000 year collective history and culture, South Korea's adoption and interaction with Western trends has perplexed me.  Being an American, this idea of "shared culture" was difficult to grasp. In terms of age, the United States is in its infancy in comparison to many nations around the world.  The US is a nation of immigrants, that is neither united by language, collective, history, or shared culture. In South Korea, the collective culture and history is  palpable in just about every aspect of daily life. From the specific greetings one gives to their elders, to the refined dining and drinking culture, it is obvious that social customs have been present here for thousands of years.
 Does my generation forget their heritage in lieu of adopting American trends? Or is there a complex system of negotiation between traditional cultural values in the face of embracing Western cultural influence? Sometimes, while watching television, I can't help but wonder if today's latest Korean pop stars still adhere to the age old customs of their ancestors:

Although South Korean hip hop group "One Way" looks like they just stepped out of  MTV's TRL,  I constantly wonder if these guys still insa their grandparents and wear traditional clothing during Chuseok.

In sum, my Chuseok holiday was rich in culture, just not the culture in which I hoped to partake. I didn't play any traditional games, nor did I wear customary garb. But I did learn a great amount about the South Korean experience in the 21st century: The country is not static, as much as I wished it to be. It's okay to simultaneously mention folk songs and K pop in the same breath. As South Korea enters into a globalized relationship with the rest of the world, its culture will adapt as well. It's an exciting time to be in the "Land of the Morning Calm."

Until next time...