Korean-American Version of 'Jersey Shore' Coming Soon

After the runaway success of MTV's highest rated program of all time, Jersey Shore, it was only a matter of time before other programs were created to exploit the lowest achieving members of other ethnic communities in America.  It looks like this group of Korean Americans will be given a national platform to showcase Korean (or just Korean-American) culture.  The show was having trouble getting picked up by a network but it has been reported that they have been picked up and an announcement is coming soon.

I can't wait for Korean netizens to get a load of these guys...

and...

I will be watching this show...

Korean Kids "World Losers" in Social Skills

South Korean children are already the unhappiest kids in the developed world, apparently all the studying they have to do has not only made them hate their lives, but has made them socially inept and awkward.  It really can be a tough life here for a kid sometimes with all the pressure they are under.

Article in the Chosunilbo:

A highly competitive, regimented education system focusing on exam grades means Korean youngsters fail to acquire proper social skills, a study suggests. The National Youth Policy Institute on Sunday said Korea ranks 35th out of 36 countries when it comes to youngsters' capacity for social interaction.

Korea scored just 0.31 on a scale of 0 to 1 in an assessment of social skills taken from a comprehensive study by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, which covered some 140,000 eighth grade students around the world.

The score is an average of ratings in relationship orientation, social cooperation and conflict management. Korean students scored 0 in terms of relationship orientation and social cooperation, which measures how much they get involved in civic organizations and student unions. But they scored 0.94 in conflict management, which gauges how well they handle democratic processes, right after Denmark's perfect score of 1.

"Korean students performed well only in areas that involved written exams but very poorly in areas that involved extracurricular activities," said one researcher.

Thailand scored highest overall with 0.69 points, followed by Indonesia (0.64), Ireland (0.6), Guatemala (0.59), the U.K. (0.53) and Chile (0.52).

In other findings, only 20 percent of Korean students said they trust their government, just one-third of the average of 62 percent among participating countries. Indonesians had the most trust in their government with 96 percent, followed by Finland and Lichtenstein with 82 percent each and Austria with 77 percent. Only 45 percent of Korean students said they trust their own schools, far below the overall average of 75 percent.

I think it is a good thing that Koreans do not trust their government and are highly skeptical of their elected leaders.  It keeps the pressure on them and hopefully reduces corruption.

Subway Suicides Down, But Bridge Suicides Up

South Korea has a problem in that they have the regrettable title of the nation with the highest suicide rate in the developed world.  On average, about forty South Koreans commit suicide every day.  How do they do it?  Jumping from high places and jumping in front of trains and subways appear to be common choices.

Recently, Seoul has been installing screens in many of the subway stations in an effort from discouraging people from jumping in front of the tracks.  Article Link Here:

South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the developed world, but a sharp drop in the number of people that tried to kill themselves by jumping in front of subway trains in Seoul last year following prevention measures is stirring discussion about similar steps at other common suicide sites. 

According to a police report, the number of people attempting suicide by jumping from platforms of subway stations in Seoul declined 62% to 29 from 77 in 2009. The decline comes after the installation of screens along many subway platforms that ensure people are unable to get on to the tracks. Most of the deaths occurred at subway stations where screens hadn’t been installed. 

Despite that sharp decline, suicide attempts from bridges spanning the main Han River in Seoul rose 30% to 108 last year from 83, according to the report, which was submitted to Rep. Yoon Seok-yong of the ruling Grand National Party. 

Kim Sung-hoon, an aide to Rep. Yoon, said the lawmaker, who belongs to the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, is thinking of ways to reduce the number of suicide attempts at Han River bridges. 

“He believes the government should establish stumbling blocks or set up fences near the bridges that are notorious for suicide attempts,” Kim said. 

“Years of efforts to install screens at subway stations have made those trying to commit a suicide head towards no-screen stations or Han River bridges where safety checks are still lacking,” said Kim Sung-il, an official at the Korea Association for Suicide Prevention, a non-governmental organization. 

He said the government needs to take measures to prevent suicides at the bridges by, for example, setting up fences. 

According to the police report, the Hangang Bridge topped the list of attempted suicides at the Han River, at 17 cases, followed by Mapo Bridge with 16 attempts. 

In 2009, the latest year for which data are available, South Korea had the highest suicide rate among the 33 mostly wealthy nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, at 28.4 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with the OECD average of 11.2 deaths. The rate was 24.3 for South Korea in 2008. 

OECD data showed the rate in South Korea has increased rapidly even as it has slowed in most other developed nations, with suicides among South Korean males, for instance, almost tripling between 1990 and 2006.

Koreans still have this wrong.  Having screens and safety rails in the subways is a good idea.  This could potentially save the life of someone who loses their balance or the life of a child that does not realize the danger.  However, if you want to stop Koreans from killing themselves as such an alarming rate, then the culture in this country has to change.  

Koreans who experience economic hardship or suffer from a mental disease or depression are encouraged by the culture to keep it hidden from their family and friends.  Too many people here would rather live a lie in public to save face than look vulnerable.  This causes people to eventually snap and if they want to kill themselves, they will find a way.  Fences and screens cannot save a determined suicide case.  Counseling and treatment programs can.  People who need help need to be able to publicly seek it out and not become pariahs amongst their family and friends.

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Do You Know South Korea?

This video has been catching on and gaining in popularity over facebook and the Korean blogosphere the last week.  It was created by David Dutton and he did a fantastic job.  I have lived in South Korea for more than two years now and he captured the feel of this place perfectly.  Check out his website to see what else he has made.

Do You Know South Korea? from David Dutton on Vimeo.

David Dutton recently won the Audience Choice Award in the Indie Category at the Los Angeles Music Video Festival for his video Internet Killed the Video Star by The Limousines.  This guy is pretty good.

Internet Killed the Video Star from David Dutton on Vimeo.

Stuff Waygooks Like #8 - The Korean Flag (태극기)

The Taegeukgi (태극기) is the national flag of South Korea.  The national flag of a country is sometimes its most recognizable and important symbol and South Korea has both a visually and spiritually attractive flag.

The term "Taegeuk" literally means the "state of chaos that existed before the creation of the sky and the earth".  The red portion of the Taegeuk symbol signifies yang (the positive) and the blue portion signifies yin (the negative).  The yin and yang can be expressed as the moon and sun, or earth and heaven.  Taegeuk is meant to represent a full circle in which yin and yang encounter one another in an unlimited universe and bring balance.

