Where’s the fire? Exploring the Korean mind-set

Malaysian Ambassador Dato’ Ramlan Ibrahim. By Jeong Chi-ho

I am willing to fork over the whole farm (including my BlackBerry) to anyone who succeeds in this task: Stay put at a traffic light that has just turned green for five seconds - heck, make it three - without getting into an intense dialogue with the driver behind you.

I always tell people who come to Korea for the first time that if you can drive here, you can practically drive anywhere in the world.

What about New York, you say?

It doesn’t even come close.

Koreans are well known for having tempers that flare quickly and ebb just as fast, leading to bursts of impatience. For many newcomers to this country, this trait is as foreign as the cuisine.

It has worked well for Korea in some ways, particularly the country’s speedy transformation into an industrialized nation after the Korean War.

But there have been some notable downsides as well, such as the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store and the Seongsu Bridge in the 1990s. The thinking is that too much emphasis on “speed” resulted in the neglect of essential processes that could have prevented those tragic accidents. Whether it’s constructing a building or driving down the street, there is never a lack of speed here, that’s for sure. It’s the whole “ppali-ppali” (hurry, hurry) concept.

This uniquely Korean trait intrigues Malaysian Ambassador Dato’ Ramlan Ibrahim, who hopes to explore the local mentality during his tenure here.

“I want to find some answers,” he said. “What makes Koreans different? So forward-looking? There is the ppali-ppali culture.?.?.”

Since his placement in March, the ambassador has been busy exploring the country and meeting with people in Seoul as he looks to chart a new course for the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

“We have no territorial disputes to discuss. We don’t have many Malaysians here that would in a way create a lot of migrant issues or labor issues, so the focus is of course on the economy and on ensuring that we continue the current momentum,” the ambassador said. “Despite the fact that this is not a resource-rich country, it is quite a success story.

“And now Korea is taking on Japan in many areas, such as electronics, for instance. It has overtaken many of the major players. So it is a very exciting learning process for me to come here.”

His explanation came during a Malaysian meal that captured the country’s rich cultural history. Various curry dishes that included chunks of chicken and fish were served along with rice and a soup that had a slight sour kick.

The ambassador summed up the meal quite well: “These are all spicy dishes. We come from a country that was engaged in the spice trade that led the Europeans to come in search of spices. We use our hands to eat every meal, including the curry. So we wash our hands before and after.”

Ah, yes. I forgot to tell you. If you are not accustomed to hot food, you might believe that your mouth actually is on fire.

So you better be prepared. But I found this spicy aspect of the dishes intoxicating, so much so that I kept serving myself additional portions.

The cuisine draws its strength from various ethnic groups including Indians, Malaysians and Chinese. In that regard, the country’s tourism slogan “Malaysia, Truly Asia,” is a fitting reflection of the country.

Seeing as Korea’s own foreign population has exceeded the 1 million mark, I was curious to hear more about how other countries have handled social integration.

“It’s about striking a balance. It’s about social engineering. It’s about making sure that there is no jealousy or envy. Precisely because of that, we have an affirmative-action program,” Ambassador Ibrahim told me.

At this point in our discussion, I remembered the story of Banajit Hussein, a 28-year-old Indian research professor who recently was berated by a Korean on a bus because of his darker skin color.

“It’s about managing a multi-ethnic cultural society,” the ambassador stressed. “If you leave anyone behind, it’s a recipe for disaster, and it’s going to cause a lot of resentment.”

Aside from digging into the Korean mentality, the ambassador said he wants to explore the prospects of biodiesel technology as an environmentally friendly alternative energy source for Malaysia.

“We are looking at technology that would aid the transformation to a greener lifestyle,” the ambassador said. “So this is where we see potential collaboration with Korea”

Malaysia also is eager to learn from Korea’s nuclear expertise as the country looks to move away from fossil fuels and reduce its emission levels.

“Of course going nuclear is something that you have to prepare for,” the ambassador said. “You have to get the right people to be trained as nuclear scientist technicians to work in the plants. It’s going to be a long process, but we are aware that Korea has what we need in the future.”

Let’s hope his stay will be everything he hopes for and that he can achieve all his goals.

By Brian Lee [africanu@joongang.co.kr]