KF뉴스레터-[KF Mailbox] Korean Jeong Felt in an Unfamiliar Country

[KF Mailbox] Korean Jeong Felt in an Unfamiliar Country

People > Korean Jeong Felt in an Unfamiliar Country

Korean Jeong Felt in an Unfamiliar Country

Hoyoung Hwang
KF Visiting Professor
Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages

When leaving for Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, in September last year, my heart was full of emotions that differed greatly to those I had felt upon previous assignments. I felt like I was embarking on an expedition as an explorer of an unknown world. I had very limited knowledge about the country, knowing only that it had the world’s lowest internet distribution rate, that 80 percent of its territory was surrounded by deserts, and that it had an extremely high number of white vehicles and buildings. It was even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the “highest density of white marble-clad buildings.”

Turkmenistan was once at the center of ancient culture and the Silk Road trade and sits on the fourth largest natural gas reserves in the world, but the country remains rather unfamiliar to most Koreans, including me. However, as I live here, interacting with its people, I find some of their customs and emotional traits to be very similar to Korean ones. Until a few decades ago, the majority of Korean families were extended ones that included grandparents, uncles, and aunts; Turkmenistan still keeps such a family system. In both countries, sons have customarily taken care of their parents, the only difference being that in Korea, the eldest son usually takes on this responsibility, whereas in Turkmenistan, the youngest does. On festive days and events, every member of the family gathers to share any difficult tasks, eat delicious dishes together, and enjoy singing and dancing. The Turkmen way of life reminds me of similar Korean customs which seem to be on the wane. This observation may reflect my own personal experience as a Korean entering their fourth month in Turkmenistan, yet I am willing to bet that many other Koreans living here would sympathize with me on this.

Having arrived here expecting a totally unfamiliar country, I was quite surprised to learn that Korea and Turkmenistan had established diplomatic relations 31 years ago in 1992 and Korean presidents paid state visits to Turkmenistan in 2014 and 2019. I was also surprised to learn of the existence of the National Taekwondo Center of Turkmenistan, founded in 2001, that holds an annual taekwondo competition. Another interesting fact is that all the buses here are products of Hyundai Motor Company, although, unlike the Korean buses, they are painted white.

The list of happy surprises does not end here. The Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages, where I teach as a KF Visiting Professor, has been offering Korean as a major since 16 years ago. Boasting a 60-year tradition as a higher learning institute specializing in foreign languages, it is the only Turkmen university with a Korean language course. Though a Korean professor had been teaching the course since its initial establishment, the position had been vacant for the past five years to the disappointment and frustration of many students and faculty members. Perhaps that is why students always greet me with a bright smile on campus and ask me how I am doing with “Annyeonghaseyo? Jal jinaeyo?” The university president, vice president, professors, students, and neighbors give me endless gifts of chorek, the national staple bread, instilling me with a warm sense of welcome that is very much like the Korean feelings of affection called jeong. Turkmenistan is still somewhat of a veiled country for me but the people showing jeong already feel like longtime friends.