Kimchi and IT

Kimchi, a popular Korean food for millennia, symbolizes Korean ethnic identity and its endurance, while IT (information technology) epitomizes the ongoing Korean cultural transformation in our new global era. Written in English, this book delineates Korea old and new—Korea's enduring tradition and recent transformation.

Despite Korea's recent visibility in the world community, heightened by its phenomenal economic growth and rapid industrialization, by and large, Korea has been obscure for so long, and often grossly misunderstood. Nevertheless, one can hardly find any comprehensive book that introduces Korea and Koreans. Despite the absence of such a guiding book, people around the world have expressed interest in the Koreans who are entering our lives as employers, business associates, and partners. Who are the Koreans that enroll in our colleges and universities? Who are the Koreans that make our ships, cars, and cell-phones? What makes Koreans different from the Chinese and Japanese? Where have they come from, and where are they going? Most importantly, what makes Korea tick?

To answer these questions, this book traces the racial and cultural origins of Koreans, reviews Korea's historical adversities under foreign intrusion, invasion, and colonization, and examines Korean political evolution and revolution toward democracy. In order to understand Korean societal and cultural changes, Korean social structure, organization, and rural development have been related. Regarding Korea's economic development, an anthropological interpretation has been presented. To understand the recent Korean accomplishment, Korean cultural roots, including mobility, education, religious beliefs and ethos, have been discussed. In the epilogue, the author's personal sentiments about the challenges Korea has faced are appended.

In a sense, this book is unique in that it has been written by a reflexive anthropologist who has done his research in two distinct worlds, America and Korea, alternating from one place to another for more than 42 years as an insider and outsider. In so doing, subjectivity in describing Korea and its culture may have been reduced. Nevertheless, the author has taken many advantages in understanding some inculture-relevant issues. Some of them are so sensitive that an outsider can hardly understand. In the course of this book, the author relates his own perception about Korea in gauging how far Korea has shifted from tradition to modernity through its transformation.