South Korea : From Ashes to Glory

I represented INDIA at UNEP International Youth Conference ’09 in South Korea. Here goes my experience and more importantly what India can learn from the “ Land Of Morning Calm ”

A “Miracle” – probably, the most apt sobriquet we could use for South Korea’s phenomenal rise from the ashes (because of war) and colonial rule to a wealthy developed nation. In 1960, South Korea had national wealth at par with Afghanistan. Despite, lacking natural resources and having the smallest territory among G20 nations, it stands tall today as a nation that is home to the world’s largest conglomerates. It took no time for South Korea from being a country that had experienced tremendous hardships, to become the largest maker of LCDs, Ships and Laptops.

From the moment I walked down the pier of Asiana Airways at Incheon to the touchdown of my flight at New Delhi, I was haunted by a question: In less than six decades, how did a country rise from ashes to glory just like a phoenix? Although, India and South Korea cannot be measured with the same yardstick, yet there is a lot India can learn from a country, which has demonstrated miraculous growth in the last six decades. So, what made these great leaps possible?

EDUCATION

62 years down the line and India is yet to achieve the desired or expected literacy rate. On the other side, the number of schools in Korea have grown by ten times in last three decades. The only resources available in the ruins from 1950 -1953 Korean War were man power. Since then Koreans have placed great importance on education as a means of self development for self fulfillment as well as social advancement. It was in 1945 that Korea was liberated from Japan. Many North Koreans escaped from the communist rule in the north to the South Korea. The intensified struggle for survival due to the growing population density gave rise to strong Education Hype. And there’s not even an iota of doubt that the country was able to make a new start under such circumstances because of Education. The reasons are many yet not far.

Like India , elementary and middle education in South Korea is almost free. But there’s a whole lot difference between the free education that both countries provide .In India the free education is confined to government schools which are no doubt in deplorable state. Hardly anyone from a well off family goes to these government schools. Whereas in South Korea the trend is opposite. The quality of education and teachers at government schools in Korea is so good that anyone hardly misses it. Though the motive of free education behind Indian and Korean Government is more or less similar, it’s only the later one which is successful in implementing it i.e. Ensuring Quality Education to One and All.

Next is the lack of quality teachers. Walk into any classrooms across India be it a govt. school in Bundelkhand or a high profile school in the capital of India. Ask the students about their career choices. Doctors, Engineers, Army Men, Cricketers, CA , Civil Servants , Designers and so on will be the prompt replies… But no one will utter “I want to be a teacher.” And that points out to a dire scenario. For a country whose 40 % population is under 18 years and will be constituting 14th of global workforce by 2020 . no body wants to be a teacher owing to the poor pay with no perks they get( Exception being the teachers at Coaching Institutes and Government Schools ). This results into teachers who are into teaching not by choice but by no option being left to try. Whereas in Korea teacher are civil servants and are paid as one of the highest in the country.

From Cricket to Olympics , one of the reason we find so many loopholes and corruption is that at the helm of these fields are the de facto politicians. And so is our Education.System .We need an independent body to look after our education system. And not a ministry which comes with so called “ path breaking plans ” just to hog the limelight. This stroked me when I was skimming through a brochure in Deajeon encompassing Korea’s chronology. It was in year 1945 when Korean Institute for Education was established. This institute has been responsible for conducting research on education and enhancing the quality of it. We surely need such an independent body to cater to the demands and problems of crores of Indian students.

ENVIRONMENT

Amidst the skyscappers, freeways, huge digital billboards, chain outlets, lavish sedans, high end malls, there exists lust green parks and hoards of cyclists on cycle lanes. Korea has developed at a very fast pace but this development never came on the cost of environment.

