You likely jumped to the wrong conclusion as to the subject of this article. Given that I have a sight tendency to obsess over politics and economics, that’s quite understandable. Despite a desperate need to recall about 99 and 44 one-hundredths percent of all politicians, the subject on this occasion is somewhat more personal.
There has been a confluence of events of late that have sent me on a stroll down memory lane.
First, I recently discovered that Netflix and Amazon Prime each have a boatload of Korean movies. Uncharacteristically, I have given in, at least partially, to the temptation to binge-watch.
Second, There has been a surge of people signing up as users to this site. For some reason, Koreans are the largest segment. Several Korean web sites have linked to this blog. They are very welcome.
Third, is that, for some reason, one begins reminiscing more frequently after a birthday when the initial digit is an 8.
My late first wife was Korean. She died of malpractice in 1974, far too soon at the age of 37. She was the primary reason for most of my fifty-one trips to Korea. This photograph was the final one taken. Here she is after six and a half years of illness, pain and wasting away to 84 pounds. Still, she could offer a genuine smile.
I began by watching some of the historical dramas. Then I watched those of more recent vintage. You are unlikely to imagine the differences from Korea at the time of my first encounter in the late 1950s and today. The last trip was in 1975. I was never an accomplished linguist in either German, Chinese or Korean but a bit more than expected of the Hangul became again familiar.
Back then Korea ranked lower than Somalia, economically. A college graduate averaged the equivalent of about $20 a month. Household income there is approaching $40,000 annually. Despite its size, Korea now ranks as the eleventh largest economy in the world. You may have heard of Samsung, LG, Hyundai and perhaps a few others. And for the younger set, KPOP seems to be conquering the world’s music scene.
I don’t have the wherewithal to return for a fifty-second trip but from zooming down on the Google maps of my old haunts, I would be lost. Way back, Seoul’s population was around 800,000 at the time of that first trip. Today, it is somewhere above 25 million.
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.정순옥의 남편
You could certainly see your enthusiasm within the work you write. The sector hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart. “Everyone has his day and some days last longer than others.” by Sir Winston Leonard Spenser Churchill.
Major thanks for the article.Thanks Again. Really Great.