Korea, America (USA), international relations and the 386 Generation - (Intro: Page 13)
Korea, America and the 386 Generation
The relationship between the U.S and Korea is sometimes confusing and difficult to understand. I will not write too much about it, because this book is about Korea rather than 
America, but America (USA) does seem to be, and to have been, an enormous influence over Korea, be it a good or bad influence. Within the first month I became confused by the relationship between the two countries. On one particular day in Korea, I was surprised to read the Korean Herald and see that there were two marches occurring on different sides of the city.
One was to protest against the U.S. and its influence over Korean affairs and the other march to show support for the American military in Korea, in its protection against the North. When talking to the 386 generation in Korea, such a high percentage seems to be seeking to move or study in the U.S., which confused me more. I think one of my students by the name of Jun Kim summarised the reality of the situation when he said that it is not that Koreans hate America or Americans really, but the policies of America and its government.
The 386 generation by the way, is a Korean English (popularly known as Konglish) expression meaning someone who:
- Is now in their 30's.
- Graduated in the 80's.
- And was born in the 60's.
Teaching one on one from the beginning was different. I have little experience in teaching children and I hope to keep it that way. I hear from my friends who teach children in Korea, that it involves more babysitting than teaching. Teaching one-on-one is a very rare chance to meet and talk with people from such a variety of backgrounds. The beautiful thing about this is that the majority of students are open to discuss anything, even though one would initially suspect that Koreans would perhaps be a little more shy. Koreans are very curious about how they are perceived and about many issues. Many times the Korean War came up in discussions concerning North Korea, usually brought up by the student rather than by myself. Many students seem surprised when a teacher is fully aware of the dates of the Korean War – as though a foreigner would not know all about what happened between 1950 and 1953. I guess to be fair, if I had not have been in Korea I would not myself have known.
