Ahh the FIRST entry of 2006 “Year of the Dog”! 

Not much to report…only that 2005 was a good year:  A transitional “Year of Drastic Change”.  As for this next year, after reviewing my new years resolutions, I think would best be titled the “Year of Busting-A-Move”.  We’ll see how that pans out in next years review.  In other news, I came across an article targeting Korea culture I found interesting and has become the subject of conversation over soju and sam-gyup-sahl these days.  I’m focusing on just a section of the article, but please feel free to read the rest of it if you want.

The high-speed culture is such a feature of South Korean society that it’s a commonly used catch-phrase: “ppalli ppalli,” meaning “hurry hurry.”

It’s symbolized in everything from the hellish traffic in Seoul and Mad Max-esque bus drivers, to South Koreans’ love of quick-hit coffee and energy drinks and downing shots of alcohol in a single gulp. A government campaign seems to have stemmed citizens’ penchant to crowd in front of subway cars  and not let exiting passengers leave before trying to push inside.

I love this little depiction of Korea because its so true…I LIVE and SEE this everyday.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but rather its a small slice in what defines the heart of the Han.  So should we try to change Korea’s way of thinking?  I don’t think so, for this is who the Han is.  It’s what symbolizes and differentiates them from the rest of the world.  In fact, if you read more than just this little snipit, you’ll find that this “hustling” culture has its good points too.

The rest of the article