Oiljang 오일장: Korea's Unique Food Market

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Wait. It's already the 27th of October? How many days have passed since my last post... oh.
Well, I'll do my best to come back on schedule... But this is all I could post for now. Sorry!

This market is not made out of oil. And no, it is not a economic race for gas companies. Oil means 5 days. And I'll explain where that name came from. 

오일장, or the 5-day market, is a tradition that continues to this day on many countrysides across the nation. It is a place, in which a bunch of people selling food... sells food every five days. They are individuals, who stay for hours on a stool or sitting on newspaper, selling things.

Photo from the Korean Tourism Organization (한국관광공사), a government-based institute

Oiljang originated from salesmen who didn't know the calendar thousands, and I mean thousands of years ago, and decided to meet every 5 days.

Personally, I can describe the people selling food on these street markets very kind. Without measuring weight, they always give extra food (And once gave me tons of free food :D). This is called "정", or Jung. It is something similar to the English term "Sympathy", however the same thing done to strangers. "정", has no other word for it in any language on Earth. It is a simple, Korean term. And that's one thing I love about Korea.

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The Story of the Creation- of the Nation

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The Korean peninsula, home to the least ethnic diverse place in the world. From kingdoms to empires to hundreds of small kingdoms, united dynasties, an empire, then a colony, to two republics, communist and democratic. We've already discussed about the early days in the southern part of the nation, and now let's discuss about the creation of the first nationalistic government of Korea- which is a mix of legends and history.

Here goes the story.

It was around 2400 B.C.E. The god "환인" (Hwanin) had a son named "환웅" (Hwanung). Hwanung wanted to go down to the Earth and teach the people skills that would improve their lives, such as farming. So he asked his daddy, who accepted the idea, and after telling him "홍익인간" (Hongikingan, meaning in Sino-Korean "Widespread mankind and make them useful", currently the motto of South Korea) 3,000 servants with him, as well as a sword, a small mirror, and a bell- at the time symbols of holiness and immortals.

Hwanung landed in the top of Taebaek mountain, in current Gangwon province, and founded a city underneath it (by a tree later named 신단수, Shindansu) which flourished, with the people living there doing 360 jobs and tasks. But two creatures weren't so satisfied- in fact, two animals, a tiger and a bear. 

The two, who wanted to become human beings, asked Hwanung desperately. Hwanung, then gave the animals some holy 20 garlics and asteraceae (a kind of vegetable root used in traditional medication), and told them to stay in a cave for 100 days and not look at sunlight, as that would turn them into human beings. So the tiger and the bear did the task, in which the tiger quit in the process; in fact, less than 20 days, and I know this because the bear turned into a beautiful woman in not even 100 days, but 21.

Ungnyo (Bear Woman), however, was treated as an outcast of the town, because she was once a bear. So she went to the Shindansu and prayed to God that she get a child. Hwanung saw this situation, and then married with Ungnyo, and they had a child named "단군" (Dangun), who later, eventually founded Old Joeson Dynasty at 2333 B.C.E. and ruled for 1500 years, changing the capital of this vast nation spreading from Seoul to all of Manchuria and parts of current Russia, to 백악산아사달 (Baekaksanasadal). The dynasty is called "Old Joeson" because later in 1392 C.E., 3725 years later, founds Joeson Dynasty to commemorate the Old Joeson. 

And that is the story of the foundation of a one true Korean nation.

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Why South Korea's Suicide Rates are So High

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It's a new month!

Chart by Quartz

Just to clarify, South Korea's suicide rates are the second highest in the world, and the highest among OECD nations, for ELEVEN years. Now, why is the nation with the highest standards of living in Asia (and one of the highest in the world), have such a high suicide rate?

Famous suicides were done by president Roh-Muhyun, Yoon-hyung Lee, the daughter of the current chairman of Samsung, and a lot of people who work in the entertainment sector and get affected by the "악플" or the evil comments left behind articles.

There are a lot of reasons why people suicide in Korea. The first reason is the age gap. One of the huge factors contributing to Korea's high suicidal rate of the elderly is the growth of the young mocking the old. Even if Korea is the "nation of respect and the morning calm", many young Koreans talk behind the back of the elderly, how they always "have to stand in front of them, staring at them, in public transportation, so eventually they have to get up. And then comes the mocking, where old-people jobs such as apartment building security, can't stand up to bullies hanging around in the complex. Another thing is, that many of the young don't know what the old faced years ago, such as the Korean War, discrimination from the Japanese, and poverty. Some of the elderly feel that they're out of the game, out of society, and it's just a matter of time before they rot. So there's that,

And for the youth, as in people who already graduated college/university, many suicide due to financial issues. For people under 17, it's most likely bullying or family problems.

There's also some strange people who are INTERESTED in life after death, so they suicide. Many celebrities suicide because of comments written by very dumb people who didn't mean to write it.
Also, recent news claims that a five-year old have committed suicide.

The government has been trying to lower the suicide rate, so they banned products such as lethal pesticide that was being used for suicide, and Samsung Life Insurance installed signs on Mapo bridge, where the most bridge-fall suicides happened, and the signs had simple things like "Have you eaten?" and "The best part of your life is yet to come". (However, suicidal rates increased in Mapo bridge. But still, good try Samsung.)

People, let's seriously not suicide.
Luckily, suicidal rates have dropped since 2012, even if Korea still holds the highest suicidal rate in OECD nations.

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