June 6th, Memorial Day (현충일)

Today is Memorial Day (현충일) in South Korea. It is a day off to remember those who died during past significant battles, most recent of which being the Korean War (June 25th, 1950 to July 27^th, 1953) between South Korea and North Korea. Although July 27, 1953 marks the end of the fighting and the establishment of the 38^th Parallel as a political division of the Korean peninsula, the tension between the two sides is still high. My students are always eager to express their anger towards Kim Jung Un and the rest of the North, but most of the kids also dream of the day they will be reunited. The Korean War is also known as “The Forgotten War” or “The Unknown War” due to the lack of attention it received at the time as it’s occurrence was nestled between the more significant WWII and the Vietnam War. Those titles are a bit ironic, I’d say, since the war is technically, still not over.

Korean history is a fascinating subject, perhaps because a war from over 50 years ago is still an apparent threat. However, on a day-to-day basis, the talk of such politics is not heard amongst South Koreans. With the recent string of threats from North Korea now behind us (Thanks, China, for silencing the big guy), it is more clear to me why South Koreans are not really disturbed by anything the North says anymore. Their reaction to the media hype is calm and the opinion is more that it is all very ridiculous. It has been going on for more than 50 years, after all. But still, some foreigners did pack up and leave in a hurry after Kim Jong Un urged the foreign community in South Korea to do so. Perhaps it was just another attempt he made to harm the South’s economy. I don’t know if Reunification is a real possibility, ever, but I do hope for a peaceful Korea in the near future. 

 

Rock-Paper-Scissors or Kawi-Bawi-Bo

This game is taken to a whole 'nother level in Korea. It seems to be the method of choice when it comes to deciding who the rightful person is to gain the power or status that was in question. In the classrooms, when tension is high between students competing to read a page first or be the first to stand in line at the door, the most peacefully accepted way to decide who deserves this status is to quickly play a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors or in Korean, ka-wi-ba-wi-bo!(kawi is scissors, bawi is paper, and bo is rock). It’s definitely an affective teacher’s tool to whip out when a fight is about to break out between students. They don’t question the authority of Kawi-Bawi-Bo. But it’s not only used in the classroom. In social settings outside the classroom I’ve noticed it being used much more eagerly than in other cultures (that I’ve been exposed to). I chose the word used rather than played because it is not simply a game here. It seems to be an accepted method of justice to establish who rightfully gains the power the game is meant to award.

There are also different versions…body actions rather than the hand gestures (which results in quite a comical scene)… Muk-Ji-Pa is another version which is simply switching the scissors with a gun hand gesture. Some schools have unofficial Kawi-Bawi-Bo Tournaments where the kids can win instant noodles if their class earns the luck of the game.

It has been both amusing and intriguing for me to witness the power of Rock-Paper-Scissors here in Korea and as a teacher I took full advantage of its peaceful decision making powers.