The North-South Korean have had 5 times summit including the latest summit which happened in Semptember 18th to 20th. Recently, interest of South Korean in North Korea gets higher exchange between the North and South Korean being activated. The Korean Peninsula has been divided into south and north for a long time. After North and South Korea which were Koreans before, were separated and times passes, cross-culture arises. Then, What is North Korean culture different ours? -Ed


  Lately, interest in South Korean is also getting higher in North Korean. Recently South Korean singers performed in North Korea. Mr. H, North Korean defector, who saw Korean performance said “After acquaintance who saw South Korea Art Troupe this April said South Korean singers are so beautiful and Korean singers are gaining popularity in North Korea like IRENE, idol star, are so popular in North Korea.” Although North Korean has a group of women, there are no idol groups like Korea.
  Interest of South Korean in companion animal is continually getting higher. In the age of companion animals, companion animal culture festivals are often held and companion animal products are consumed a lot. Then, is there companion animal culture in North Korea? Some North Korean resident raise animals like a family but, many residents raise them in the sense of livestock than companion animal. Also, recently among the residents, raising a dog which wears good clothes represents wealth. So, companion animal culture is spreading among the upper classes. But, there is no animal hospital, so it is difficult to get treatment and veterinary abattoir vaccinate on a farmer basis. So, It is difficult to see that companion animal culture located in North Korea.
  There are many fast food restaurants around CBNU. It is not difficult to find fast food restaurants around us. Then, do North Koreans eat fast food, too? North Korea's first fast food restaurant is the Samtae Soft Drinks store in Pyongyang. Recently, North Korea has established foreign restaurants centered on Pyongyang, such as fast food restaurants, chicken restaurants, and Italian restaurants. Unlike South Korea, where fast food is served at a price, North Koreans need to have a ‘supply ticket’ for fast food only for good families and good employees. Therefore, sometimes high-ranking officials intercept this supply. Therefore, only those who are richer than the general citizens can use fast food restaurants. Every child will want to go to an amusement park with interesting attractions like a castle in a fairy tale. In Korea, there are large-scale amusement parks such as Everland and Lotte World. So, is there an amusement park in North Korea, too? North Korea designs amusement parks with vehicles imported from Japan and the Czech Republic, and other countries, so they are comparable to South Korea. Pyongyang also opened ‘Gaesun Youth Park’ in 2010 and has the latest vehicle facilities such as gyro-drops, vikings and roller coasters. Operation hours are for 4 hours from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Admission fee is 300 won for a group and 2,600 won per kilogram of North Korean rice, so there is no burden. Therefore, illegal tickets, which cost 3,000 won per admission fee, are traded to go to amusement parks. Around the world, people celebrate Christmas, the birthday of Jesus on December 25th. Koreans spend time with their loved ones on Christmas and Christmas Eve. So, does Christmas exist in North Korea, too? There is no Christmas in North Korea. However, it has a solar day on April 15th to commemorate the birth of President Kim Il-sung. This day, children are given snacks and clothes such as candy and snacks as souvenirs. Unlike us, who receive gifts for Santa at Christmas, North Korean children are waiting for the day to receive sweets and clothes.
  Like South Korea, North Koreans go to the school. North Korea provide a free education system for 12 years. North Korea supports tuition fee through the education system. It also provides necessary supplies such as stationery and school uniforms. Therefore, the education system supports meals and groceries, textbooks, and transportation expenses. However, North Korea’s education is very different from the actual reality known. The difference was reported by North Korean defectors who worked in education or received higher education in the North. One of the characteristics of the North Korean school is that its home room teacher is the same from admission to graduation. Therefore, the transfer system in South Korea does not exist in North Korea. When a teacher is assigned to a particular school, he or she must stay at the same school until he retires from that school.
  North Korean defector H said, “North Korea has vacation like South Korea. Summer and winter vacation is about one or two months. During the vacation, school gives homework. Therefore, the students do their vacation homework. They write diaries and collect insects. In addition, as interest in English increased, studying English becoming important.”
  We asked a student who would become a teacher in South Korea about the education of North Korea students. Song Eun-na (’14, Dept. of Social Studies Education) said, “When educating North Korean students, the focus is recognizing that their educational environment is different from ours. We must admit the other educational environment and find a proper way to educate. Furthermore, Social studies are subjects that understand and learn about various societies. Therefore, it will be necessary to teach North and South Korea’s culture to understand each other’s culture. I think this will help develop an attitude of respect for other cultures. In particular, we should be careful not to educate North Korean students unilaterally absorbing South Korean culture.”
  Recently, South and North Korea held the inter-Korean summit in 11 years. Since then, there has been a warm breeze on the Korean Peninsula, one step closer to reunification. As such, South and North Korea have similar cultures, but they have different cultures. Isn’t it time to prepare for reunification while respecting the different cultures?

By Lee Dong-ah | da39@cbnu.ac.kr
By Jung Jun-hoe | jjh38@cbnu.ac.kr
By Kim Min-ji | mj39@cbnu.ac.kr