Essay Contest Result
Application of Understanding of Korea Materials
There is a saying that one has to read 10 good books to become a man of wisdom but that he has to read thousands of books to find the right 10 books. What is a good book? For me, a good book is a book that I want to read again. If I find the book very interesting, well written and easy to read or informative, it' a good book regardless of its topic. It is a good book too that revives the feelings that I had had before but that I forgot or that gives me a new awakening. A good book gives me pleasure and motivates me to learn new things and think of my feelings and mind, and the world. But it is very difficult to find a book that I want to read again among such books. I mostly pursue fun, knowledge and feelings, and it is rare for me to open a book again. Unfortunately, "Korea in the World" was not a book worth opening again for me.
At first, I felt as if I was reading Wikipedia or a dictionary because it was too formal. The texts put together facts about history, culture and economy, but it was difficult to read and it did not give fun. I even thought that the author had intended to put as many texts and facts as possible on every single page. Too many facts continue to come up without pause, so I had only to keep reading down the texts without thinking about their meanings. The latest brain science theory is said to show that the human brain cannot effectively remember information that is listed consecutively and that it even fails to remember only one piece of such information. This is why you'll get a lot of information by reading this book, but will be unable to remember much.
The book is about the history and culture of Korea and Koreans' way of thinking. It is difficult, however, to understand only by reading the book what kind of country Korea is and how Koreans think. The texts consist of sentences that simply list information, like a dictionary, so they can hardly deliver extraordinary impressions, awakening, emotions, etc. to the reader. I was particularly surprised to see jargon used frequently in the part about economic growth. For example, words like conjuncture and surplus are technical terms of economics, so readers who did not study economics or who do not have professional background knowledge would not understand them. I had no problem understanding "Korea in the World" because I majored in economics. But I wondered readers in what class and field the author had in his mind when he had first planned to write the book. I tried hard to find, but there was no mention of which particular audience it wanted to address. Judging from its vocabulary and style, I can assume that the book was written for college students, but it offers only simple information and may not be good enough to become a school book due to the shortage of information. Ordinary people who want to know more about Korea and foreigners are likely to have difficulty reading the book.
The title of the book is "Korea in the World," but it mainly mentions areas related to Korean history and economy. Contrary to its title, it offers little information about where Korea stands in the world and what role it is playing. There are two lines in the ancient history part that say Korea was part of the Silk Road, but it is difficult to understand what Korea looked like and what was its status in the world because there is no additional information on how Korea affected other countries and how it was affected by other countries. It may be generously understood that there is little information because it is ancient history. But there are very few comments too on the impact modern Korea has had on the world and its status. There is only one sentence on K-pop and Korean Wave (hallyu).
The book has major shortcomings: it fails to deliver information effectively because of the boring and dictionary-like composition of sentences, lists simple and general information and uses lots of jargon which are difficult for ordinary readers to understand, and deals too much with history and economy contrary to its title. The book also has some positive aspects, however. Because it was written in a dictionary style, the part about the Korean War is not biased towards any ideology. Some Korean books mentioning the Korean War still reflect anti-communist education and the Cold War and thus remain hostile and negative towards the Soviet Union. This book, however, was written neutrally without political evaluation, so I could view the case with some extent of objectivity.
"Korea in the World" can be made a better book by doing the following as I previously pointed out when mentioning its shortcomings: First, the boring and dictionary-type style should be changed into a "lively" one. A "lively style" interests readers. This type of book that mainly aims to deliver information can be enriched and delivered more efficiently by providing interesting examples or storytelling.
Second, a good book should be easy for every reader to understand unless it is a professional book or a school book. When dealing with economy, economic terms frequently used should be explained in plain words, and additional examples should be provided for terms that are difficult to understand yet. I once read Paul Krugman's "The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008," a book about complex economic processes. I did not have any knowledge about economics at that time, but I was able to enjoy reading the book thanks to the author's writing skills that explained difficult concepts easily with metaphors and humors. I realized that use of simple and easy language combined with metaphors and humors allow readers to enjoy reading even difficult concepts and terms. Likewise, "Korea in the World" will be able to effectively deliver its good intention if it is compiled in an easy and interesting way.
Third, the book should deal more deeply with Korea's impact on the world as its title "Korea in the World" suggests. To this end, the book should first explain the geopolitical characteristics of Korea. If the book describes Korea's status, role and influence in relation to China and Japan of ancient times and Russia and the United States of modern times, the author's intention will be delivered effectively. For example, the reader will have a fair understanding if the book is written in this way: "The style of Buddhist temples and statues built in ancient Japan was strongly influenced by Silla and Baekje, as Korea which had accepted Buddhism from China spread it to Japan." There are many diverse topics that can be used as examples and storytelling, including ceramics, food and music of Korea, China and Japan.
Lastly, addition of the Korean Wave like hansik (food), K-pop and movies, and Nam June Paik, founder of video art, and other trends will greatly help and interest foreigners who are interested in Korea or studying Korea professionally. For example, the book will be able to provide more information about present Korea by including Gwyneth Paltrow's favorite Korean food, "bibimbap," "bulgogi" which former U.S. President Barack Obama enjoyed, and the sold-out global tours of BTS. Publication of a book like "Korea in the World" can be regarded as civilian diplomacy. I think that the writer wanted to offer a lot of information about Korea and his excessive ambition resulted in the adverse effects. Some may encounter Korea for the first time through this book and think of Korea as a boring country. When writing a book introducing the country, the author must be careful about its impact on readers. If the book presents interesting examples, storytelling and accurate information about diverse areas, instead of dealing with heavy contents too cautiously, readers will get more interested in Korea and understand its global status and role. For modern people living in a digital society with advanced media, civilian diplomacy is more familiar and accessible than public diplomacy. Even one book can promote positive image of Korea to foreigners, thus creating a synergy effect by encouraging them to buy Korean products and cultural contents, introduce Korea to their acquaintances and pay a visit to Korea. I hope books and contents will be produced bearing this in mind so they can contribute to the national interest of Korea.
