Bringing some Seoul back to San Diego
Josh Lee (11), who lived in Seoul, South Korea off and on during the past three years, stands in the Westview Plaza wearing a shirt and holding a bandanna, both of which he brought back from Korea. Although Lee, himself is Korean, living in Seoul, has helped him to connect back to his Korean culture.
Josh Lee (11) and his friends crammed into the back of a taxi in Seoul, South Korea. Neon lights cast their glow over the city as the cab zoomed along its busy streets. As they headed towards a café in Seoul’s Itaewan district, Lee and his friends chatted on the phone in English.
But suddenly, the cab driver pulled over and, in rapid Korean, ordered the friends to get out of the car. Soon, the group found themselves stranded outside in the freezing winter air as the cab and its driver lurched off into the distance. Lee and his friends had been ejected from the driver’s domain almost as quickly as they had entered it, just for speaking English.
Lee had offended the driver, but he understood why. The cab driver, like many Koreans, was fiercely proud of his culture, country and heritage.
“There’s a big national pride in Korea, but people are usually hospitable and nice,” Lee said. “[The taxi experience] was crazy. At least we didn’t have to pay.”
Lee moved to Seoul because of his mom’s job, and also to take care of his ailing grandparents. He lived in South Korea from July 2007 to January 2008 and then again from January 2009 until this past June. Although he has visited the city every summer, actually living there opened his eyes to more cultural differences than he could ever imagine.
The incident with the cab driver, for instance, taught Lee that in Korea, seemingly harmless behavior, like speaking in English, could easily be misconstrued and seen as offensive. Lee said this is because Koreans are very patriotic about their culture.
“Koreans are more likely to speak out in unison for a certain cause, and more times than not their voices will be heard,” Lee said.
Although much of Korean culture was foreign to Lee, the most central part of Korean life, family, is actually what helped Lee adjust.
“Korea has deep roots in family,” Lee said. “This is woven into the attitude of each Korean in that everyone is very social and communal. They all lend helping hands, pick up a member’s slack when they are in need, and expect them to do the same. Everyone contributes what they can, because everyone benefits from teamwork.”
Lee’s grandparents were crucial to helping his family fit into Korean society and their new way of life.
“Without family, we would have been lost,” Lee said. “[My grandparents] really helped my family by watching my 3 year old sister because I was out to school and my parents were both working.”
For Lee, part of the reason he moved back to the United States was because of family as well.
“[My parents’ jobs were] just putting too much weight on the family as a whole, because we were all separated from each other a whole lot longer than we’d anticipated,” Lee said.
Although Lee had family to support him, he still couldn’t help noticing the differences between life in San Diego and Seoul, especially when he returned to San Diego.
“Being away from [the United States] makes me appreciate what I have here,” Lee said. “I appreciate being able to express myself because I’m fluent in English.”
Living in Korea also increased Lee’s interest in his Korean background. The history and culture of Seoul itself inspired Lee, particularly NamDaeMun, a national monument and gate to the city that stood in ancient times.
When Lee first visited NamDaeMun, he was in awe. Flanked by skyscrapers, NamDaeMun is a testament to the contrast between Korea’s storied history and the culture of today.
“NamDaeMun is really inspiring because of the visible history and evidence of how far Korea’s come,” Lee said. “Even though I’m not a Korean in the sense of culture, just the fact that this is one of the long-standing monuments to my heritage is fascinating to me.”
However, in 2008, part of the gate was burned by arsonists. Lee said he was disappointed that something so crucial to Korean history had been nearly destroyed.
“It’s sort of like what one would feel if someone graffitied all over the Lincoln Memorial, but I guess it just adds another page to the history of NamDaeMun,” he said.
For Lee, this interest in Korean culture and history has also increased his pride for his nationality.
“There’s a wealth of cultural history and artifacts,” Lee said. “It inspires more pride in my culture. I appreciate the people who make Korea what it is today.”
However, Lee balances both to his own identity as a Korean-American.
“I’m proud of Korean culture, but I also mix it with how I was brought up [as an American],” Lee said.