Misunderstandings between two countries often arise due to a lack of cultural understanding. These international conflicts, however, can be prevented if one country seeks to gain a deeper knowledge of the social customs, psychology or judicial systems of the other country. Just recently, for example, a preventable mishap occurred between two parties due in part to cultural ignorance.

Reports revealed that two U.S. military police officers publicly arrested a Korean man for a seemingly insignificant misdemeanor, which he may or may not have committed. When the news spread about the incident, Koreans everywhere became furious, accusing the officers of insulting the civilian by handcuffing him in public for an act that was not yet proven.

In Korea, officers neither arrest nor handcuff a person unless he or she is caught while committing a crime. If the person in question is merely a suspect, police officers must ask him or her, rather politely, to come to the police station with them, giving many suspects the right to act in whatever way they please.

For example, when intoxicated persons are escorted to the police station, they often act violently, attacking police officers and breaking the furniture in the station. On televised news, viewers can often observe them wildly chasing around meek police officers at the police station. A Korean lawmaker commented recently, “What’s wrong if some drunken people raise a commotion at the police station?” His remarks, though frivolous, perfectly reflect the Korean people’s disrespect for law enforcement officers.

In the United States, however, law enforcement officers appear to be bestowed with almost absolute power. They can arrest anyone who looks suspicious and handcuff him or her immediately; in fact, rules require that no un-handcuffed person can sit in the backseat of a patrol car. If a person resists the arrest, he or she may encounter more problems, like serving additional time in prison. No attempt of physical contact with the police officer, whether violent or non-violent, is allowed either, leading to possible arrest and incarceration if broken.

According to the reports, the Korean civilian who was recently arrested by the two U.S. law enforcement officers supposedly came into physical contact with the officers during his mishap. Newspapers revealed that the incident first began when the man refused to move his illegally parked car. The two officers believed the Korean defied the law and thus it was in their power and right to arrest him while the Korean man thought otherwise, thereby resisting arrest. The two U.S. military police officers also noted that they felt threatened by hostile bystanders, causing them to quickly handcuff the Korean civilian and attempt to take him to the U.S. military base.

Though it was natural for the officers to react the way they did, it was also natural for many Koreans to feel insulted by the arrest, having observed American soldiers handcuff a Korean civilian. If the two parties in question had a better understanding of one another’s social customs and judicial systems, they could have prevented such a clash from happening in the first place.

Cultural misunderstandings are not only found in the law, but also in the usage of certain terms. For example, a Korean’s concept of the word “freedom” is different from an American’s concept of the word. Americans tend to think that freedom is not given without the responsibility that entails it. In the eyes of an American, responsibility is needed in order to enjoy freedom. They also believe that having this “freedom” enables them to protect their family, wealth and society from Communists or terrorists who would take away or destroy those things by force.

When a Korean thinks about “freedom,” however, the first word that comes into mind is “blood.” Due to their turbulent history of colonialism and dictatorship, Koreans have learned that freedom can only be obtained though bloodshed. Within the Korean’s concept of “freedom,” therefore, there is often little to no space for other connotations like “responsibility.”

In poet Kim Su-young’s famous poem “Blue Sky,” there is also no mention of responsibility when he describes “freedom”: “One who has ever soared/ For the sake of freedom/ Knows/ Why the lark sings/ Why freedom reeks blood/ Why a revolution is lonely/ Why revolution/ Has to be lonely.” Once again, freedom is associated with blood, not with responsibility.

Due to the plethora of differences existing between two countries, it is crucial for countries to become more knowledgeable of one another’s culture in order to avoid unnecessary confrontations. More caution needs to be taken today as well, especially as the election season is fast approaching.

In Korea, U.S. soldiers should do their best to become more cognizant of the culture around them so as not to evoke anti-American sentiment among the Korean people. If not, sly politicians will not only take advantage of the unhealthy sentiment for political gain, but also bring perilous storms to the country due to cultural misunderstandings. 

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. ― Ed.