At first, I felt as if I was reading Wikipedia or a dictionary because it was too formal. The texts put together facts about history, culture and economy, but it was difficult to read and it did not give fun. I even thought that the author had intended to put as many texts and facts as possible on every single page. Too many facts continue to come up without pause, so I had only to keep reading down the texts without thinking about their meanings. The latest brain science theory is said to show that the human brain cannot effectively remember information that is listed consecutively and that it even fails to remember only one piece of such information. This is why you'll get a lot of information by reading this book, but will be unable to remember much.
The book is about the history and culture of Korea and Koreans' way of thinking. It is difficult, however, to understand only by reading the book what kind of country Korea is and how Koreans think. The texts consist of sentences that simply list information, like a dictionary, so they can hardly deliver extraordinary impressions, awakening, emotions, etc. to the reader. I was particularly surprised to see jargon used frequently in the part about economic growth. For example, words like conjuncture and surplus are technical terms of economics, so readers who did not study economics or who do not have professional background knowledge would not understand them. I had no problem understanding "Korea in the World" because I majored in economics. But I wondered readers in what class and field the author had in his mind when he had first planned to write the book. I tried hard to find, but there was no mention of which particular audience it wanted to address. Judging from its vocabulary and style, I can assume that the book was written for college students, but it offers only simple information and may not be good enough to become a school book due to the shortage of information. Ordinary people who want to know more about Korea and foreigners are likely to have difficulty reading the book.
The title of the book is "Korea in the World," but it mainly mentions areas related to Korean history and economy. Contrary to its title, it offers little information about where Korea stands in the world and what role it is playing. There are two lines in the ancient history part that say Korea was part of the Silk Road, but it is difficult to understand what Korea looked like and what was its status in the world because there is no additional information on how Korea affected other countries and how it was affected by other countries. It may be generously understood that there is little information because it is ancient history. But there are very few comments too on the impact modern Korea has had on the world and its status. There is only one sentence on K-pop and Korean Wave (hallyu).
The book has major shortcomings: it fails to deliver information effectively because of the boring and dictionary-like composition of sentences, lists simple and general information and uses lots of jargon which are difficult for ordinary readers to understand, and deals too much with history and economy contrary to its title. The book also has some positive aspects, however. Because it was written in a dictionary style, the part about the Korean War is not biased towards any ideology. Some Korean books mentioning the Korean War still reflect anti-communist education and the Cold War and thus remain hostile and negative towards the Soviet Union. This book, however, was written neutrally without political evaluation, so I could view the case with some extent of objectivity.
"Korea in the World" can be made a better book by doing the following as I previously pointed out when mentioning its shortcomings: First, the boring and dictionary-type style should be changed into a "lively" one. A "lively style" interests readers. This type of book that mainly aims to deliver information can be enriched and delivered more efficiently by providing interesting examples or storytelling.
Second, a good book should be easy for every reader to understand unless it is a professional book or a school book. When dealing with economy, economic terms frequently used should be explained in plain words, and additional examples should be provided for terms that are difficult to understand yet. I once read Paul Krugman's "The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008," a book about complex economic processes. I did not have any knowledge about economics at that time, but I was able to enjoy reading the book thanks to the author's writing skills that explained difficult concepts easily with metaphors and humors. I realized that use of simple and easy language combined with metaphors and humors allow readers to enjoy reading even difficult concepts and terms. Likewise, "Korea in the World" will be able to effectively deliver its good intention if it is compiled in an easy and interesting way.
Third, the book should deal more deeply with Korea's impact on the world as its title "Korea in the World" suggests. To this end, the book should first explain the geopolitical characteristics of Korea. If the book describes Korea's status, role and influence in relation to China and Japan of ancient times and Russia and the United States of modern times, the author's intention will be delivered effectively. For example, the reader will have a fair understanding if the book is written in this way: "The style of Buddhist temples and statues built in ancient Japan was strongly influenced by Silla and Baekje, as Korea which had accepted Buddhism from China spread it to Japan." There are many diverse topics that can be used as examples and storytelling, including ceramics, food and music of Korea, China and Japan.
Lastly, addition of the Korean Wave like hansik (food), K-pop and movies, and Nam June Paik, founder of video art, and other trends will greatly help and interest foreigners who are interested in Korea or studying Korea professionally. For example, the book will be able to provide more information about present Korea by including Gwyneth Paltrow's favorite Korean food, "bibimbap," "bulgogi" which former U.S. President Barack Obama enjoyed, and the sold-out global tours of BTS. Publication of a book like "Korea in the World" can be regarded as civilian diplomacy. I think that the writer wanted to offer a lot of information about Korea and his excessive ambition resulted in the adverse effects. Some may encounter Korea for the first time through this book and think of Korea as a boring country. When writing a book introducing the country, the author must be careful about its impact on readers. If the book presents interesting examples, storytelling and accurate information about diverse areas, instead of dealing with heavy contents too cautiously, readers will get more interested in Korea and understand its global status and role. For modern people living in a digital society with advanced media, civilian diplomacy is more familiar and accessible than public diplomacy. Even one book can promote positive image of Korea to foreigners, thus creating a synergy effect by encouraging them to buy Korean products and cultural contents, introduce Korea to their acquaintances and pay a visit to Korea. I hope books and contents will be produced bearing this in mind so they can contribute to the national interest of Korea.
[Participation Prize]
Panteleeva Galina
(Country of Activity : Russia)
Panteleeva Galina
(Country of Activity : Russia)