The white background symbolizes the "cleanliness of the people".  In each corner of the flag there is a black trigram.  The four trigrams are Geon (건), Ri (리), Gam (감 ), and Gon (곤 ).  Each represents many different things including the four seasons, the four cardinal directions, the four members of the nuclear family, and more.

In 1876 King Gojong (reign 1864-1907) of the Joseon Dynasty personally designed the flag.  It was then first officially used to represent Korea in 1882 when a royal envoy visiting Japan hung it from the roof of the building where his delegation was staying.

Originally known as the "Joseon Gukgi" (flag of Joseon), the Korean flag was first referred to as the Taegeukgi in the March 1st, 1919 Declaration of Korean Independence signed by 33 national representatives during the Japanese colonial era.  The flag had been banned by the Japanese during the colonial era and the Taegeukgi was used as a symbol of resistance and independence.  Ownership of a flag was punishable by execution if found by the Japanese.

In 1949, the newly established Korean government set clear norms in terms of the size and form which the Taegeukgi must have, standards which continue to apply to this day.  If you like mathematical precision, you will appreciate the dimensions and proportions present in the flag.

The 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup had the effect of forever altering Koreans' perception of the Taegeukgi.  For the first time the Taegeukgi began to be seen as more than a sacred object that should be saluted on national holidays and special occasions.  Adorned on people's faces, t-shirts, towels and sports wear, it effectively became an item people used to express their support for their nation in any and every way.  The Taegeukgi has thus taken on a more intimate role in the daily lives of Koreans since then.

Sources

Ask a Waygook - What Songs Can You Sing at a Noraebang?

Noraebang (노래방) is the Korean equivalent to Japanese karaoke.  However, unlike western style karaoke, where people get up on stage and often sing in front of strangers at a bar on a Tuesday night, Koreans rent small (or sometimes large) rooms for private singing sessions amongst friends and coworkers.  It can be fun, but you will get caught off guard the first time you go in one.  Half drunk Koreans will insist you choose a song and sing something, and many westerners have never tried karaoke prior to coming to Korea.

Westerners coming to Korea want to know "What songs are available?"  A Korean noraebang machine's selection of English songs is more extensive than you might think with some machines having thousands of English songs to choose from.  I was surprised myself by some of the most obscure listings.  To make this easy, I just took a picture with my camera of every page in the provided song book.  Flipping through the book while in the noraebang room can be flustering, so click on each picture to make it larger (then maybe even right click save as) and go ahead and look through what English songs are available in Korea.  You can go to youtube and find a karaoke version to practice of nearly every song they have.  I recommend choosing and practicing five.  Practice at home, then the next time Koreans suggest noraebang that night you will be prepared.

High School Graduates Expected to Keep Clothes On

In America, high school graduates might prank the school just before graduation.  Some kids might go to the graduation ceremony and be completely naked under their gown.  Teachers houses might get egged or toilet papered.  Apparently, Korean high school grads have their own hazing and self-deprecating rituals as well.

Source:

For parents, aunties and grandparents, middle and high school graduation day is a time for pride, nostalgic tears and celebration.

But for the high school students themselves it’s a step toward freedom, and as graduation day approaches next month, authorities are going to prevent graduates from celebrating too freely, raucously or butt-naked. Schools, the police and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology have all vowed to prevent the rowdy and ribald demonstrations that occurred after last year’s graduation ceremonies across the country.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced Monday it will deploy all teachers in the city to patrol their own schools as soon as graduation ceremonies finish. According to the office’s announcement, teachers will cooperate with police officers in their patrols, and at least one official from the office of education will be sent to each school to observe the graduations.

Oh yeah, because nothing will stop an 18 year old boy from doing something like a disapproving glare from a teacher who no longer has any authority over him from a school he doesn't have to go to anymore.

The shock of last year’s raucous graduation celebrations brought on the restrictions. In Goyang, northwest of Seoul, about 20 senior boys and girls took off their clothes and posed naked for photos after their graduation ceremony. The pictures spread rapidly on the Internet. 

In Cheongju, North Chungcheong, male middle school graduates held a street march clad only their underpants, while 30 students in Busan went on a rampage on Heundae Beach, pelting each other with flour and eggs and ripping girls’ clothes off. On Jeju Island a dozen high school students took seven middle school graduates to a beach after their graduation, ripped off the graduates’ uniforms, underwear and stockings using scissors and razor blades, poured mayonnaise and corn syrup on their bodies and threw them into the icy sea. The attackers graduated from the same middle school. 

There’s a history of raucous graduations in Korea, even uplifting ones. During Japanese colonial rule from 1910 t0 1945, high school graduates pelted themselves with flour, and ruining the school uniform was considered a protest against Japanese authorities.

In late 1990s, students expressed their sense of freedom by dying their hair or intentionally tearing their uniforms, but as time went by, such demonstrations became more aggressive and even violent. 

“When I graduated from high school back in 2001, throwing eggs and flour at each other was a matter of course,” recalled Lee Eun-seon, 28. “Students who were considered to be going overboard were those who smashed the windows of teachers’ cars. But when I read the news about the violence after last year’s graduation ceremonies, I was shocked.” 

Experts say students from schools known for rough corporal punishment get particularly violent upon graduating.

“A uniform is a symbol of oppression to a student,” said Lee Ji-hwan, 36, head of the Horeb Youth Cultural Center, which runs a major camp for students in Gangwon. “Ripping or destroying it releases stress and expresses a sense of freedom.”

In an effort to stop students from desecrating their uniforms, numerous schools have started programs in which students are asked to donate their uniforms to juniors who can’t afford new ones. Kuwol Middle School in Incheon has let its graduating students wear formal clothes on graduation day instead of uniforms. [...]

Some say parents and authorities take graduation day rowdiness too seriously, and point out that graduation is the end of one phase of life and a moving on to the next. 

“Students want to mark the day by doing something eventful and express their sense of freedom,” said Lee of the Horeb Youth Cultural Center. 

Most middle and high schools in Seoul will hold graduation ceremonies between Feb. 9 to 11.

I see no reasons why middle schoolers would be doing any of this.  Not sure what exactly they have to celebrate about.

Stuff Waygooks Like #6 - Buddhism (불교)

Buddhism is one of the world’s great religions. It is third in size behind Christianity and Islam with somewhere between 500 million and 1.6 billion people world-wide identifying themselves as Buddhist or loosely identifying by practicing some Buddhist beliefs or rituals. However, the religion is highly concentrated in only Asia. Most people from the English speaking Western world do not personally know anyone who is Buddhist. Upon arriving in South Korea, many waygooks enjoy exploring the rich and soul-searching depths of this ancient religion. 

