When I visited KOICA (the Korea International Cooperation Agency) the other day, I met several foreigners who were enormously fond of the Korean television show “Dae Jang Geum.” Indeed, the internationally acclaimed TV drama has enchanted many viewers in East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. I once met a foreigner who confessed he had watched the entire series four times. That amazed me even though I, too, was a huge fan myself.
Recently, I met a renowned Korean literary critic who said that even though he liked “Dae Jang Geum,” he had to stop watching it in the middle. “The drama 
abounds with jealousy, conspiracies and slander,” said the critic. “In each episode, the female protagonist suffers unbearable ordeals due to other people’s jealousy and calumny. As much as I liked the drama, I grew sick of it.” Listening to him, I could not help but agree with his opinion. Indeed, early episodes of the drama are so charmingly mesmerizing that you cannot take your eyes off the screen. As the drama unfolds, however, you are likely to become fed up with the incessant slander, malignant plots and factional brawls that constantly put the protagonist in harm’s way. But Korean viewers are intrigued by the drama precisely because of those characteristics; we relish the intricate web of evil plots and conspiracies that constantly evolve around the heroine’s personal and professional life.
Of course, “Dae Jang Geum” depicts 17th-century Korean society, which was drastically different from today’s Korea. Nevertheless, we can still find the same jealousy, conspiracies and slander that made the admirable female medical doctor’s life miserable 400 years ago. Even today, if someone becomes rich and famous, we want to shoot him down. If someone is better than us, we belittle him and disparage his accomplishments. Indeed, we cannot tolerate anyone having advantages and privileges and denigrate such people as corrupt and unjust.
However, if we want to become a truly advanced nation, we need to alter our consciousness. We should discard these negative traits and develop a positive attitude instead. Also, we should think constructively instead of passively. For example, people are calling for the reform of the civil servants’ pension plan these days, arguing that the pension for retired public servants should be lowered to the level of the national pension for ordinary people. Somehow, it sounds like we are saying, “We cannot tolerate the fact that you receive a higher pension than us. But as long as we are equally poor, it’s okay.” This is a very passive and negative attitude. Would it not be better if we demanded the reform of the national pension, and not the civil servants’ pension? Instead of dragging down the government employees’ pension, we should say, “The national pension is inadequate for our subsistence. Raise ordinary people’s national pension to the level of the civil servants’ pension.” Now, that is what is called a positive and constructive perspective.
We should also consider that while private-sector workers were caught up in the rat race to make their fortunes, their public-sector counterparts were quietly putting up with meager salaries to dedicate their lives to the nation. Another thing to consider is that while private-sector workers usually benefit from two pension schemes, i.e., the national pension plan and their company’s pension plan, government employees can avail themselves of only one scheme. We should also be aware that in advanced countries, the salary you receive while active and your pension after retirement are not radically different. There is a famous quote about retirement by Gene Perret: “I’m now as free as the breeze with roughly the same income.”
A Korean anecdote illustrates the importance of altering our consciousness: “A mother has two sons. The eldest son makes a living by selling umbrellas while the younger one sells straw sandals. When it is sunny, the mother worries about her elder son all day long; when it rains, she frets over her younger son the whole day.” So she is always spiteful and miserable. But if only she were to think the other way around, things would be quite different: “When it is sunny, she can be delighted for her younger son. When it rains, she can rejoice for her elder son.” Then she would be grateful and happy all the time.
The other day, I met a Korean-American woman whose father was a white American. She lamented her situation, saying, “I’m neither Korean nor American. Whether in Korea or the States, I am always alone. I belong nowhere.” I gave her this piece of advice: “You should think, ‘I’m both Korean and American. Whether in Korea or the States, I feel at home. I belong in two places at the same time.’ Then being a Korean-American can be a blessing and an advantage.”
Contrary to popular belief, Korean people are seldom positive or optimistic. Rather, they frequently exhibit passivity and pessimism. We should alter our perspective and consciousness in a more positive way. We need to overcome what lies beneath “Dae Jang Geum.”
By Kim Seong-kon
Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. ― Ed.
