[Student Voices] Can South Koreans and North Koreans Be Friends?

Jion Lee (Branksome Hall Asia, Grade 5)

by Jion Lee (Branksome Hall Asia, Grade 5)

In South Korea, there is a sweet, popular snack called Choco Pie. People in North Korea like them, too. Some South Koreans once sent balloons carrying 10,000 Choco Pies across the border to North Korea. Now, North Korea has a highly similar snack called “Chocolatte Dan-Seol-Ki.” If you ever see a North Korean, give them a Choco Pie.

South and North Koreans also have the same traditional clothing, hanbok. You can see many people wearing beautiful hanboks when they visit Gyeongbokgung Palace. In North Korea, they wear hanboks when there are big events, like parades and film festivals. If you ever see a North Korean, say, “I like your hanbok! Where did you get it?”

Another similarity between South and North Korea is the number of taekwondo academies. Many children learn taekwondo in order to be brave and defeat villains. Several years ago, in Muju, there was a collaborative taekwondo performance with the teams of both countries. The athletes jumped in the air and broke boards and bricks! If you ever see a North Korean, do a high kick together.

South and North Koreans also have a shared history. For instance, King Sejong was a great king who helped all Koreans develop. He supported scientists from poor backgrounds, published books about agriculture, and even designed a system for writing music. He helped Koreans to be healthy and successful. If you ever see a North Korean, talk about Yi Sun-sin, An Jung-geun, or your favorite Korean historical figure.

As you may know, the people in South and North Korea use one official language, Korean. We Koreans are proud of the Korean language. It was invented scientifically based on the shape of the mouth, so people don’t usually find it too difficult to learn. If you ever see a North Korean, play a game of Korean Word Relay together.

You’re not likely to meet a North Korean today. You’re not likely to meet one tomorrow, either. But maybe, someday, you’ll run into one. And now you know how to be friends with them.