It is difficult to accurately calculate the number of Koreans who are Buddhist because self-identity varies from tradition to tradition. Many Korean Buddhists also take a relaxed attitude towards formal worship. Today, about seven million Koreans self-identify themselves as Buddhists with another ten million or so that probably share some Buddhist beliefs mixed in with Christian, Confucian, or Shamanistic beliefs. Many tour guide books will say it is about a quarter of South Korea’s population. There are about 25,000 clergy of both sexes and there are 7244 accredited temples scattered in picturesque locations throughout the entire country.

Buddhism is a missionary religion that spread from China into Korea some time during the 4th century, eventually becoming the state religion of all three of the ancient kingdoms of Korea – Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. By the time it reached Korea, Buddhism had altered from its original form in India, absorbing elements of the local folk traditions of the countries into which it had spread. By the 7th century Buddhism was well established, as seen in the numbers of great temples which had been erected throughout the peninsula, the numbers of monks who went to China and India to study, and the important role which Korean monks played in the spread and development of Buddhism in Japan.

Buddhism continued to flourish during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), existing in a complementary state of harmony with Confucianism. By the end of the Silla period in the early 10th century, Buddhism had effectively taken on the form which we see in modern Korea. Monastic Buddhism is predominately of the meditative Seon school (better known by the Japanese term Zen), whereas popular Buddhism, the Buddhism practiced by the laity, belongs predominately to the Pure Land traditions. The all-encompassing doctrinal Dienai school (jeondae in Korean) remained important for a few more centuries, but the meditation and Pure Land schools came to form the core of Buddhist practice in Korea. The Seon school is based on the idea that suffering is caused by attachment to things of this world, and that release from suffering can only come through the abrupt realization of the illusionary nature of things. Methods of meditation and monastic life are meant to bring the monk or nun into a state of sudden enlightment.

It wasn’t all the familiar Buddhism of ascetic monks, however. Some monasteries became wealthy and owned large estates and thousands of slaves, and some monks dressed in silk robes, rode fine horses and indulged in wine, women and song. When the Joseon Dynasty began in 1392, the height of Korean Buddhism abruptly came to an end. In addition to fundamental spiritual conflicts, the Confucianists, who were high up in the Joseon government, resented how much of the nation’s money was being used by Buddhists to build elaborate statues and hold increasingly expensive rituals. They believed that Buddhism was a serious drain on the country’s economy, so in 1390 King Taejo removed Buddhist monks from his government, expelled them from the capital, and confiscated Buddhist property. The building of temples in the capital was forbidden and the number of monks and nuns who could live in monasteries, and how much land they could own, was tightly regulated. Buddhist practices were forced out of the cities, begging was made illegal, and Buddhist funerals were outlawed.

Far from being pacifists, Korean monks frequently came to the defense of their country. Many mountain fortresses throughout the Korean peninsula contained temples and were garrisoned by warrior monks. Toughened by their Spartan lifestyle and trained in martial arts, monk warriors played a major part in resisting the Japanese invasions in the 1590s even though Confucianism had become the state doctrine and the new rules treated them as lowborn and no better than beggars. With the demise of the Joseon Dynasty at the end of the 19th century, and the annexation of Korea by Japan, Buddhism’s fortunes changed dramatically. The redevelopment and modernization of Buddhism is due to the work of both traditionalist monks, and to the work of modernizers who looked to the laity as the core of the Buddhist community.

Conciously or unconsciously, the modernizers of Korean Buddhism in recent decades have looked to the rapidly growing Protestant Christian community in the country both for inspiration and as a competitor. Many features of contemporary Korean Buddhism reflect Protestant practice, such as the emphasis on lay groups, institutional outreach in the forms of schools, universities, print and broadcast media, as well as popular liturgical practices that use Buddhist words to the tunes of well-known Christian hymns. The modernization of Buddhism has allowed its return to an important place on the Korean religious scene.

Because Buddhism was forced out of the cities during the Joseon Dynasty, temples that survived tended to be in more remote, mountainous areas. Today, these are often prime tourist destinations, and so in recent years, some temples have been taking in visitors for short stays, to experience, however briefly, the life of contemplation and ceremony practiced by the monks. Foreign visitors in Korea do not have to learn or follow any special protocol when visiting Buddhist temples. They should simply be polite to any priests they may encounter, stay out of areas that are not open to the public, avoid being loud and rowdy, and in general behave in a respectful manner. Ordinary visitors to Buddhists temples do not go “inside” the inner sanctums of the temples. Instead, they walk around outside, admiring the architecture of the buildings and the images of deities that are enshrined in the temples and visible from the public areas.

Sources

PBS News Hour Spotlights "Education Fever" in South Korea

I already mentioned that the PBS News Hour spent a week focusing on current events surrounding South Korea.  All of the reports they filed were very informative and interesting to watch.

The last report that Margaret Warner filed was about "education fever," in South Korea.  Recently, Obama has publicly praised the achievements of the South Korean public education system, but this report got it right and managed to balance out Korea's educational success and the strain and pressure it puts on the society from being so competitive.  Worth the watch!

Vapid Girl Bands Dominate Another Year in Korea

Han Hyu-woo of the Chosun Ilbo wrote an editorial last week expressing his dismay with the state of the Korean popular music scene.  Corporate manufactured girl groups dominate the sales charts and the popularity surveys and he wants to know if this is the best Korea can do for music.

Source:

Girls' Generation are the most popular singers in Korea, a recent poll by Gallup Korea of 3,401 people shows. The all-girl dancing band topped the list last year as well, and in 2007 and 2008, the Wonder Girls were the most popular. It has been some time since girl bands became synonymous with Korean pop music. Seven out of the top 10 most popular singers in Korea were manufactured bands like Girls' Generation, according to the survey. The remaining three were Jang Yoon-jung, Tae Jin-ah and Song Dae-kwan. 

There are no proper bands among the top 10, and other than Tae, who composes songs, no other singers are capable of writing their own music. And all of the top singers spend most of their time on reality TV shows rather than performing live on stage or making albums. 

Last week, the Chosun Ilbo asked 28 music experts to choose the top album of 2010 and they pointed to "Graduation" by Broccoli, You Too, while naming Nah Youn-sun and Super Session as this year's best artists. This shows the gulf between music experts and the public in preferences for pop music. How did this happen? 

