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Korea Provincial Stereotypes--Old and New
In our recent discussion on Coffee in Korea, I mentioned Korea's long history of provincial stereotypes.
To recap, I shared that Korean provincial stereotypes peaked in the late Choson period. Late Choson was also a time of much regional factionalism.
Historical records hint strongly of Korean provincial stereotypes--most being derogative. For example, Jeolla people are untrustworthy, backstabbing, and sly. (Although as we will discover in the discussion, much still lingers even today. I recall just 3 years ago an American CEO was told by his Korean wife not to hire a grad student attending UC San Diego as a summer intern... because the student was from Cholla-do.
BTW some modern versions are Korean provincial stereotypes more tolerate...
For example, the people of Gyeonggi-do, surrounding Seoul, are often described as being cultured, and Chungcheong people, inhabiting the region embracing Chungcheongbuk-do and Chungcheongnam-do provinces, are thought to be mild-mannered, manifesting true yangban virtues. The people of Gangwon-do in the northeast were viewed as poor and stolid, while Koreans from the northern provinces (now in North Korea) of Pyongan, Hwanghae, and Hamgyong are perceived as being diligent and aggressive. Jeju Island is famous for its strong-minded and independent women.
That said, what are the KBC members thoughts on Korean provincial stereotypes?
Replies to This Discussion | 이 토론에 대한 답글들
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Barbour on -
I've heard that Gyeongsangnam-do folks are supposed to be abrasive and loud, but fiercely loyal.
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Permalink Reply by Hanna Park on -
About 10 years ago ( without understanding to its full extent the Korean culture - Mom shielded me from mingling with Koreans as much as possible even when in Korea) I mentioned I wanted to introduce my Korean bf to my Mom.
Mom's face turned red and she calmly asked " where is his dad from?"
Me: " some island called Go Je Do" ( I just googled it= It's Gyeongsangnamdo)
Mom's face turned redder: " how many sisters/brothers does he have?"
Me: " one younger sister and one younger brother"
Mom ( voice slightly sounding angrier): " where did he go to college?"
Me: " Sogang"
Mom ( definitely pissed at this stage) : " what did he major?"
Me: " Biology"
Mom ( raising voice loudly): " are you crazy? Do you want to have your Shinui ( sister in law) throw her underwear to your face so you can wash it in the States? "
I thought she was just being irrational and quietly didn't say anything.
After this unusual event, I ended up at Lotte Hotel's top floor restaurant to have lunch with my Korean bf's dad ( thought it was weird his Mom wasn't joining -since she had been extremely nice to me - but figured she was busy) .
Korean bf: " it's almost time, let's go in front of the elevator to wait for my Dad"
Me: " why, we can wait inside this room so he can come to have lunch with us"
Korean bf: " no we have to greet him in front of the elevator"
Thinking it's a Korean thing I reluctantly agreed to wait for his dad in front of the elevator.
One his dad came out of the elevator, the Korean bf bowed down 90 degrees. I bowed down about 15 degrees.
After we sat down for lunch his dad began the conversation.
Dad: " I hear you speak English well"
Me: " Not really but I am ok"
Dad: " It's really not that great for a woman to speak English better because if my son is studying in the States, you will adapt to life in the States better than him" ( Pause). " I also hear you might want to work in the States after your studies.:
Me: " Yes"
Dad: " How much are you going to make? "
Me ( baffled): " I don't know....... ( trying to think of a fairly large sum to impress him ) "
Dad: " It's disgraceful to my family and son if you work and sell your face. Also, you can't study at the same time. If my son studies, you cannot study. "
Me ( still baffled) : " One of my uncles and his wife studied at Sorbonne at the same time. They did fine"
Dad ( getting angry) : " It doesn't work that way. It's not good for you to think about marrying someone who cannot support you fully. "
Me ( even more baffled at the fact my Korean bf is not saying a word) : " Hm.... I don't think that's right. Women need to work to have an independent life"
Dad ( full blown angry and stomps his wine glass on the table and breaks it in half) : " Hahahaha"
Me ( slightly shocked at the wine glass breaking) : Silence.
