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Michael Breen: The Koreans

Michael Breen: The Koreans – Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies
Thomas Dunne Books, 1998 & 2004
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With a commendable dose of filial piety appropriate to the subject of his book, Michael Breen dedicates his work to “Mum and Dad”. Having lived in Korea on and off since 1982, maybe some of the national characteristics are rubbing off on him. As one of the well-established “Korea hands”, who has covered events on the peninsula for The Times and The Guardian, Breen is well qualified to attempt the task of explaining Korea to a non-Korean.

This user-friendly introduction to everything Korean has ambitious aims: “Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies.” How does it succeed? Anna Fifield, until recently the Seoul bureau chief of the Financial Times, had it on her list of essential reads for anyone coming to Korea for the first time. Originally written in 1998, it could be argued that with a country as fast-moving as South Korea it must be out of date by now. But even without the updates and revisions made in 2004, this book is still current, because this is a book which attempts to capture some of the essential Korean characteristics, which do not change in the course of a couple of years.

With any book with the aims of this one, there is the risk of generalising, of stereotyping. Indeed, in a book which covers so much ground in under 300 pages there is bound to be some simplification in the interests of brevity.

There will of course be anecdotes that Koreans would rather not have in print. One example is Breen’s tale about the planned voiceover for the opening ceremony of the 1988 Seoul Olympics: each national team was to be greeted by a one-sentence summary of their national characteristics. Ireland was to be summarised as “also known as Guinnessville, because it is the home of the Guinness Book of Records”. This Breen regards as an instance of a Korean habit of “labelling” other people, including foreigners. It is a habit to which everyone is prone, as Breen acknowledges: “All Koreans are [insert appropriate epithet here]” – and often the epithet is not too complimentary. But Breen doesn not fall into that trap. If sometimes a Korean says what he thinks you want to hear (rather than the truth), it is because he doesn’t want to hurt your kibun (your feelings or state of mind). When Breen is talking to an air hostess who says that the Korean flight was the “worst” in the entire global network because the way the passengers behave. On cue, a Korean barges past and barks “Ya! Whisky!”. Breen’s only thought is that the Koreans are being condemned for knowing what they want but without having been trained to say “please”.

Whether you put a positive or negative spin on many of the characteristics that Breen enumerates, they will ring true. No matter your subjective view, for example, on Korean behaviour once they get behind the wheel of a car (and your view will probably be that they drive like maniacs), the statistics speak for themselves: Korea is consistently at the top of the OECD’s league tables for car accidents. Breen has fun with this stereotype and tries to make a a symbol of wider political behaviour. “Koreans tend to swerve out the the way of obstacles, rather than brake. There is always a way round things if you have connections, money, courage and imagination.”

The book has four sections: Society and Values, History, Economy, and Politics. Even if you might think you know your way round one of these topics, you are likely to find additional insights and detail as you turn the pages. You will smile in agreement as Breen makes unexpected connections, or as he endeavours to explain some facet of the Korean character which has always puzzled you. Breen’s is one of the few books I have come across which attempts to get to grips with Han, “a kind of rage and helplessness that is sublimated, and lingers like an inactive resentment.” “Han has hung like a tranquil mist in the valley of our hearts” explains a Korean psychoanalyst interviewed for the book.” Then the shocks of national division and rapid economic growth came. “These traumas acted as a chemical change, turning our static han into dynamic han.” The two pages devoted to the discussing are tantalising. What is needed is a full-length examination of whether han is a concept of literary criticism invented in the twentieth century which has taken on a life of its own, or whether it is genuinely a a characteristic inherent in the Korean people. Such an examination is outside the scope of Breen’s book, and it is to be hoped that someone takes up the challenge in the future.

The strength of Breen’s book is that it gives the reader valuable tasters which prepares them for their encounter with Korea but which does not pretend to give all the answers.

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3 thoughts on “Michael Breen: The Koreans

  1. This was one of the first books i read about Korea and Koreans 🙂 I’m pretty sure things have changed in the 10 years since, but by how much I wouldn’t know. I think this needs a re-read on my part 😉

    1. Colette: Looks like it might be useful!
    2. Daniel: I read this a couple of years ago – at Incheon Airport, actually. Very entertaining, for (mostly) the right reasons. The inevitable generalisations do less harm than most. Hate the title though!
    3. Colette: I agree with Daniel about the title, very patronizing. But will be a change to the dense historical books on Korea that are sitting unread in my collection at the moment.
    4. Kay: the title does sound very much like they are aliens :P. read it ages ago and it’s ok, though now 10 years old!
    5. Colette: LOL. Supposedly this version has been updated, or was in 2004
    6. Kay: well, i probably read it around that time and i would say that it’s still probably going to be out of date. Things have changed a lot even since I’ve been looking at it all
    7. Colette: Is useful to know Kay. I bought a very expensive book on Korean history at a conference I went to, only to discover that the period it covered only went up to 1994!
  2. Hi Mike Daniel Smythe coming to Seoul on the 4th of May till the 11th of May wondering if we could catch up at all can’t find your phone number anyway cheers Daniel.

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