[KR] 我眼中的韓國 What I See Korea

其實想寫這篇文章很久了，最近又看到Cheers這篇批評別人來自爽的報導

(【韓國連線】採訪日記 Day2：英文無用？)，實在讓人搖搖頭，要知道全中文世界的台北市同時也被多少外國人抱怨旅遊不便，英文路標的翻譯標示亂七八糟，台灣人普遍的英文程度也好不到那裡去，根本是五十步笑百步。唯一公認較優的地方是態度友善，熱心幫忙，這才是值得稱許的。

我在今年28歲，這個全球最典型臉孔，共有九百萬漢族男子的平均年齡。母親於這麼大時產下我。陳柏霖、賀軍翔、郭惠妮、陳妍希...等與我同年生的人都已經在舞台上發光發亮，就連北韓的金正銀也接任當上領導。前陣子看報導，中國大陸有位同樣年紀，殘而不廢的男子正靠歌唱四處賺錢生活著......大家都在努力為生活打拼。很多人不明白為何我在這年齡還要到韓國來，或許以下就是我部分的答案...


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As a Taiwanese, after living abroad for 2 years, I am really sick of the islander-mind. In Taiwan island, seems Taiwan is almost about everything. It is hard to know what happened outside this island, because nobody cares.


These years, it is easy to become a target once you mention "Korean" in Taiwan. It usually comes along with "xx dog", "xx kimchi"..., even the head of finest IT company in Taiwan dare to declare a war publicly, said that "Korea is everyone's enemy." Korean has already literally become the public enemy, a taboo in Taiwan.


Not to mention the net, anything related to Korea posted always follows with criticism and dirty words from those patriots. For instance, a news said that a Korean women was physically abused in Taipei, there were even some so-called patriots commented: "Hurrah!", this kind of worse-than-beasts words fulfilled the whole page. Through this I can see how petty their mind is. Those patriots always yell "I LOVE Taiwan", but how much have they really done for Taiwan? (hate Korea counts?) Have they ever really known any Korean people?


After the vent, then?


Acer's touch monitor team was dismissed unexpectedly. Samsung is still one of the prevalent bands worldwide.
Taiwanese girls continue to rush to the trend of K-pop overwhelmingly. Many of them married Korean guys.
Taiwanese guys still dream they were in the "Girls' Generation", and pray Korean won't come here.


In fact, I used to be one of those who dislike Korean. Because they can cheat on games, do whatever it takes to win, they claim shamelessly that Confucius, the Dragon Boat Festival and Pizza are from Korea. However, all the information source is from our media.


It is until I met some REAL Korean overseas, then I realize that this is not as simple as people see. Actually, most of Korean don't know much about those arrogant opinions. They are just confused that why there are people on a southern island hate them so much. Nevertheless, the truth is that the majority of Korean know Philippines and Thailand, but they never heard of Taiwan, don't even know where Taiwan is. They only care about Japan, America and China. It turns out that those intolerant views are from some specific groups in Korea, not the pubic. In other words, it is only another gossip to them. Ends up being spread by Chinese media.


Speaking of which, I could not help wondering that while WWII, Japan had killed thousands of people in Taiwan; they dare to crash Taiwanese fishing boat to claim the faraway Diaoyu island's sovereign of right. Why do not Taiwanese deem Japan bad? (Personally I am okay with Japan.)


Business as war. Businessmen's job is to do whatever necessary to win. The issue of "Samsung as informer" occurred twice is merely a significant battle. Many Korean don't know this. In the end, not just Taiwanese companies were hurt, but also Samsung's foe: LG, another Korean company was punished, which indicates that this is obviously a business matter. In moral view, Samsung's behavior of being an informer is nasty indeed. But is it real that Taiwanese enterprises never cheat? Come on, let's not deceive yourself.


In the same furious athletic field, take Taekwondo, the most competitive between Taiwan and Korea for example. I got black tie since I learned from childhood. A lot of Taiwanese doesn't know the Taekwondo is from Korea(true!). Taekwondo is a treasure to Korean that they might seek the victory more seriously than usual. It is shame that the Korean umpire is not fair, totally unacceptable. However, this is not so incomprehensible. Since victory is such important to the Korean, and they are so patriotic, no wonder this could happen. There is nothing wrong people loving their country.(but just in a bad way) Moreover it is not only the Korean could be unfair, everybody in this world loves their own country. The point is whether it is discovered and reported by the media or not. Personally I would rather to start cooperate with Korean or engage other sports than being meaningless angry. There is a wide range of sports in the world. Why does Taiwan have to choose Taekwondo and fight with determined Korea? Taiwan is good at Golf, Billiard, Table tennis, Badminton......which can beat Korea undoubtedly. On the other hand, the most popular Baseball and Basketball sport in Taiwan now are no longer strong like before. As for the most globally widespread sport: Soccer, Taiwan soccer team? Never heard of it.