Every time elections come we see the launch of manifestos encompassing plethora of promises right from subsiding the cost of LPG to ensuring a particular section of society reservation in government colleges and jobs. But till date I have never seen them vowing to commit to a green policy for industries and all in case they some to power or to revive projects such as Ganga Action Plans. On the other hand , President of South Korea announced in 2008 “Low Carbon, Green Growth” as Korea’s new vision for National Development. Thus aiming to become a low carbon society through green growth via green technologies and green industries which not only enhances eco efficiency but also minimizes adverse environmental impacts such as severe droughts. The Korean Government spends a whooping 22 Trillion Won ( Currency of South Korea ) on it’s “Four River Restoration Project” which s designed to upgrade the water quality and revive eco systems of Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsai rivers. This also boosts the regional economies as well. Similar to this there are many projects which are a part of “Green New Deal” ; a set of policies aimed at laying the groundwork for Korea’s green growth. It’s high time that Indian Government too comes up with such plans ensuring INDIA and it’s rapid GROWTH as GREEN.

CULTURE & TRADITION

What I appreciate about these East Asian countries is that there co-exists a fine blend of both traditional and modern world. I still remember that huge Lord Buddha statue which I saw in Daejeon. It’s no surprise to see statues of Lord Budha and Hanbok ( traditional Dress of South Korea) in every souvenir shop out there. I live in a state where Lord Buddha attained salvation and performed the Fire Sermon. But I don’t find anything on Patna Airport which reminds me that I have landed on the land of Lord Buddha except a souvenir shop where Lord Buddha statues are on sale. Countries such as Korea have a tradition of respecting, recording and preserving old cultures and wisdom. The historical architecture is so well maintained that it’s till inhabitable after so many centuries since they were constructed. Whereas it pains to see Golghar ( one of the landmark of our Patna) in kind of condition it stands today. don’t know when our government will start giving heed to these issues or in the parlance of politics : Will the State Govt. ever ask funds to revive and preserve historical architecture which are in abundance in Bihar ?

HOPE & SOLIDARITY

It takes more than courage and hard work to start from the very beginning for a country whose cities were devastated by wars and people were oppressed by colonial rule for more than 3 decades. Not one of the past 60 years was without a crisis. But Koreans have overcome all of them. No doubt some say that Koreans have special genes that always turn misfortune into fortune.

Since the 1960s Koreans freed themselves of fatalism and burned with a “can-do” spirit. The results in turn fueled self-confidence, and that produced greater enthusiasm. The enthusiastic, free and engaging Korean temperament, once freed from grievances, became a tremendous potential. “You can do it if you try” was a specific and practical expression of high spirits, an almost mystic prophesy of self-realization.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” That comes from our very own father of nation and is my favourite adage. It’s very easy to sit in drawing room and curse the politicians .Why don’t we step in or at least practice to prevent it. Living in a democracy, it’s not only our right but a duty as well to check the government and anything which is against our common interest.

PEOPLE

Being jet lagged, I didn’t feel sleepy for first couple of days and after that I didn’t want to sleep. Me and my friends used to explore the Korean cities whole night. What surprised me during these night outs was to see students sweeping the streets and picking up the wrappers and all from the road(Although there hardly used to be wrappers ).When asked , one of them told that they get a token amount for it. But it was not that token amount that impressed me .It was the commitment of those young citizens which moved me rather. They don’t consider any work small. Such was his concern and commitment.

Koreans, though said to be extremely individualistic, have united whenever national strength was called for. During the 1988 Seoul Olympics, pickpockets went on “strike” and vowed not to steal money from foreigners, while citizens willingly observed no-driving days. During the 1997-98 financial crisis, citizens launched campaigns to donate gold accessories. And in a massive oil spill over once, numerous citizens rushed to the scene and cleaned the rocks one by one.

Look and appearances play a huge role in Korean Society. Even in the heart of Winter, you will see some women wearing mini skirts with no stockings in high heeled boots. I have no clue how they can deal with the minus degree weather in such clothing. Just imagine how would a person feel if his feet is stamped by those high heels on subway stairs .Fitness freaks , you can find Koreans in gym even as late as 3 in the night as gyms are open 24 hours.

To conclude, I only have this to say – India may not be at par when it comes to exporting consumer goods, breathtaking infrastructure, or the internet penetration rate. But there are a lot of things, which make India a special nation on the world map. As Mark Twain said, “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.”