America as seen by a young Korean man
I am Yeongin Lee, and I am an exchange student from Handong Global University, which is located in South Korea. Since I was little, America was the country where I most wanted to go. In my middle school’s English class, I vividly recall a question that my teacher asked; which country do you all want to go to?
Although most students said they wanted to go to Europe, I was the only student who wanted to go to America. The teacher asked me why I wanted to go to America. I replied that it is because I have heard that America is a powerful nation with leading qualities and I wanted to know what makes them be a leader of the world. Time passed, and I went to college, and I took advantage of the opportunity to come to America through the HGU-John Brown University exchange program.
I have spent almost four months at John Brown University, and I was able to be involved in JBU community through their heart-warming and hospitable welcome. As I spent time here, American students curiously asked me about the differences between South Korea and America.
When asked this type of question, my mind went blank because I honestly saw more similarities than differences. Because America was South Korea’s biggest ally during and after the Korean War, Korea’s culture has been heavily influenced by American culture.
As a result, South Korea’s modern culture is still influenced by Western society. However, I saw substantial differences between South Korea and American culture through America’s diversity. I saw diversity in various ways. I saw this through different ethnic groups at JBU and from daily life during the semester.
Whenever I went grocery shopping, I had to walk through the cemetery by JBU. Some people might find this cemetery frightening, but I found it rather peaceful. This cemetery was interesting to me because the gravestones were all different; but, in South Korea, all of our tombs look the same. As I was walking through the cemetery, I again could observe diversity. I was surprised because the cars passing by were all different sizes and from different manufacturers.
When I finally entered the grocery store, I was amazed. There were aisles full of the various types of ice cream, but in South Korea, we usually only have one ice box for ice cream.
As I ventured into the store, I was even more astonished because different types of items had their aisle; in my country, this is a rare sight because only one type of item or food, or item or food from one business is sold.
It is said that America is one of the strongest nations in the world. I ask you, Americans, where do you think your strength comes from? Some may say that it comes from national military defense or abundant resources. Yes, such statements may be used to answer, but I say there is more than that.
From a foreigner’s point of view, America’s strength roots from diversity and a respectful attitude towards diversity. With a shifted political climate resulting from a change in national leadership, there has been an emphasis in diverting attention from internal issues and instead pinpointing blame on external affairs. As a citizen of South Korea, which has historically been an ally of America, I think that America should deeply consider whether or not their society is going in the right direction, specifically concerning their attitude toward diversity. I will leave you with this question: Should America be concerned with external issues, or be more concerned with shifted internal attitudes toward diversity — which has carried the strength of America, as I have known.