MIRACLE ON THE HAN RIVER

We landed in Seoul on a clear sunny day on 17 May. The warm welcome at Incheon airport removed the fatigue of the almost 14-hour flight from Baku as if by magic. A nice smiling girl authorized by Korea Foundation to accompany us during our visit introduced herself as Sasha. "It is for ease of pronunciation. All Russian speaking guests call me so," interpreter Cho Hye-Yon explained. Our acquaintance with South Korea started from her.

Meeting the Korean miracle

Our very first observations en route from the airport to the hotel demonstrated that today's Korea is far from being the Land of Morning Freshness or the Land of Morning Calm, as it has habitually been called since a long time ago. Today it is a lively, dynamically developing country with bustling streets and crowds of carefree jaywalking tourists.

The Miracle on the Han River is the name of South Korea today or, to be precise, of the rapid economic growth as a result of which the country arose from the ruins of civil war and turned from an agrarian land into a high-tech export-oriented economy.

In the 1960s, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Today, the economy of this country is number 11 in the world. The Koreans are set to be in the top 10 within the next few years. In terms of foreign trade volume, the Republic of Korea occupies the eighth place in the world. This country accounts for about half the world's shipbuilding: China and Japan appear to be its only competitors in this sector. South Korea places second in the manufacture of mobile phones. As for motor vehicles, it ranks among the top five manufacture leaders in the world. The Miracle on the Han River has created such international corporations as Samsung, LG, Hyundai and KIA. High technologies are the trendsetter in Korea's economy today. Broadband Internet has covered the entire country. Free Wi-Fi access can be found practically in all public places. What is this if not an "economic miracle"?

Hospitable and amicable descendants of hermits

Korea is traditionally referred to as Hermit Kingdom but today, only the locked-in regime of North Korea remains true to this name. South Korea with its high level of democratization and globalization has nothing to do with hermitry.

However, even in the situation of globalization, the Koreans maintain their national identity, remain faithful to traditions of oriental hospitality, to their character and morals. In a word, today's Korea is a land of contrasts in which the old and the new coexist in harmony. Just like in Azerbaijan.

Yet unlike Azerbaijanis, the Koreans are not generally emotional. They utterly rarely express their feelings and emotions aloud. But they are also very polite and considerate. "Koreans will not apologize even if they step on your foot; or they will not express gratitude to you by saying "thank you" aloud. Instead of words, they will mime their apology or make a bow of gratitude. This is a culture of mute apology and gratitude. A Korean will not even express his love for his wife aloud. People here do not even say 'I love you'. Because it is better to experience a feeling and emotions sincerely and remember them for a long time than just express them aloud and forget them at once," said Professor Kim Seong-kon, director of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

Do not be surprised if Seoul offers you a cool welcome, the professor explains. This is normal for a 10m city. Seoul is a megalopolis much like New York, London or Paris. You may see none of the true Korean hospitality in the streets of the city but in any family, in any home, you will be surprised at the sincerity and warmth of the hosts.

The Koreans are very hospitable. Their doors are always open for guests. As for rural areas, there is even a custom to visit one another after supper, and without an invitation. Villagers gather in the sitting room - "sarang bang", which is necessarily present in every home and is always open for guests who may also stay overnight in there.

As a rule, Korean housewives are modest before their guests. "Have a potluck with us," they say shyly, even though the table is laid quite lavishly.

The hostesses normally do not sit down at the table together with their guests. Out of respect for the guests, they try to personally control all preparations in the kitchen. You may certainly invite her to sit down next to you but it is regarded as impolite to insist on that.

By the way, a few words about the place of women in the Korean family. Confucius, whose teaching is followed by many Koreans up to this day, emphasized the importance of respect for the old but he did not honour women very much. According to Confucianism, in her girlhood, a woman should be obedient to her parents, in matrimony - to her husband and in old age - to her son. The idea of male dominance is still there; the divide between men's and women's rights in today's Korean society is actually blurred. "To be honest, the woman is the boss in the present-day Korean family and the budget is under her control, too," Professor Keo-son said jokingly. But this does not mean that Korean women will be against if you, for example, give her your seat or let her enter the lift first.

Mother is sacred for Koreans, too. She is associated with a bird always taking care of her nestlings. This is why nobody will be surprised to see a 30 year old young man living under the guardianship of his mother.

The Korean society is based on mutual trust in everyday life and sometimes even in business. If you ask for a receipt in return for money you paid for something, you may thus hurt a Korean who will interpret your request as mistrust in him.

They like finding some shared values in people that must bring you closer together. It may be the school to which you went, music that you listen to and whatever else. "The most important thing is that you are one of us," Professor Kim Seong-kon explains.

Maybe this is the reason why they normally use the pronoun "we" instead of "I". They prefer saying "our country" instead of "my country". So do not let yourself be shocked when someone of your Korean friends, while introducing his wife to you, says "this is our wife".

The Koreans have a special attitude to friendship. You are either a close friend or an acquaintance here. Nothing in between. This is why Koreans have few tried-and-true friends. But if you do get on the list of friends, it is forever and you will never regret it.

