Jen In Korea: Gauging the Mood

North Korea and South Korea have been in the news a lot. At the least, they’ve been in the American news a lot. Since I’m American and speak only English, this is the news I follow. I don’t think, however, that North Korea gets as much attention in the Korean news as it gets in the American news.

With all the news coverage, friends and family from home often ask me what the mood is here. The answer is “business as usual.” That’s the best way I can describe the mood here. I’ve asked a few Korean coworkers about the threat of North Korea and they all chuckle and smile at me like I’m simple.

Several weeks ago, tensions were running high so I asked my boss if I should be preparing for anything. He looked so confused. He asked “Preparing for what?” I explained that I was worried about North Korea and he started laughing. He then said “If I had a dollar for every time North Korea threatened something, I’d be retired instead of standing in my office with you.”

The Korean government does do some preparedness drills. On the 15^th of every month, somewhere in this county is participating in a drill. I saw a drill several years ago. A message played over speakers, soldiers started directing traffic, and a tank rolled down the street. I didn’t know what was happening or which army was marching down my street so this really scared me. Thankfully, it was the friendly army.

In addition to preparedness drills, subway stations and other public places have emergency supplies. It’s often a glass front cabinet with gas masks, bottled water, and nonperishable food. The cabinets look easy to open so the supplies can be accessed quickly during an emergency.

Overall, I find Korean’s nonchalance reassuring. If they’re not worried, why should I be worried? I just hope that we never have a reason to be worried.