[Faculty Highlight] Professor Jungmin Hong's Essay: A Song to Sing Again - "Our Wish"
AuthorFaculty of Sciences and HumanitiesREG_DATE2024.11.26Hits21
[HanKyung Essay] A Song to Sing Again: "Our Wish"
The State University of New York (SUNY) Korea is the first American university established on Korean territory. Students graduate with the same degree as those from the New York campus in the U.S. Currently, students from over 40 countries are studying at SUNY Korea. Why would these students choose to study in South Korea, a land that is constantly threatened by North Korean provocations and nuclear threats? The biggest reason is the Korean Wave (Hallyu). The soft power of Korea has grown significantly. These students were fascinated by K-pop, Korean movies and dramas, as well as Korean culture and food, which led them to come to Korea to study.
When professors from the New York campus first visited Korea, they were amazed as they toured the international city of Songdo in Incheon, where the university campus is located, calling it a "futuristic city." They also visited Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul and expressed their enjoyment of seeing Korea’s past. Interestingly, there is one place that all of them want to visit: the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This is because, in their eyes, the DMZ represents the current state of Korea, the only divided nation on earth.
Last week, Minister of Unification Kim Yung Ho gave a special lecture at SUNY Korea. Pastor Lim Hyeon Soo, who had been unjustly detained in North Korea while conducting humanitarian aid activities, also attended as a panelist. Many in the audience who had only seen North Korea through TV broadcasts were shocked by the stories shared. Through Pastor Lim’s vivid personal experience, the audience learned about the dire human rights situation, severe economic hardships, and food shortages in North Korea. He also mentioned that many young North Korean students watch South Korean dramas and, longing for the freedom and prosperity of South Korea, there are many cases of them defecting to North Korea.
This semester, two Russian students are enrolled in my class. There may be various reasons behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but from the perspective of these students, it appears to be rooted in the misguided desires and greed of the country’s leaders. Most Russians and Ukrainians, they believe, would prefer to stop the war and live safely and peacefully. The North Korean regime has also declared that it no longer seeks reunification. This, too, seems to stem from the leaders’ desire to extend their dictatorial regime, rather than the will of the North Korean people.
I asked students who oppose Korean reunification why they hold that view. The most common reason they cited was the economic burden of reunification costs. Recently, I had an opportunity to talk to a German from East Germany. He shared that, after Germany’s reunification, both West and East Germans experienced significant economic difficulties for about 15 years, and there was widespread dissatisfaction. However, he mentioned that since the 2010s, with many good job opportunities increasing and living conditions improving in East Germany, more people have actually started to prefer living in East Germany.
South Korea’s economic growth rate has been declining since the 2000s. Will the next generation in South Korea be able to experience the same remarkable economic growth that our generation enjoyed? We all want ultimate peace on the Korean Peninsula and dream of shared economic prosperity. If so, there is only one answer: a unified Korea.