Dating on Sunday

 

The new year has come, and still controversies remain within the Korea-Japan relationship. Korea and Japan are close in proximity but not in terms of their feelings toward one another. Because of this, both countries are indifferent to each other’s cultures. In order to change this narrow point of view, there is a HUFSan who went on a field investigation to experience Korean-Japanese culture this winter break. Bae Su-yeon, a sophomore at HUFS, experienced a modern version of the “Joseon-tongshinsa,” a diplomatic envoy, with an aim to widen her vision by experiencing the relationship of the past in culture and by thinking about the future cultural relationship between the two countries. Let us hear what she experienced.

The Argus: Nice to meet you. Please introduce yourself to the readers.
Bae Su-yeon (Bae): Hello. My name is Bae Su-yeon and I am a sophomore studying Japanese literature and culture. I participated in a program promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chosun Ilbo called the “New Joseon-tongshinsa, following the steps of Joseon-tongshinsa” from Jan. 21 to 29, representing HUFS.

The Argus: Could you tell us more about the program you participated in?
Bae: The program I took part in for eight nights and nine days is a field investigation program that actually follows the footsteps of the real Joseon-tongshinsa. First of all, the “Joseon-tongshinsa” is a diplomatic envoy that went to Japan a total of 12 times from 1607 to 1811 to improve relations between both countries. In this way, the new Joseon-tongshinsa examines Japan in depth and seeks better understanding for the future of relations between both countries.


30 different universities selected one student each. Those students were divided into six teams, with five people per team, and all of them have been previously educated about the history of the era and what to learn. During the real investigation, we went to 12 different places including Daemado, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. Unlike typical tourists, we only went to places related to the Joseon-tongshinsa like Akama Shrine, which is a place the Joseon-tongshinsa visited before going to Tokyo. While visiting these places, historians, monks and professors gave us lectures about these places as well.

The Argus: What made you want to participate in this program?
Bae: I had always felt I did not know much about the exchange of culture between two countries, even though I had lived in Japan for several years. While studying Japanese literature and culture, I wanted to know more about Japan. Also, besides thinking in terms of politics, which is usually the most handled area of the Korea-Japan relationship, I wanted to broaden my thoughts about what the relationship is like with regards to culture. My acquaintance, who knew I always wanted this kind of experience, suggested that I try out for this program, and I decided to participate in it.

The Argus: What is your most cherished moment from your trip?
Bae: I think what the Joseon-tongshinsa did in the past was mostly to act like a diplomat. During my field investigation to Japan, I had a chance to experience what diplomacy would be like. There once was an interview request from Osaka TV, and only two out of 30 people could be interviewed. Since I major and can actually speak in Japanese, I was chosen as one of the two. So, I prepared for the interview with the expected questions they gave me, but in the actual interview, they gave me totally different questions. The questions that they actually gave me were critical questions that I had to carefully answer since I was representing Korea as a college student. After having this experience, I learned that diplomacy is never easy and came to admire the Joseon-tongshinsa more.
In addition, Korean Japanese Professor Bae Gwang-ung from Osaka Kyoiku University, Professor Son Seung-chul from the Department of History of Kangwon University, and monks from Tomonoura Temple gave lectures. Since some of them spoke in Japanese, we received simultaneous interpretation from an interpreter.

 

The Argus: What did you learn from those lectures?
Bae: Though we went by the name of the “New Joseon-tongshinsa,” we not only followed the past, but we also got a chance to hear about the situation of third-generation Korean Japanese and the future direction of cultural exchange.
The most memorable lecture was the lecture from the monks of Tomonoura Temple. They showed poetry and drawings that Joseon-tongshinsa left behind and explained them one by one to us. The monks said that in the past, their ancestors treated the Joseon-tongshinsa with all of their heart and that they are very happy to actually share these precious relics with us. I was very impressed with their attitude of cherishing every little detail.
Moreover, in order to give us a chance to think about the Korea-Japan culture exchange relationship, Professor Nakao Hiroshi from the Kyoto School of Arts not only gave us a lecture but also invited his students to his university, and we freely talked about present-day culture. The lecture was mainly about how they treated the Korean diplomatic envoys and what they did during their stay. The records preserved were far more specific than expected. Also, with Japanese students, we got to know how Japan today thinks about Korean culture, what their thoughts are and what the future of exchange might be like.

The Argus: It must have been special for you since you study Japanese language and literature in Korea. How did you personally feel after visiting those places?
Bae: Last semester, I took a class on Japanese history. In fact, there were a lot of history majors from other universities in the program, and so I was relatively unaware of the relationship between the two countries or of the “Joseon-tongshinsa” compared to them. However, it was very interesting that during the field investigation and through talks with Japanese people, I could understand some of them better than others since it was something I had already learned about during that class. Moreover, I felt like studying Japan only in a literary sense before, but after this experience, I realized the importance of experiencing things firsthand.

The Argus: What new things did you learn after this program?
Bae: I was very inspired by the way Japanese people preserve all details, even very small things. I think Korea can learn from this. Also, for the improvement of cultural exchange between the two, I noticed that we should pay more attention to the culture of modern Japan.
During this program, not only was my vision about the exchange between Korea and Japan widening but I was also able to share my thoughts about specific issues with other students from other learning environments.

The Argus: How would you like the cultural relationship of Korea-Japan to improve in the future?
Bae: Since Koreans pay a lot of attention to Japan, positively or negatively, I thought the Japanese would also be like us. However, when we communicated with Japanese students, I noticed that they did not pay attention to Korea as much as we do. Because understanding each other is essential prior to the improvement of a relationship, I think they should have more interest in Korean culture.
The “Joseon-tongshinsa” is listed jointly in UNESCO world heritage lists. Like this, as we are neighbors, I hope our relationship will develop in a positive way so that both countries can grow together. Not just in terms of modern cultural expression like music; I hope exchange in terms of traditional culture can develop as well.

 

The Argus: In regard to this experience, what are other things you want to challenge?
Bae: It was an honor to be a representative of HUFS and to represent Korean college students in an interview on Japanese TV. This experience made me interested in diplomacy. Therefore, I would like to try anything related to Korea-Japan diplomacy. For example, this is not diplomacy exactly, but I want to start from the bottom like volunteering at Gyeongbok Place by introducing Korean culture to Japanese tourists or meeting Japanese exchange students who come to HUFS and be their friends.

The Argus: Is there any message you especially want to share with  HUFSans?
Bae: One professor from the program said, “A sincere trip is not just about doing sightseeing at new places. It is about learning those new sights. Also, the true journey starts after the trip.” Like this saying, I think it is important to make newly learned visions my own, and to not just be satisfied with the trip. I hope other fellow students keep the active attitude of trying to share their new visions through a new experience and of making it their own.

 

저작권자 © The Argus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지