Modern "Ping Pong" Diplomacy?
Well, it's come and gone. The New York Philharmonic has been in North Korea for one day and they performed tonight in Pyongyang.
According to reports, the melody that got the most applause was, not surprising, the Korean folk song called Arirang.
Hangul
아리랑, 아리랑, 아라리요...
아리랑 고개로 넘어간다.
나를 버리고 가시는 님은
십리도 못가서 발병난다.
Romanization
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...
Arirang gogaero neomeoganda.
Nareul beorigo gasineun nimeun
Simnido motgaseo balbyeongnanda.
English
(check the comments below for a correction of this translation. Thanks 제니퍼)
Walking over the peak at Arirang
you left me behind.
You will be tired before you reach one mile.
Walking over the peak at Arirang
the sorrows in my heart
are as many as the stars in the sky.
Here is a midi file of the Arirang song.
Here is a link to I don't know how many Arirang .mp3 files. Pick a version and learn the song.
Mike's explanation of the song is a very good and nicely succinct one (there are also some great links on his page):
Arirang is a very old, traditional song from Korea. The people of Korea hold this song close to their sense of national pride and even would like it to be the national anthem of Korea once the reunification of the country has occurred. There are many variations of the song but the one that is here is simply known as Arirang. The Translation of the name is the English equivalent to "la-la-la." This might seem strange to some, but this melancholy piece is well suited to it. The rough translation of the text of the song talks about a scorned lover. This lover is not ready to let go and tells of the heart ache that is felt. This song truly speaks tales just through its simple melody line.For what it's worth, there will be a multi-country rally, the Gumball 3000, attended by the rich and famous which will head many destinations including Pyongyang this summer.
This could be used to learn about another culture. It also gives students a chance to use another language in an authentic context.
The song is also pentatonic. Students could examine the five intervals and explore another tonal system.
So it seems North Korea is trying to open up, at least to tourists with money.
We'll see how far this goes into other areas. Currently, North Korea and the US is in a game of chicken as to who will blink first regarding the Yongbyon nuclear plant issue.
Maybe it's the start of some modern "ping pong" diplomacy. Considering that ping pong diplomacy led to a thawing of relations between China and the US, maybe there is hope for orchestras and auto rallies consisting of the very rich rolling through Pyongyang.
Considering the dearth of diplomacy with North Korea during the Bush era, I'll take it.
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While I agree that the Bush Administration has made serious (even disastrous) errors in judgement (and in policy), you seem to have swallowed the Nork line that all of the problems between the DPRK and the rest of the world happened because of GWB.
ReplyDeleteThe communists who rule in Pyongyang have been unfortunately dishonest in their diplomacy since 1945. One can hardly pin their refusal to allow a nuclear-free Penninsula on events since January 2001.
At least not with any credibility. ;-)
There's plenty of blame to go around. It is nice to see a bit of thawing at the edges; but another visit like that of Secretary Albright or former President Carter could hardly be assured of greater success than they achieved (i.e., a nuclear-armed DPRK with long-range ballistic missiles).
The only hope now is that the Nork leadership is in fact different than they are portrayed in Team USA and the right-wing media...
Are you out of your ever-loving mind?
ReplyDeleteI didn't go into any historical analysis of US-DPRK relations. I know full well that things have been botched before Bush took office.
But the tactics used by his administration were horrible.
Keep the assumptions to yourself because where you drew that conclusion based on a few lines about the Philharmonic and Gumball 3000 is beyond me.
Hey Jane,
ReplyDeleteSorry, I couldn't reach you while you were here. Things got crazy, and I'm remiss that I missed the great Jane!
They ran a front page article on the LA Times today about the concert. I think music is a very powerful and emotional force that affirms our humanity. This was a great event, if only to remind us of an appreciation of music that we have in common.
Yeah, I scheduled things so tightly on my last trip that I didn't even see some friends.
ReplyDeleteEh...the plan is to come back next year for good. I'm getting a major screwing by Korean immigration right now and once that happens I'm gone. It took them a few years to get to me, but they finally have. So I'll honor the contract I've signed and then I'll give South Korea the honor of leaving this country.
re the DPRK and the NY Philharmonic: Yeah, what my previous commenter failed to recognize was I was discussing the softer elements of foreign policy and diplomacy which the Bush administration has simply chosen to ignore. You'd think with an international relations scholar they'd have some skill. I guess it goes to show that book learning can only take you so far...what a damn shame.
That's funny actually because the conservatives in the past, Nixon and Reagan, whether you love them or hate them have been pretty good at it.
I'll be so glad when the Bush administration leaves.
ReplyDeleteAre you voting?
Hope so!!
It'll be good to have you back, though with all your new experiences and traveling, it'll be a wonder if you don't get that weird feeling of alienation that so many ex pats have when they come back.
I didn't have much of that when I got back. I was expecting more, but outside of the urge to bow and a big level of discomfort running around people's homes with my shoes on, I adjusted back fairly quickly.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I'm looking into freelance writing as a possibility when I get back. We'll see.
Yes, I'm voting for sure ;)
Just a quibble, the translation you posted for Arirang is not very exact. While it conveys the romance that people associate with the tune in its most common form, the last two lines have nothing to do with stars or sorrows. Literally rendered:
ReplyDelete"The person who discarded me won't go ten li before their feet hurt."
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I lifted the translation from one of the pages I linked to.
I know it's not exact, but I also lack the language skill to know exactly what's wrong.
Hey Jane,
ReplyDeleteMost of my friends who've come back have this feeling of, "well, soon I'll be back on the road," but then for whatever reason, it doesn't happen.
Yup, freelance writing is great. Seems like you have a lot of areas of expertise you could write on, so I think you'll be able to find the jobs. Right now things are a bit tough being that journos have been laid off left and right from the newspapers. They're great writers with connections and it's like a feeding frenzy to get the good jobs. But like I said, I think with your experience in very different areas, you'll do ok.
And yes, when we meet, you can bow and I won't hold it against you!
re bowing, that's good to know ;)
ReplyDeleteExpat Jane absolutely agree with you about Nixon and Reagan's diplomacy skills. However the Bush administration definitely lacked those skills, so busy holding onto that WWII mentality of Axis of Evil that a lot of opportunities were missed. Even Hillary Clinton went after Obama for even suggesting meeting with the leader of North Korea with no pre-conditions and I am like what conditions does one really need.
ReplyDeleteI believe they have already started dismantling their Nuclear program yet in still there will be even more American soldiers stationed in South Korea. How can one build trust when the fences are still there. Nevertheless, the special was very good and Madeline Albright was only one of the few Westerners allowed to meet with Kim,he is quite an interesting man and far from naive and crazy like people make him out to be. Also welcome back Expat and get plenty of rest.
The DPRK issue is a complicated one and I spent a nice chunk of my time at Ewha trying to suss out the complex issues that go with it.
ReplyDeleteOne big one is the differences in culture and the different ways of solving problems coupled with reality that the DPRK has a team of people well versed in the ways of the West.
However, the USA lacks a similar team. We're splintered, unfocused and wasting most of our time arguing policy and party politics while they're sending specialist after specialist to learn more ways to beat us at our own game. Most of our specialists are Cold War experts. The "Long-Telegram" approach of containment just is near to impossible to pull off in the Internet age. We've got a lot of catching up to do.
Thanks for the welcome back.