Koreans like living collectively. The Internet is available in every house but nonetheless they gather in Internet cafes to play games together. They also have nothing against having a drink among friends and relatives to ease stress after a hard workday. This is only natural as Koreans, according to Forbes, are the most hardworking nation in the world. Somebody said that the habit to drink after work in Korea is their "national pastime". Maybe this is an exaggeration but still it is largely true, residents of the Land of Morning Freshness admit themselves. This does not mean that Koreans are drunkards. The best way to get to know a person better is by having a drink with them, they say. This is a kind of baptism of fire, a means for socializing. If you do not drink, you are very likely to remain unintegrated in society.

This is why, when Koreans invite you to a restaurant or a bar, it is advisable not to refuse and feel free to choose whatever you like, of course, if your order is not too expensive. It is not beyond the bounds of decency. Do not care about paying: the Dutch treat principle where each pays for their own meal, does not work here. Just like in Azerbaijan, you can often see Koreans competing to be the first to pick up the tab.

Another weakness of this nation is singing. Koreans like to ''drink and sing", people say. If you are asked to sing in a company of friends, you should keep a couple of songs in your memory because your Korean friends may insist.

Can Orient do without Taboos

Koreans are sentimental. They often weep both with grief and happiness. Even birds' singing is described here as weeping, and a little bell will also weep here rather than jingle. The Koreans are superstitious, they believe in omens and shamanism is widespread here.

All countries have various taboos and Korea is no exception in this respect. For example, Koreans tend to avoid number four as the word "four" (sa) is consonant with the word "death". This is why a number of Korean buildings (notably, hospitals and clinics) do not count the fourth floor. Traditionally, white rather than black is regarded as the colour of mourning. But black is also a mourning colour in towns that have adopted Western customs.

Another taboo is the use of the left hand or only one hand to offer something to somebody. This can be taken as offence. So be sure to use both hands when you offer something to another person, especially an older one.

In brief, you cannot understand Korea with your mind, you should feel it.

A Tourist Paradise

Today, more and more factors remind foreigners of this wonderful country, including taekwondo, Korean cars, phones, TV sets and much more. Of late, Korean pop music, TV series (K-pop, K-series) and cartoons are becoming increasingly popular in the world. Even adults like watching the animated cartoon series about Pororo the Little Penguin. Koreans often joke that if children were given the right to vote, they would opt for a "Poresident".

All of this plays a role in stimulating the interest of tourists in Korea. The favourable climate, access to the ocean, historical monuments and modern infrastructure make the peninsula a real paradise for tourists. A single visit to the volcanic island of Jeju can fill you with lots of pleasant experiences, which you will remember for a lifetime. The island, which used to provide citrus fruit for almost the whole of Korea, is now more famous for its tourism opportunities. While on the island, it is a sin not to visit the Folk Village built in the days gone by of volcanic materials, straw and other things. This is a classic Korean village turned into an open-air museum. Interestingly, about a thousand people still live here.

Taking a stroll through unique Olle walking trails that run along the Pacific coast can give you special pleasure. Koreans lead a healthy lifestyle and walking down these trails is a favourite amusement of the islanders. A total length of the Olle trails on Jeju and nearby islands is about 420 kilometres.

We arrived at the island as part of a delegation of media executives from different countries to participate in a special session of the annual International Jeju Forum dedicated to security issues in Northeast Asia.

The main message of this forum to the world press consisted in urging reporters to promote and popularize the idea of unification of the two Koreas. Koreans still hope against hope for the reunification of the peninsula and look forward to international support.

However, the younger generation that has not lived in a unified Korea does not really wish this to happen. Contemporary Koreans are more concerned with the economic problems, which will be the inevitable consequence of the possible unification with the northerners and will come upon the southerners. After all, while today's per capita GDP in South Korea is up to 28,000 dollars, the analogous figure in the north barely reaches one thousand dollars. In other words, young people in the southern part of the peninsula do not wish to encumber themselves with the burden of the northerners. However, the inhabitants of the Republic of Korea still hope that, being united, they will master these problems, too, just like the Germans did.

Yet, a visit to South Korea is the only possibility to have a look, if only from afar, at the northern part of the peninsula, to encounter soldiers of the North Korean regime and even to make a selfie with them. So, do not miss the opportunity to visit the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. As guests of Korea Foundation, we as well as colleagues from different countries were fortunate enough to visit this historic place where peace between the two Koreas was declared in 1953. Today, the demilitarized zone is monitored by United Nations peacekeepers, who also act as guides for tourists. As for Koreans, they are not admitted to this zone for safety reasons. They can only learn their history from movies and books.

By the way, if you hear by chance that the leaders in the production of smartphones and tablets only read books and newspapers, do not believe this. The major Korean newspapers "Joong Ang" and "Dong-A" complain that the level of reading of printed matter by the population has fallen in the country from 60 to 20 per cent in recent years, as the Internet takes over. Accordingly, the circulation of newspapers has also dropped by almost a half. Yet, the publications are still earning mainly due to printed issues. In the meantime, there are attempts to put the online versions of newspapers on a pay basis.

And finally...

Koreans are great patriots. They do not like to recall their colonial past and cherish their independence. A photo of a Korean athlete hiding Japan's emblem on his T-shirt behind a cup in his hands at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games is quite popular in the country to this day.

They consider the 1988 Summer Olympic Games an important factor behind the current development of Korea and its place in the world community. As the expression goes, it is always a pleasure to talk to knowledgeable people. After all, Baku has also been given a chance to hold the European Games - the first in the history of sports.