Meeting ended after this.
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Permalink Reply by Don Southerton on -
Right, asking one where they are from... is one of the first questions Koreans ask....
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Permalink Reply by Hanna Park on
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gyong sang nam do. Well his dad was from this island called Gojedo. Wait was that smile a knowing smile and I am just repeating what you already know?
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Permalink Reply by Hyun Lee on -
I am originally from Gyeongsang-do, my dad is from Chungcheong-do, my mom is from Gangwon-do, and we all lived in Seoul. It is true that provincial stereotypes widely exist in Korea but I found it quite interesting to hear that an American CEO was told not to hire a person from Cholla Province. I am rather familiar with less extreme versions of the stereotypes such as: Gyeongsang-do people are loud, aggressive, and blunt; Chungcheong-do people are slow and steady; Seoul people are individualistic and fragile; and Cholla-do people are loyal to their region and stick to each other.
Lots of different things may have caused such stereotypes but I believe language and history are two major factors.
In terms of language, Gyeongsang-do dialect sounds aggressive and people speak very fast. When someone from Seoul listens to two Gyeongsang-do people talking to each other, he or she often misunderstands that they are in a fight. On the other hand, Chungcheong-do dialect sounds laid-back and they speak very slow.
However, the negative stereotypes about Cholla-do particularly like untrustworthy, backstabbing, and sly seem to be rooted in Korea's political history. It is complicated to explain and I don't want to make it political... To make a long story short, Cholla province was largely neglected and alienated from the government's economic support and development projects because almost all Korean presidents were from Gyeongsang-do (Cholla's rival?) and had preferential policies over their province. The anger, resentment, and resistance of Cholla-do people against the political power caused the government to suppress them and vice versa, which may have resulted in negative images about the people and the local patriotism.
It is based on my limited knowledge and I would be interested in listening to other people's insights.
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Permalink Reply by N.Barker on -
I've often come across these regional stereotypes as well. I think my most direct experiences are always family occasions with my in-laws: father-in-law is from Gyeongsang-do & my mother-in-law is from Chungcheong-do. My wife and her sisters and brother take after their father and conversations always get noisy but interesting when we're altogether. My mother-in-law looks at me sometimes and often shakes her head and asks: "Why is everyone yelling? You're all in the same room." I think it's interesting though, at least the positive aspects of regional culture and character.
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Permalink Reply by Hanna Park on
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except for the Gyeongsando being swapped with Chollado and swapping Dad's chungcheong do and Mom's Chollado same here. Especially got complicated one NYE when a surprise party was arranged by Brit bro in law :he thought magic appearance of in laws would make the party happen.
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Permalink Reply by Lara Tosh on
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Personally, my hubby is from North Cheolla Prov. & I've heard several times from Koreans "he is loyal & gentlemanly" (but the speakers of that comment were unable to explain what their definition of "gentlemanly" was).
I've heard that Gyeonsannam-Do people are crude & boorish (there's a word I never thought I'd ever hear over here ^.~).
...that's about it.
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Permalink Reply by Don Southerton on
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BTW Does anyone want to guess at how Westerners in the late 19th once looked at those from the Northern Provinces compared to those near Seoul?
From one of my books :)
...late nineteenth century westerners traveling to the area would note the “independent, manly spirit” of the region’s inhabitants.[i] Scholars point out that the makeup of its society differed from the Southern provinces and made for a “more vibrant, restless population.” [ii]
[i] Quote attributed to William M. Baird’s article in The Independent, 20 May 1897. See Kyung Moon Hwang, “From Dirt to Heaven: Northern Koreans in the Chosôn and Early Modern Eras,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 62 (June 2002): 135-137.
[ii] Ibid.
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