Something in Common between Israel and Korea

Being a Korean often brings interesting questions in conversation with my Israeli friends. I've learned that one learns to be more aware of her own culture, history and traditions -- sources of national identity -- only after she crosses the national border and finds herself outside that boundary. Or you finally become aware of who you are only in relation to others around you who are profoundly different from yourself. Speaking of the national border, it is funny to think that there is no such thing called "the national border" in South Korea other than the DMZ, demilitarized zone, the 38 Parallel between the North and South Korea.

Despite the many differences between Israel and Korea, I found a few similarities that showed up on news recently. Here are a few of these I am paying attention to these days: 

• Ceasefire and the Armistice: We know what it feels like to live under uncertainty and any potential threats. I won't write about Israel's recent war with Gaza again today, but you can read my musing a few weeks ago (click here) If the conflicts around Israel and the Palestine (or the wider Middle East) are the consequences of the WWI, the conflict between the North and South Korea is that of the WWII, as the division of Korean peninsular in 1945 and the Korean War (1950-1953) opened the Cold War era. Peace Treaties do not exist in either country. The border tensions are always there, they just rise high and recede low depending on the internal politics and whatever the pressing global issue might be at the time, whether that might be oil, nuclear power or economic crisis of the West. The rocket launch by North Korea two days ago shocked (and deceived) the watching world, and South Korean government finds a bit hopeless of its own military technology being behind that of North Korea's (you can read about it in Korean news website in Korean). This is all happening just a week before the presidential election next week in South Korea. By the way, Israel's next national election is scheduled in January 2013.  
• Start-up Nation: This is the title of a book which I am reading to understand Israel and why there are so many successful entrepreneurial innovations in this country. As modern nations (or 'states' to be more precise), Korea and Israel only have been around for sixty some years as the liberal democratic states but the two nations come with history and heritages that go for a few thousand years. Comparing Israel as a nation as a start-up company is the main thesis of this book. I found interesting to compare this to my own country Korea as well. 

Beneath this fragile geo-political and social conditioning of the "nationhood" in modern Korea and Israel, there is this culture of resilience, agility and entrepreneurship in the deep psyche of people, an instinct to survive and longing to prosper in the land. This psyche is hard to grasp if you are not from that country. This is all part of "national identity." Because we think we know how to build a strong nation: nothing else but human ability will create and sustain stronger civilization and outperform weaker ones. So here's another one in common: Heavy pressure to perform well and achieve highly in school.  

• Smart kids outperforming the rest of the world: Children from Korea, Singapore and Japan now are the winners of international Mathematics and Science competitions. Israel also brags its high achieving youth outperforming western nations (See this article in the Hararetz). 

Sadly, however, these kids in Asia are also known for highly stressed childhood and school life. The price they pay to make their nations proud is indeed high. I don't know whether Israeli children feel stressed about their lives too. 

Perhaps it is time to count the real human-cost of sustaining human-built nations and human-built civilizations.