It is such a pity that today Taiwan against Korea as both have so many similar parts that we can share each other:


1. Both are small countries, the interaction between China, Japan and the US is critical.
2. Both are democratic nations, in the front line of communist nations.
3. Both lack natural resource, rely on external trade extremely.
4. Both produce identical products.
5. Both prefer creative design, and head the same way in the future.
6. Both have similar environment. When I arrived Korea in 2004, I was surprised the surroundings look like Taiwan a lot, even within the Seoul city. It could be kind of Taipei after change the Korean with Chinese character on the shop signs. (personal opinion)


I remember when I was in school 10 years ago. The Japanese and American stuff are so popular in Taiwan. Korea was nothing but a small country no one cares. But few months ago, when I came back from Australia after 2 years, it is totally different: Walking on the street, Korean songs and dramas are everywhere. The prevalence of K-pop impressed me!


After the serious lesson of financial crisis 97', Korea not only climbed back from the bottom, but step into the limelight of the world. Korea's GDP surpassed Taiwan's easily within few years. Although Taiwan had survived from the crisis, but since then went downward until now. The primary salary for Korean university graduates can range from 60,000 NTD per month; Taiwanese university graduates only can receive no more than 30,000 NTD in one month.....Is all of this not enough to teach Taiwan a good lesson? The former Minister of Economic Affairs, current CEO of External Trade Development Council agrees so, thus prompting the cooperation of Taiwan and Korea. Meanwhile the Representative of Korea in Taipei office also wrote an article to indicate that "The relationship of Korea-Taiwan is underestimated".(低평가된 한·대만 관계)


From the perspective of history, thanks to Korea that Taiwan can maintain the freedom and democracy today. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Korean had sacrificed thousands of lives to fight with Chinese communists, which kept them away from Taiwan. In the meantime, this also urged the Americans to pay more attention to the importance of Taiwan defense. Hence they sent the US seventh fleet to Taiwan simultaneously.


The current Korea society is extreme competitive with negative influence accordingly. But it is because every Korean willing to give and win that Korea can be strong nowadays. If we can understand and observe Korea objectively, then it is no more difficult to comprehend their behavior.




In Seoul, Korea. 2011.12.31

身為台灣人，到國外生活兩年後，實在對於那種島民心態很反感，在台灣島內，彷彿全天下只有台灣最大。在台灣很難知道國外發生什麼事，因為沒有人在意。


最近這幾年，在台灣，只要你一提起「韓國人」，馬上就會淪為眾矢之的，什麼「狗」、什麼「菜」、什麼「棒子」...歧視的字眼就會批哩趴啦射過來，就連身為全國指標性公司的領導人都敢直接在電視上嗆聲宣戰：「韓國是每個人的敵人」。「韓國人」基本上已經成為台灣人的全民公敵，是一道不可碰觸的禁忌話題。


在網路上更是無法無天，任何只要跟韓國有關的話題，下面隨之而來的一定會有所謂愛國人士的批評謾罵，難聽不堪入耳，甚至連韓國人在台灣慘遭猥褻的新聞，竟還有人大聲叫好，這種「別人的小孩死不了」，連禽獸都不如的話都能占滿整個版面，已經讓我看清這些台灣所謂「鄉民」心眼之狹小。試問這些所謂愛國人士口口聲聲喊愛台灣，又真正為台灣做了多少事(討厭韓國也算？)，又真的有曾經去認識任何一個韓國人嗎？


罵完自high了然後呢？


宏碁觸控部門慘遭裁撤，人家三星照樣在全世界賣得嚇嚇叫。
台灣少女們繼續奮不顧身，前仆後繼地一波一波湧向這股韓流，紛紛嫁到韓國去。
台灣鄉民們依舊只能夢見自己在「少女時代」，醒來卻發現自己只能每天唱「保庇」，祈禱韓國人不要來。


不可諱言的是，曾經我也對韓國人很反感，因為他們可以為了比賽獲勝不擇手段、當抓靶仔，可以寡廉鮮恥的說孔子是他們家祖宗、端午節和披薩等都是他們發明的。但是，這些消息來源通通都是新聞媒體講的！


等到我在國外認識真正的韓國人以後，才發現事情並不是憨人想得那麼簡單。其實大部分的韓國人並不知道有這回事，他們只對為什麼南邊有一個小島，上面的人這麼討厭韓國而感到困惑。台灣人在那邊對他們咬牙切齒，但實際上許多一般韓國人知道菲律賓和泰國，卻聽都沒聽過「台灣」，不知道台灣在哪裡，他們唯一在意的只有日本、美國和中國。原來剛剛以上的「韓國發明」都是韓國內部某些小團體的傑作，對於每個韓國人本身來說也純屬有益無害的八卦話題，結果被各中文媒體拿來刻意大肆炒作。


