When you open a guidebook to Korea, one of the first things you will read is that Koreans don’t like to show emotion or that Koreans are reserved. Not so!
Koreas are some of the most hot-headed people I have ever seen, especially when you observe the older people. Sure, Koreans have a relatively high tolerance for many things, as anyone would have living in one of the most highly populated countries in the world, but generally they have no problem showing their emotions. You must be blind not to see when they are happy, sad, upset, angry, or whatever emotion is worn on their sleeve at the time.
Why am I brining this up? Well, today was the opening ceremony for the Icheon Ceramic Festival. Somehow there were two altercations with men in suits pushing each other around. This is an opening ceremony, not Korean parliament. I have no idea what the fights were about, but since there were press cameras capturing every shove, I’m expecting a little something to appear in the news. I’m asking my contacts to have a look see if they can find out what happened.
Other than those incidents, the ceramic festival is basically the same things as last year, except for everything being toned down. This is because of the navy ship that was sunk a few weeks back. Apparently the “mourning session” will be held sometime soon, so that the whole country can feel the pain.
In a way I admire Koreans for feeling the pain of something like losing a navy ship to a possible attack so strongly. It is a sense of unity and loss to the whole. On the other hand I’m also thinking that people need to get on with it. Oh well, Koreans be Koreans and I be my inconsiderate “die if you want” self.
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