During our last week in South Korea, we headed to the south of the country to spend a few days in Jeju-do. Described by many as the Hawaii of Korea, Jeju-do is a scenic island that boasts unique wildlife and produce, beautiful oceanside views for honeymooners, and an incredibly dark recent history. Between eating local fruits and admiring the scenery, our group learned about a massacre that killed a tenth of the island’s population in the late 1940s and the struggle a village and its ecosystem continue to face after a US Navy Base was built against their wishes a decade ago. Though we only spent a short time in Jeju-do, we experienced and learned so much.
Although Jeju-do has a very unique culture that differentiates itself from the mainland, its beauty that masks a traumatic past makes it very representative of Korea as a whole. Today, Korea is an economic and cultural power known across the globe. But just beneath the dazzling surface of technological advancements and famous idol groups lies a century of occupation, war, starvation, and suffering. While it’s easy to be swept away by the K-wave, it’s important to remember and acknowledge Korea’s long and complicated history. As Professor Kwon noted, if you begin to look closely you can see the remnants of Korea’s past that still lingers in the present.
This summer has been one of the most memorable and meaningful experiences of my life. I’m so grateful that I was able to do this program, and I’m especially grateful that I did it with this specific group of people. In the coming weeks, as we transition back to our college lives and all the stresses that accompany it, I hope that we can remember this summer and everything that we learned during it. Even if we don’t become great ambassadors working to reunify Korea, I hope that we can still strive to make a positive change in whatever way we can.
I have so many more emotions and thoughts about this summer, but no matter how many paragraphs I write I don’t think I would ever be able to express them completely. (Maybe I’ll use some of my ideas in one of D3K’s upcoming albums.) For now, I’ll just say this – 감사합니다.
– Sydney Maynor
