Korean Culture Snapshot: Education and Marriage

For most Korean students their summer break is only the month of August! This means that their semesters are broken up differently as well. Their first semester is from March to July, and their second semester is September to February. Students progress to their next grade in March, unlike the American student who progresses in August or September typically. But this is not the only difference between the Korean and American education system and culture.

Education is extremely rigorous in South Korea. Homeschooling is not illegal but hardly anyone does homeschool their child because they would be ostracized for not having an education that would get them into any good college, and from there, any good paying job. The desire and need to have the best paying job is a huge drive, so it is crucial that a student does well from kindergarten to the end of high school to get into a top college here or overseas. The after school clubs start in kindergarten, and so does the beginning of the child’s resume. The more extracurricular education clubs and groups they are involved in after school hours, the better off they will be. It is not uncommon for even elementary aged students to not get home on the weekdays until well into the evening! Many elementary students are involved in after school activities that cover music and instruments or any school subject that they need to get ahead in, including English classes. This continues on through high school, when it is common for students to pick which high school they attend based on what they want to study in college. There are high schools that are math and science focused, and others which are language and social studies focused.

With this background, it sadly is evident why there is such a high suicide rate between 11- and 15-year-olds in South Korea. If they do not succeed in middle or high school, they know they will not have a standing chance at getting into a good college, that will then help them get a high paying, high end job. It is not uncommon for children who have disabilities, like being deaf, to not even be able to get accepted into college, and have no way of making a decent amount of money. It is very expensive to live and have a family in South Korea. This is why I am tying in the education aspect with the marriage culture of South Korea.

It definitely does not help that South Koreans like to watch and follow the Western world in their lifestyles and culture, and over time this has aided in delayed marriages. Many Koreans do not marry until they are well past 30. This is also in part due to the fact that many young Koreans cannot afford to have a wedding that they want, or a nice apartment and money for children and their education. A lot of this, from a Christian perspective, is due to having a fear of what man will think of you, and being driven by money since many things are expensive. A couple other facts that go with marriage culture in Korea is that engagement rings are not that common, sometimes the couples exchange copper rings. And proposals are usually to celebrate their previous agreement to marry. Because of this, wedding proposals tend not to be surprises, and some even happen right before the scheduled wedding! Married couples do not always wear wedding bands on a daily basis, like we would as Americans.

During a language exchange I asked some of my friends to share some traditions that occur during a Korean wedding, since many have slowly died off in more recent years. (Like the giving of a pair of wedding ducks, which I will share a picture of ours below.) During the ceremony, the bride and groom will change into traditional royalty clothes and bow to their in-laws, who will exchange nice words with the new couple. Then, the couple will kneel facing each other, holding a wide strip of fabric between them. The in-laws will proceed to throw chestnuts and jujubes, as the couple tries to catch them in the fabric. The number of items they catch signifies how many children they will have, as the tradition goes. Another tradition that happens during the ceremony is that the couple will sit across from each other, interlock their arms holding a cup, and drink traditional tea.

This is definitely an aspect of Korean culture that we can pray about since many Koreans are not religious or being taught by true Christian churches. (More on this in a future blog post.) Many of these children need hope that their lives are not driven by money or status, and are struggling for purposes in their lives outside of education! This country is beautiful and so are its people. It is so neat to see more sides of God’s good creation, but there are always areas in each and every culture that have been affected by the fall. We can also pray for a desire to have families and children will grow in this country because their population is going to struggle in the coming decades.

Wedding ducks signify the married couple. All is well in the relationship when they are facing each other, and sometimes a spouse can turn their duck to face the other way if there is strife. Wedding ducks come in all different sizes and they can be made with either wood or ceramics.