Four characters idioms in 2016 in Korea

This is short speech I delivered when I was still in university as one of student majored in English Literature.

Four characters idioms in 2016 in Korea

 

Hi, I am here to say about our last year, 2016.

How was it about your last year? Have you had a great year unforgettable? Or just passed by the time without something special? What is the most important memory of 2016 in your life? And can you describe an anecdote, a scene in a short word? Consciously or unconsciously, the time flowed on and we need to say goodbye to our past time at the end of every year.

君舟民水

군주 군, 배 주, 백성 민, 물 수

Have you seen this four characters idiom before? As you can see, it is consist of 4 Chinese characters. It means that ferocious river can turn over a boat even it is belonging to monarch’s, emperor’s. It is much easier to interpret by separating these kinds of combined words into two sections. Because it has normally two parts, cause & result. Without meaning translation, literally, it means that emperor’s boat flows on the civic river. Anyway, a group of Korean college professor chose these four characters idioms as representing our last year of Korea.

I think this result may come from the candle light demonstration at Gwanghwamun Gate. Have you been there? I’ve been there for three times last year and it was very impressive for me. The movement, still being progressed, was totally different compared to before. Around 5 years ago, when I worked in Kwangwoon University Press, 광운대신문, I went to Gwanghwamun Gate several times for covering, investigating a college student demonstration on cutting university tuition fee. At that time, it was not that much as big & tremendous as this case, and only students were there alone, no parents, no workers, no children. This time, however, the protest gathered everyone, approximately more than 2 million people, I’ve heard.

Even it was hard to support, participate in due to the large number of people, many dared to travel around the area. I’ve seen some parents bringing their child together & several groups swaying their organization flags back and forth during march. Although most of people murmured themselves “too cold weather”, “chilly night” in low tone voice, people are seldom going back to their home easily. By this effect, a group of professor might have chosen the four letter words for representing Korea’s last year.

 

So far, we’d looked at the comment on how the Korean professors viewed 2016 of Korea. And from now on, I will give you my personal comment about 2016 in the same form of four characters idioms. I chose these words. 識字憂患. 알 식, 글자 자, 근심 우, 근심 환. It means that knowing letters is being an anxiety, stress ironically. It can be interpreted in 2 ways from the perspective of young generation including me and, of course, you, too.

識字憂患

알 식, 글자 자, 근심 우, 근심 환

The first is an anxiety on unemployment. These day, since I am going through the last semester of this university, I have been searching so many job opening site such as 스펙업, 자소설, etc. By doing this, I am getting realized day by day that the reality is much more harsh & chilly than my earlier expectation on job hunters, more specifically, who majored in linguistics.

I’ve been surfing these kinds of internet sites to relief my uneasy mind, but there are no ways to relief my stress. As more information I get, the more concerns I get. Exactly the same & gloomy situation likes 識字憂患. Doesn’t it?

 

Some experts say that these dark clouds covered job market will be gone soon, as the Japanese doing right now. Virtually, Japan is currently in face of lack of working age population despite increasing of an aging population. So it is very good luck for Japanese graduates who finishing their university course in these days. 

But do you know what are the people called ‘freeter’, abbreviation of free and arbeit, doing now? As you know, about 10 years ago, Japanese graduates didn’t have a choice but to get a part-time job after completing study due to the high unemployment rates in Japanese domestic job market. Unfortunately, they still do part-time job because of the discontinuity of career & missed the appropriate time to get into corporation. You know the major company, particularly in Japan & Korea, prefer young generation rather than older one.

Thereby, the theory that strict job market will be solved spontaneously in future like Japan doesn’t help us at all, especially expected to graduate within 3 years. As the number of student enrolled in college from 2010 to 2012 were the most highest, It is also possible we could be the dreadful generation again likes those who graduated from 1997 when our country, Korea, stuck in IMF crisis.

Secondly, it is linked to an increased political interest among young people, 20s including me & you. Actually, we are not that people who usually talk about the subject of politics in anywhere & anytime. Only the old generations do consistently. Though, the funny thing is that the current has been changed. The politics are being a common story subject among 20s now. I don’t want to blame that situation because it has positive effects in many ways.

The one thing, however, I want to point out is that sometimes it seems like an additional burdensome work which is put into our shoulder. We still have too much tasks to deal with called specification, in short term “SPEC”, for student. Under this circumstance, the news of political corruption & bad economic issues has been added to our concerning lists already full of anxiety on bad employment statue & busy with various needed certification, abroad experience, and competition, etc. Even we don’t have spare time & energy to put into it.

As the four characters letters of 識字憂患 saying, the increased interest in politics among 20s only gives us a cause source of worry. Isn’t it irony & non sensible that the more we try to discover some hopeful chance in it, the less hope we have.

 

Can we imagine our bright future? Can we describe our country with more positive four characters idioms at the end of this year of 2017? According to many study & research, the possibilities are almost always close to 0 percent. Nevertheless, I won’t give up. Because nobody can predict the coming days precisely. It is very hard & tricky work. So I will bet my expectation on hopeful future of Korea, but not much or little.