不禁好奇地想，日本人二戰在台灣殺了那麼多人；不惜衝撞漁船，硬說遠方的釣魚台是他們的，為什麼台灣人就不會認為日本是壞蛋？(我個人並不討厭日本)


商場如戰場，孫子兵法有云：「兵者，詭道也。」，在商業世界裡為了取勝，本來就會不擇手段，之前三星二度當抓耙仔這件事也不過是其中較為重大的「戰役」，許多韓國人並不知道有這件事。事件最後不只台灣公司，就連同為韓國企業的競爭對手LG也中箭落馬，就說明了這只是件單純商業世界裡的攻防行為。就道德面來看，當然是很下流，但台灣企業本身難道就完全是清白的嗎(不管是這單case或是其他方面)？別自欺欺人了。


同樣競爭激烈的運動場上，就拿台韓間競爭最激烈的跆拳道來說，我從小學到黑帶，許多台灣人都不知道跆拳道其實是韓國人發明的(這是事實)，跆拳道對於韓國人來說就是一項國粹，得失心本來就會相對更大。裁判不公，當然很無恥，不可接受，但這也不是不能理解，既然勝利對他們來說如此重要，韓國人又這麼愛國，會做出這種行為也不奇怪，人家愛自己的國家不行嗎？(只是方法有錯) 更何況全世界的裁判也不是惟有韓國籍才有可能不公平，人人都愛自己的國家，只是有沒有發生及被媒體報導出來罷了。所以台灣人與其在那邊憤慨不平地埋怨、抗議、生悶氣，倒不如想想該如何與韓國加強合作交流，或是轉換跑道，此處不留爺自有留爺處，世上有那麼多的運動項目，為何偏偏要選跆拳道跟韓國槓呢？台灣人在高爾夫、撞球、桌球、羽球...仍然可以打敗韓國，倒是棒球、籃球十年至今一蹶不振，全球最流行的足球就更不用說了，台灣足球代表隊？聽都沒聽過。


其實台灣和韓國今天走到這一步相當可惜，因為台韓之間有許多相似之處可以互相借鏡：
1. 同樣是小國家，與中國、日本、美國的互動很重要。
2. 同樣身為民主國家，位處面對共產國家的戰爭前線。
3. 同樣缺乏天然資源，非常倚賴對外貿易。
4. 同樣生產許多類似商品，產品線重疊性相當高。
5. 同樣注重創意設計，將來還是會走同樣的路線。
6. 同樣擁有類似的都市環境，我2004剛到韓國時，在高速公路就很驚訝為何週遭環境一眼望去跟台灣這麼像？首爾市裡也差不多，把招牌上火星文的韓文換成中文，就跟台北市相去不遠。(這點純屬個人感覺)


記得十年前在學校的時候，當時台灣流行圈還是日本與美國的天下，韓國只不過是默默無名的一個小國。但是在幾個月之前，從澳洲兩年後回到台灣完全不一樣，走在路上，每家店裡幾乎都在放韓文歌、韓劇，韓流氾濫之程度令我印象深刻。


韓國在經歷過97金融危機慘痛的教訓後，不只重新站了起來，還成功走上世界舞台，短短幾年之內輕鬆超越台灣GDP產值；反觀台灣當時雖然得以低空飛過，卻也從此開始走下坡至今。韓國大學畢業生起薪可以有6萬台幣；台灣大學畢業生有3萬就要偷笑了，仁川國際機場連續6年獲得「全球服務最佳機場」第一名；桃園國際機場卻總是「屋漏偏逢連夜雨」，釜山港一躍成為世界前五大裝箱吞吐量的港口；高雄港則在十名之外，且節節敗退中......這等等箇中原因難道不值得台灣好好反省學習？就連前經濟部長，現外貿協會董事長王志剛也是這麼認為的：新聞－王志剛促加強台韓經貿合作。韓國駐台代表同樣也撰文表示：台韓關係被低估 (低평가된 한·대만 관계)


就歷史上來看，台灣能保有今天的自由民主，應該感謝韓國。1950年韓戰爆發，韓國人犧牲了成千上萬的生命，牽制住了當時正旺的中共軍事力量，使其是役後元氣大傷，無力進攻台灣；並同時也提醒了美國，開始注重協防台灣的重要性，派出第七艦隊就是明證。


現在的韓國社會是一個非常競爭的世界，相對的也有許多短處。不過也因為每個人都願意付出求勝，韓國現今才能在世上如此強盛。如果能多加客觀地認識並觀察韓國，那麼對於韓國人的行為也就不難理解了。




2011.12.31.記於韓國首爾