I have never heard of any of those groups either... but where was I supposed to?  I don't hear their music on the street and my kids don't bug me to watch their music videos.

Over the last 20 years, Korea's GDP almost tripled, and Koreans have grown to enjoy more affluent lifestyles. More and more people drive expensive cars, travel abroad on holiday and get married in expensive hotels. Elementary schoolkids carry smartphones, and adults drink premium whiskey. But still their sole channel for finding out about music is television. Koreans rarely buy albums or go to live music performances. They think that celebrities who appear on talks shows and perform a tune or two are singers. And yet they complain that there are no good songs these days. 

The medium of TV is not a good conduit for the intricate characteristics of music. Because it needs to find a common denominator for a random majority, TV tends to prefer only good-looking or funny people. There is not much interest in good musicians. A talented Korean percussion artist made his TV debut on a show featuring people with interesting party tricks or skills rather than on a music program. That shows just how unsuited TV is for talented musical artists. 

Korean pop music can be classified into two categories: manufactured bands who spend all of their time and energy on TV programs and indie bands who have no interest in appearing on television. Musicians who do not fall into those two categories either become radio DJs or music teachers. But none of them make proper music, because nobody is willing to listen to good musicians these days. 

The popularity of Girls' Generation may be a passing fad, but the fact that young manufactured bands are sweeping the popularity stakes is a sign that popular Korean culture is becoming shallower by the minute. We need to do something about that before it's too late.

KPOP is not really "music."  It is entertainment.  It is eye candy.  The songs are meaningless to listeners without the visuals of how the entertainers are dressed and how they dance and look.  Music has become visual.  Of course these groups are going to put all their time and energy in to appearing on television.  People do not remember them if they heard their song.  They remember them from seeing them on television.  Also, women dominate for the simple fact that they are attractive.  Men like staring at them and women want to be them.  It is harder for attractive men to reach that same balance because guys do not strive to emulate pop stars to the same degree that women do.

The biggest thing that bothers me about KPOP though is that these songs only have a shelf life of about four months.  There were tons of fun KPOP songs that I still like from when I first arrived in Korea two years ago, but if I reference them by saying "Sorry, Sorry" "One More Time" "Gee Gee" or "Ring Ding Ding", my kids look at me like they have no idea what I am talking about.  Not only do Koreans only response to visual performances of songs, once those performances stop, they stop liking the songs too.

I am of the belief that if a song is good and you like it today, then it should be good and you should like it ten years from now.  KPOP does not work that way.  Few Koreans seem to have a problem with that either.

But they are so pretty to look at... even if they can't sing...

Korean Children Deprived of Sleep Because of Studies and Video Games

To anyone who has ever taught in South Korea, this study is not really breaking news.  I teach elementary school, and am shocked when my students tell me they spend seven hours in regular school and then another five hours each evening in a private academy.  

Many do not get home until around 10pm and some say they do not go to bed until they finish their homework, which might take them well past midnight.  This is the life of an average Korean child from about fifth grade until they get accepted to a university.  Mixed in there somewhere, they also try and make time to play computer games like Sudden Attack and Starcraft.

Source:

Young Koreans get an average of just 7 hours and 32 minutes of sleep per night, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Thursday, citing a study by Statistics Korea. 

The nationwide survey of 4,628 people aged between 10 and 24 years old found that 75.3 percent do not get the recommend amount sleep, which is 8 hours and 30 minutes per night according to the U.S. National Sleep Foundation. High school students got the shortest sleep time of just 6 hours and 31 minutes, with a whopping 96.4 percent of them failing to meet the recommended amount. 

The amount of time that young people spending sleeping has been falling steadily for the past 10 years. In 1999, elementary students used to get an average of 8 hours 48 minutes of sleep, but in 2009 the figure declined to 8 hours and 38 minutes. Middle school students saw their time drop from 7 hours 48 minutes in 1999 to 7 hours 38 minutes, and high schoolers from 6 hours 39 minutes to 6 hours 31 minutes. 

Young people in Western countries get about an hour more rest time than their counterparts here. In the U.S., those aged between 15 and 24 spend an average of 8 hours 47 minutes asleep. In the U.K. the average is 8 hours 36 minutes, in Germany 8 hours 6 minutes, Sweden 8 hours 26 minutes and Finland 8 hours 31 minutes. 

Park Nan-sook of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said the main cause of sleep deprivation here is too much time devoted to extra learning after school and computer games. The survey revealed that 8.8 percent of high school students receive private tutoring or lessons even after 11 p.m., and 19.5 percent of youth aged 16 to 19 use the Internet between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

It is not easy to be a kid in this country.

Estimated 1.9 Million Koreans With an Internet Addiction

There is a difference between being dependent on the internet, and being addicted to the internet.  Everyone who has a computer at home or at work, and needs it to work or communicate with others, will be a little compulsive about using it.  People are just dependent on the technology and there is nothing harmful about compulsively checking your e-mail or hitting refresh on a favorite website.

Then there is addiction.  How do you know if you or a loved one has an internet addiction?  When a person refuses to interact socially in the real-world because that would mean less time spent in an imaginary one, they have a problem.  The most obvious indicator of addiction is how a person reacts when they are told they cannot be on the internet for whatever reason.  If they get frustrated, upset, sad, angry, or violent, then they have a problem.

I know this from personal experience.  I had an online gaming addiction when I was 15 and it consumed my life.  I was addicted to a RPG real-time online WWII strategy game.  I stopped eating, stopped caring about school, lost all my friends, and had a couple disastrous confrontations with my family about it.  After a year of being addicted to internet gaming, I agreed to go to counseling for it.  Ultimately, I agreed with my father that I had a problem and that the best thing for me was to give up all forms of internet and video gaming until I finished high school.  I went two years without playing internet of video games in my own home, though I still played socially with friends at their houses.

This was ten years ago.  The graphics, the connection speeds, the character and plot development, the level of online interaction, and the intensity of all these online games I imagine are ten times as addicting now than when I was a teenager.

South Korea is the most internet wired country on Earth, and they are beginning to recognize and acknowledge internet gaming addiction as a proper psychological disorder.

Source in the Korea Times:

A 15-year-old middle schoolboy strangled his mother earlier this week in a fit of anger during an argument over his playing of violent computer games and then took his own life, sounding a wake-up call to the whole nation.

Game addiction has long been a social issue in Korea where the game industry is thriving on an advanced Internet infrastructure. 

Many middle and high school boys lock themselves in their room at home or spend hours in a “PC bang” (Internet cafe) to play highly-addictive computer games. The crimes committed by teen game addicts are increasing and turning more violent.

Online games are evolving everyday with better sound effects, fancier 3D graphics and updated structures ㅡ fatal temptation teens find hard to resist. For many of them, the games may be the only exit from their stifling school life.

My life sucked when I was fifteen.  I was a nobody in the real world.  However, once I was able to create my own character in an online universe, I could be anything or anyone and progress in the game became immediate and instantly gratifying.  Achieving success in the real world is a very arduous, long, and sometimes risky process.  It is hard to explain to a teenage boy that he might have to wait a decade before he will stop feeling so insecure about his place in life.

The middle school boy, who killed his 43-year-old mother in Busan, Tuesday, was found to have been addicted to a first person shooter (FPS), a violent combat game where the character uses guns and weapons, according to the police.

"We found that he played computer games all the time except for eating meals or going to the bathroom," a police officer said. "Lee's sister, who found her mother's body, said Lee and his mother often had disputes over playing computer games."

I absolutely believe that violence in video games makes absolutely no difference in behavior.  If violent video games made people violent, then everyone who played violent video games would be violent.  That is the only result you could expect if it were true.  That is just is not the case.

A more likely explanation is that a teenage already prone to violence enjoys playing violent games.  If the violent games did not exist, that kid would still be likely to be violent.  This is provable by the obvious fact that violence existed before violent video games.  People really need to drop this argument.

Lee had gone through counseling several times, but it didn’t work.

It is the third game addiction-related crime this year. In February, a man in his 20s murdered his mother who scolded him for playing computer games and in March, a game-addicted couple starved their three-month-old daughter to death.

According to the statistics of the National Information Society Agency (NIA), the rate of those hooked on the Internet in Korea is 8.5 percent, with the number of addicts at about 1.9 million. The rate is even higher among teenagers at 12.8 percent and children from single parent families, including Lee, are more vulnerable to Internet addiction, at a rate of 16.6 percent.

Almost 10% of the general population in Korea has an internet addiction.  The rate goes up for teenagers.  The rate goes up even more for teenagers from a single parent home.  The reason for this seems obvious.  The less time parents spend with a child, the more likely the child will fill that time playing games online.  If a parent is gone, that means no time with that parent.

Experts said the Internet and game addiction are a sort of disease and should be treated properly as such.

Kang Ung-gu of Seoul National University College of Medicine said teenagers' Internet addiction should be treated in the early stages as it might accompany depression. "In most cases, the addiction comes from multiple causes and we use medication and behavioral therapy," Kang said.

Lee Eun-sil, a researcher at the Internet Addiction Prevention Center of NIA, said, "Internet and Internet game addiction is a serious disease. It needs treatment from experts and should not be considered as just a personal problem. Children who come to the center are the cared for ones. Some parents from broken homes do not even notice their children’s addiction.” 

The government is taking a series of steps to help treat these young game addicts. Experts say that parents need to more actively seek help from consultants or professional institutes that provide various programs designed to treat the problem.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also said the number of teenagers who received counseling for game immersion jumped to 45,476 in 2009 from 3,440 in 2007.

That is a staggering increase over two years.  It is encouraging that the government is taking the issue serious now and attempting to respond to this problem.  However, if 10% of the population has an internet addiction, cannot this be considered an epidemic?  If there are 1,900,000 addicts and the government is only helping 45,000, that has to still be considered an inadequate response.  I expect the number of people the government is helping to continue to dramatically rise.

A 14-year-old a middle school student in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Yoo, is one of the game addicts who are enrolled in a program to cure the problem, offered by the state-run Korea Youth Counseling Institute.

The boy, who used to play games for more than 10 hours on weekends, said he realized that he had difficulties controlling his temper and could not stop thinking about the online shooting game, “Sudden Attack.” 

“After I realized that I was addicted to the game, I asked for help from my mother. And we’ve decided to join a treatment program,” he said. “I participated in the ‘Rescue School’ program which requires young game addicts to stay for 12 days. It was a great help.”

Lee Yoon-hee, a counselor at the institute, said, “The addicted person’s will is most important in overcoming the problem. Also, parents need to pay greater attention to their kids.”

She said that not all students who joined the program have been successfully treated. “It’s not easy to cure the addiction. Less than 50 percent of participants in the program have been cured.” 

There are several measures to pull youths away from online games. The "fatigue system" makes virtual character grow slowly when teenagers play a game too long. A stronger measure is the "shutdown system," not allowing people under the age of 14 to play games after midnight, which is currently applied to three games as an example.

Other than the NIA’s center, Seoul City runs two “I Will Centers” in Boramae and Changdong, to provide free consultation for youngsters or their parents on Internet addiction.

I think no child under the age of 18 should be allowed to be playing games in an internet cafe (PC Bang) after midnight.  There is just no reason for this to be so.  As for blocking kids from being able to play on their personal computers at home, that should be left to the parents.

Like any disease or addiction, prevention is the best treatment.  A national public discussion needs to happen and parents need to be aware of the dangers of internet addiction.  Staying informed of what a child does on the internet and for how long seems like basic parenting, but it is obvious that many Korean parents are not watching over their children while they are online.

I have already posted this, but I thought Al Jazeera did a good job and it is worth a watch if you are concerned about this issue.

Teen Dating Still Punished By 80% of Korean Secondary Schools

I suspected that dating was looked down upon by public high schools and middle schools in Korea, but I was unaware that students were punished with suspensions if caught.

Source:

Eight out of 10 middle and high schools nationwide were found to have been maintaining rules disciplining students for engaging in relationships or physical contact with the opposite sex, a rights advocacy group for teenagers said Tuesday.

According to a report issued by “Asunaro” (http://cafe.naver.com/asunaro), 286 secondary schools out of 354 across the country, or 81 percent, have internal regulations preventing students from dating or having physical contact with those of the opposite gender.

In Yangpyong County, Gyeonggi Province, all middle and high schools are found to have rules against dating among students, with 119 out of 142 schools in Busan maintaining similar guidelines that specifically reprimand those engaging in relationships with fellow students.

Asunaro said the education authorities and schools have been infringing upon the students’ rights, stressing that they should scrap regulations banning on-campus relationships.

“All that the schools care about is creating overly strict rules and punishing students for dating. Teenagers should be allowed to exercise their rights over their own sexuality both inside and outside schools,” an Asunaro official said.

The group also said that some schools even prohibited students from exchanging gifts on birthdays and other special occasions.

“Students with a boyfriend or a girlfriend are forced to write a report about their relationship and schools break up social clubs if members are caught dating. Just like adults, teens are human beings and should be given the right to choose what they want to do.”

It then said schools should abolish the “discriminatory” rules against students and respect their rights to their own sexuality, as well as provide them with more practical sex education.

According to Asunaro, two students recently quit an Incheon high school voluntarily because of rules suspending those caught three times for dating, while one middle school in Gwangju called in all students involved in relationships with boyfriends or girlfriends to one place and ordered them to stop the behavior.

I find it odd that it is legal for a fifty year old Korean man to have sex with a thirteen year Korean girl (as long as she is not paid and claims it is consensual), but if two seventeen year olds in high school want to change their facebook statuses and give each other birthday gifts, they can get suspended from a public school.

There is a great deal I admire about Korea, but they are hopelessly fu**ed up when it comes to sex.  Additionally, I would love to know what sex education is like in a Korean public school.  I hope that the answer is not that "there is none."

The Korean CSAT

The Korean College Scholastic Ability Test was last Thursday.  This exam is taken by all high school seniors on the same day at the same time all across the country.  The score they get is worth about 50% of what college's considering when accepting freshmen at university.  Children literally spend their entire lives preparing for this exam.

Airing News has a story about it.  A lot of talk about parents "praying" for their children to show their full potential on test day.  Gift giving is also very common.

Eat Your Kimchi also made a video of how family and friends show up at school to cheer on the test takers.

Brian has more info.

Who Wants More Cadmium? ME!

Koreans love octopus.  They think eating it makes them healthier, stronger, better in bed, and smarter.  They really are kind of crazy about what they eat and they don't much care for silly things like science contradicting their superstitions and traditions.

LA Times:

A warning of high cadmium levels in a delicacy sends prices plummeting, and the seafood industry wants an apology.

Reporting from Seoul — The newspaper headline captured the latest cuisine controversy in this seafood-crazy country: "Can eating octopus heads be hazardous to your health?"

A favorite dish for generations of Koreans, octopus heads have long been associated with good nutrition, not to mention their reputed qualities as an aphrodisiac.

But a Seoul city government study last month determined that the delicacy contains dangerous levels of the heavy metal cadmium. The findings touched off what newspapers have dubbed "the octopus head war," pitting city health officials against irate fishermen protective of the $35-million industry.

In South Korea, octopus is perhaps second in popularity only to kimchi, the unofficial national dish. About 12 million of the invertebrates are sold annually.

Nakji, a dish featuring baby octopuses, head and all, is a popular snack at sporting events. Another dish, sannakji ("live octopus"), features squirming tentacles dipped in a sesame oil and salt sauce. Enthusiasts have been hospitalized after a wiggling tentacle lodged in the throat.

Seoul officials found that the octopuses being sold at local markets contained nearly 15 times the government's permitted 2-milligram-per-kilogram level of cadmium, a carcinogen known to poison the liver and kidney if consumed in large enough amounts.

Officials advised consumers of octopus to remove all internal organs, ink and intestinal matter, a precaution that many people say would also remove most of the dish's taste. 

[...]

Fishermen blasted officials after octopus prices plummeted. "The fishermen here are dumbfounded," said Im Hyun-ki, head of an octopus production association in South Jeolla province.

"The Seoul metropolitan government jumped the gun. Of course you have to test food for safety, but they seemed just too eager to make a case without properly thinking it through."

Then, as things often do in this rough-and-tumble, speak-your-mind society, the controversy got political.

In a show of support for the seafood industry, several minority party lawmakers brought a live octopus to a meeting of the National Assembly, eliciting laughs when the creature tried to slither from its jar.

After conducting their own tests, officials from South Korea's Food and Drug Administrationdeclared that it was safe to eat as many as two octopuses a day, heads and all.

Emboldened fishermen threatened to sue unless the Seoul government apologized. But city officials refused to back down. Although Mayor Oh Se-hoon said he was sorry that the fishing industry had been hurt, he insisted that public health was at stake. "We had to make people aware of this," he said.

[...]

Octopus is okay to eat as long as you remove the organs.... apparently that is offensive to some people.  I can't really feel sorry for people who get sick eating that stuff.  I don't see a difference from Koreans smoking themselves or drinking themselves to death.  Just let people know it is bad for your health, and then let them do it anyways.
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One in Three Korean Teens Would Exchange Sex For Money

South Korea is seen as much of a paradox to waygooks when it comes to sex.  Casual dating for Koreans before marriage is is not socially acceptable.  Living together before marriage is not socially acceptable.  Public displays of affection are taboo.  Sex is not to be talked about and the official position of every Korean is that they do not have it and nobody in Korea has it before marriage.

And yet... there are multiple red light districts in every major city in this country.  Women are for sale in windows for anyone with enough cash.  Hooker cards and littered all over the cities.  Coffee girls buzz around the city on the backs of motorcycles doing thirty minute house calls.  Love motels out number churches in this country.  Most barbershops and bathhouses openly advertise "happy ending" services.  This country is living a lie when it comes to the reality of their subversive sexual desires.

This is the result... nearly one in three teens would accept money for sex.  Because that is how it is now anyways.  And valuing your body and reserving sex for someone you care for and enjoy spending time with (but maybe don't necessarily plan on marrying) is forbidden.

Story in the Times:

One out of three adolescents said in a recent survey that they were willing to engage in sex in exchange for money. 

The Women’s Human Rights Commission of Korea (WHRCK) surveyed 2,894 teenagers — 2,538 students and 356 juvenile delinquents — nationwide in June and July to take a look at their views on sex. 

A total of 1,891 or 66.9 percent said they would “reject” having sex for money.

Eighteen percent of the respondents said they would take money “depending on the situation”; 3.5 percent said they definitely would take it; and 11.5 percent said they were “unsure.”

“This survey means that about one third of adolescents could be vulnerable to such offers,” an official from WHRCK said.

Some students said they had engaged in sex for cash — 101, or 3.6 percent, said they had experience in the sex trade, mostly sex resulting from Internet chatting. The two main reasons for prostituting themselves were suggestions from friends, and to make a living after running away from home.

“People have to recognize that trading sex is a crime. We will educate teenagers and support victims of the sex trade based on this survey,” the official said.

The research showed 7.3 percent, or 208, of those surveyed had experienced sexual intercourse. About 3 percent of students had sex, compared to 39 percent of the delinquents.

Among the 208 teenagers, the age of having their first sexual encounter ranged from nine to 19 — the average age was 15.4. 

Their partners were mostly boy or girlfriends, taking up 63 percent, followed by older or younger school friends. 

About half of the students said they had sex consensually, however, the ratio differed by gender. Some 63 percent of males answered both parties agreed to do so, while only 35 percent of girls said the same. More girls said they had their first sexual relations by force or involuntarily after getting drunk.

And remember, the legal age of consent in Korea is 13 years olds.  Paying a 13 year old to have sex with you may be a crime, but having sex with a 13 year old is not.
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Korean Women Still Getting Sh** On In The Business World

When you analyze the data, there really is no other way to look at the results.  Korea's patriarchal favored society has been holding Korean women back.  As a result, they are virtually second class citizens as a group and are being economically and socially bullied and discriminated against by Korean men.

The Chosun Ilbo ran an article aptly titled "Korea Flounders Near Bottom in Gener Equality":

Korea climbed 11 notches on the World Economic Forum's gender gap index as an increasing number of women hold senior government posts, but the country still languishes near the bottom among 134 countries surveyed. The reason is the low proportion of women in the entire workforce and big differences in salaries between men and women.

In the Global Gender Gap Report released Tuesday by the Swiss-based WEF, Korea ranked 104th overall, up from 115 last year. By category it ranked 111th in employment, 100th in education, 79th in health, and 86th in politics. Korean women earn only half the money of their male counterparts, and only 11 percent of lawmakers, high-ranking officials or executives were women. [...]

There were 134 countries survey and Korean women really do get sh** on in this country.  When you look at this ranking, which is published every year, Korea ranks near the bottom with the most notorious African and Arab nations.  You would not think this possible considering how liberal and free a society they have, but men here are vicious and do not play fair.  Women are also overly submissive, and seem to just take it.

Korean society still has a nineteenth century paradigm belief that the man should go out and work and the woman should stay home and raise the kids.  If a woman does want to work ("isn't that cute"), then she should pursue a classic profession as a teacher, nurse, or secretary.

Laws also do not exist or are not being enforced to protect Korean women.  Koreans themselves joke that every time a Korean woman gets pregnant, somewhere a Korean woman loses her job.  In the cut throat competitive business world, where it is not uncommon for employees to put in 65+ hours a week, the idea that a woman would need to take off work for three weeks to six months to perpetuate the human race is seen as an assault on the economic progress of the nation.  Many woman get pregnant and just lose their jobs.  Or else it is made clear to them that they have no future at the company and they should just quit.

Korean business men also still have a "good old boys club" business philosophy.  Late night drinking with the boss is seen as an imperative to get ahead.  Korean business men will go to singing rooms and party with strippers or prostitutes and talk business.  Or they'll go to a bathhouse and get naked together before closing a deal.  They do not want more women doing business because the party would be over.

Indeed, 46.3% of Korean women between the ages of 15 and 64 are not working and have given up looking because they do not see how they can prosper in an economic system and political culture that is rigged against them.

The gender wage gap has also been growing in the weak job market.  (source)

The gender wage gap appears to be widening again after narrowing over the past few years, according to a recent study. 

The analysis of 520,000 resumes by job website Incruit shows that women still earn less than men with an average of W22.47 million per year, which is 77 percent of men's W29.16 million. Last year women earned W21.76 million or 77.7 percent of men's W27.99 million. 

The wage gap had been shrinking in recent years. In 2005 women took home W18.5 million or 77 percent of the W24.03 million for men, but in 2008 women caught up to 80.5 percent, at W20.34 million compared to W25.28 million. However, the gap started widening again last year, and has become even broader this year.

"The gap had been narrowing thanks to changing perceptions of gender roles and diminishing gender discrimination," an Incruit spokesperson said. "However, the worsening job market due to the financial crisis seems to be having a relatively larger negative impact on women."

What this means is that when companies had to let people go to slim down during the economic recession, the women were the first to get dumped.
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Stuff Waygooks Like #4 - Korean Baseball (한국 프로 야구)

Koreans love baseball.  Did you know that?  I had no clue before arriving in South Korea that baseball was so big here, but they really love their baseball.

Waygooks like Korean baseball, too.  Going to the games is tons of fun and every waygook who lives in Korea for any amount of time needs to experience a game.

Tickets are cheap.  It varies from team to team and stadium to stadium, but generally the price of admission is between 7,000 won and 20,000 won ($6 ~ $16 US) for an adult.  Games normally never sell out, except for the playoffs, and you can always buy tickets at the gate right before the game starts.  Games always start at 6:30pm Tuesday through Friday (no games on Monday) and at 5:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The food and drink options are every waygook-sport-fan's dream.  There is absolutely no price gouging tolerated in Korean baseball.  A can of beer at the stadium will cost you between 1,000 and 2,000 won (about $1).  Snacks and typical stadium food prices are also comparable to any local convenience store just outside the stadium.  Independent vendors from local businesses also show up at the game and sell everything from fried chicken to dried squid to anyone on their way into the ballpark.  AND!  If you still do not like the prices or your options, you can just bring into the stadium whatever you want!  Korean baseball games allow people to bring in their own food and beverages.  It is the greatest thing EVER!

The seating at Korean baseball games is also interesting.  In that, there is no assigned seating.  There are a few "reserved seating" sections for people who pay higher prices, but somewhere around 95% of the stadium is a free-for-all game of find your own seat.  Whoever shows up at the stadium first and sits down gets that seat for the game.  When games are not crowded, usually Koreans of the home team sit behind first base to form a cheering section and Koreans of the traveling team sit behind third base to form a cheering section.

Koreans are also amazing and devoted fans.  They are actually the best part because they are so monolithic and involved during the games.  There is nothing comparable in North American baseball.  For each team, and for every player, there is a song that the fans of that team sings for when that person is at bat.  They cheer loud and love to jeer the opposing teams as well.

Eat Your Kimchi has a video to give you a feel for their zeal:

The Korea Professional Baseball league was formed in 1982 and currently has eight teams.  The teams are generally named after the companies or business conglomerates which own them.

The teams are:

Seoul - Doosan Bears (Official Site)
Seoul - LG Twins (Official Site)
Seoul - Nexen Heroes (Official Site)
Busan - Lotte Giants (Official Site)
Daegu - Samsung Lions (Official Site)
Incheon - SK Wyverns (Official Site)
Daejeon - Hanwha Eagles (Official Site)
Gwangju - Kia Tigers (Official Site)

The league has a sleek structure.  Each team plays 133 games in the regular season.  Each team plays every other team 19 times.  At the end of the regular season the four teams with the best records advance to the playoffs.  The season culminates in its championship series, known as the Korean Series.  The team with the best record gains a direct entry into the Korean Series, while the other three teams compete for the remaining place in a step-ladder playoff system:

- Semi-playoff: 3rd vs 4th; best 3 out of 5 games
- Playoff: 2nd vs. winner of Semi-playoff; best 3 out of 5 games
- Korean Series: 1st vs winner of Playoff; best 4 out of 7 games

The 2009 Korea was particularly exciting.  The Series ended in a walk-off home run in game seven and the KIA Tigers won it.  Check out this clip to feel the excitement.

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Educated Filipinas Doing Menial Labor in Korea

Anytime The Philippines is in the news, there really is never anything nice said about that country.  They apparently cannot pay their professional workforce enough to keep them in the country.  The Korea Herald has an article about Filipina women with degrees who come to Korea to be housekeepers or nannies because it pays better than what they were making back home.

Jane has a bachelor’s degree in customs and administrations. Jasmine is a university graduate with a degree in chemical engineering. Jessica studied environmental sciences and Lovely is a computer science major.

These four women sound like they have profiles fit for white collar jobs, but instead they are part of a much lower-wage segment of Korea’s economy. They maintain the balance at home, they mind children and decide what’s for dinner: they are housekeepers.

Jessica, who declined to give her real name, has been in Korea for four years as a housekeeper. Despite graduating with a challeneging degree, working in the Philippines didn’t provide a good income.

“I actually practiced my profession in the Philippines for a year, but the pay is not really lucrative, and the cost of living just keeps increasing,” said the 28-year-old wife with one child.

The monthly salary of the women interviewed ranged from one million won ($896) to 1.6 million won.

“Here, my salary is four times of what I would have gotten in the Philippines,” said Jessica.

Lovely, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was an office worker in Makati before coming here. 

“I quit my job (in the Philippines) because the salary was very low compared to abroad. It was around 500,000 won a month,” said the 40-year-old, Manila native.

[...] Filipinas have increasingly been seeking jobs as housekeepers, for a number of reasons.

“In a factory, you have to work a very long time with people constantly observing you, while working for an American or Korean family is nicer and more convenient,” said Lovely.

“I don’t prefer housekeeping to working in a factory, but it is safer and the salary is higher,” said 28-year-old Jane who also declined to give her real name.

“They (households) treat you as a member of their family,” said Jasmine, who has also worked in Taiwan and the Philippines.

With demand for nannies high, supply is not far behind.

“There are quite a few that are getting Filipina nannies to help their children learn English,” said Angela, a Korean mother of two, who declined to give her real name.

[...]

Korean mothers seem to prefer Filipina housekeepers for a number of different reasons.

“I’m currently looking for a Filipina nanny for my kids, because I can’t afford to send them abroad,” said Angela.

“It is becoming popular with Filipinas because the money is good,” said Jasmine, which was also the consensus among the Filipinas interviewed.

Most Koreans, it seems, hire Filipina nannies to teach their children English and help out with the housework.

But it doesn’t always mean less work for some.

“It is actually inconvenient to hire a Filipina, because I cannot ask them to do things as easily as I would a Korean, or Chinese-Korean nanny,” Angela said.

“They usually can’t cook Korean food, so I have to constantly teach them, and it’s a huge blow when a nanny leaves before her contract is over.”

“So because of the kids, I’m actually sacrificing a lot,” she said. 

For others, the reason for a foreign nanny was for a sense of privacy. 

“It is actually easier and more convenient to hire foreign workers, because they don’t understand Korean,” said Karin.

“That is a big benefit for me because they don’t try to listen to personalbusiness,” she said.

Karin also said that hiring a Korean nanny makes her feel like she just addedanother member to her family, rather than an employee.

On any given day, there are numerous postings online by both prospective employers and employees, suggesting that the trend is here to stay.

Koreans like to hire Filipinas because they can skip and avoid all the cultural awkwardnesses of having another Korean person in the house.  No need to worry what level of formality you speak with them, they cannot speak Korean!  Additionally, having a woman who can already speak English tutor and babysit your kids while making dinner for everyone sounds like a good deal.

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Four-Year-Old Korean Kids Face Grueling Academic Competition

You have to feel bad for the kids in this country.  Academic competition for Korean children apparently starts even before they get in the door of their first school.  Nation-wide the demand for kindergartens has gone up as the babies of the "year of the golden pig" become of age to enroll in kindergarten.

The Dong-a Ilbo:

A housewife in Busan was surprised after making a telephone inquiry about enrolling her three-year-old daughter at a kindergarten. She was told that enrollment for next year was full, with more than 100 people on the waiting list.

The head of a kindergarten in southern Seoul said, “The number of enrollment inquiries has increased significantly. Other kindergarten heads say the same thing.”

Most inquiries are on kindergarten admission policies for next year and how parents can put their children on waiting lists.

○ Enrollment war

The kindergarten enrollment war for children born in 2007, or the auspicious “year of the golden pig” under the Chinese zodiac, has begun. Parents of children born that year project high competition as a social trend for “baby boomers” to go through.

Under law, children ages 3 to 5 are eligible for enrollment in kindergarten. Most children begin elementary school at age 8, so next year is ideal for kindergarten enrollment since those born in 2007 will turn four.

According to Statistics Korea, about 448,000 children were born in 2007, around 45,000 more than in 2006 and 28,000 more than in 2008. In 2007, the total fertility rate was 1.25, with South Jeolla Province showing the highest rate of 1.58. The rate in Busan has stayed below one since 2002, though it rose to 1.02 in 2007.

Due to the relatively high birth rate in 2007, getting children enrolled in kindergarten, particularly those affiliated with universities or with high reputations, will not be easy. In highly competitive areas such as the Gangnam district in southern Seoul, many parents are expected to wait overnight for enrollment.

[...]

I was told when I got here that Koreans are very superstitious about numbers.  Korean woman even induce labor early and have scheduled cesareans at certain dates to avoid bad numbers and have their children born on lucky ones.  It only therefore makes sense that there would be a blimp in the birthrate on an "auspicious" zodiac year.

Funny to think that about 40,000 Korean couples either decided to wait to a year or so to have a child or have their child before they felt they were ready just so their kid could have a specific birth sign.  That's kind of nuts...
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