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O v e r v i e w
Korea's Factionalism and
Ladakh Wisdom
ByChaEon-jo
EditorialConsultant
T
he beginning of the Olympic Games dates back to 776 B.C. In ancient Greece, nations stopped their wars during the
Olympicsperiod,andpromotedpeaceandgoodwillthroughsports.However,inSouthKorea,theredivisionamongeven
thedomesticathletesintheOlympics,makingitdifficulttoascertainthetruemeaningoftheOlympicGames.AnnHyun-
soo, once the most famous short track skating player in Korea, became a naturalized Russian citizen three years ago and has
sincewongoldmedalsatthe2014SochiOlympics.Hisaccomplishmentshaveresultedintheresurfacingoffactionalismwithin
Korea’s sports circles. This tendency towards factionalism has been criticized many times, but South Korea has yet to solve this
problem.ToovercomeKorea’scultureoffactionalism,itneedstocreateasenseofcommunityforthosewhocompeteasnational
representativesofKorea.ThesecrettodoingthismaybefoundinLadakh,alandrenownedforitsancienttraditionalwisdom.
LadakhislocatedinNorthIndia,buttheregionisknownasthe‘LittleTibet’duetoitsculturalandBuddhisttraditions.Ladakh
is a barren land in the Himalayas; it has an altitude of 10,000 feet, and eight months of winter every year. However, Helena
Norberg-Hodge,aSwedishlinguistandtheauthorofthe‘AncientFuture’saidshewassurprisedwhilelivinginLadakhwiththe
factthatthepeopleofLadakhalwayssmiledandseemedhappyeveninsuchacoldandimpoverishedenvironment.Inherbook,
she analyzes the real happiness of the Ladakh people that thrives amongst conditions most Western observers would consider
impoverished. The Ladakh people do not quarrel much, and they are easily satisfied with the various pleasures immediately
available at every moment of their lives. As a result of their specific culture based on human relationships, they do all of their
worktogethersuchasfarmwork,ranching,aswellasthecelebrationofmarriagesorfunerals.
Inaninterview,VictorAhnsaid"InRussia,alloftheathletestraintogetherregardlessoftheirseniororjuniorstatusinterms
ofage.Also,regardlessofthecolorofthemedalsthey’vewon,theyfeeljoyandcelebratetogether.”Ashispositivestatements
suggest,theresultsofthiscommunaltraininghavebeengood.AttheshorttrackskatingeventsofSochi,notonlyAhnbutalso
another Russian players won a medal. If one considers that the Russians had never previously won a medal in short track, it is
anamazingachievement.Itisalsoacaseinwhichyoucanseehowastarathletecanhaveapositiveeffectonthewholeteam.
However,SouthKoreadidnotutilizetheirstarathletefully.Theydidnotconcernthemselveswiththegiftthatastandoutathlete
cangivetootherathletesintermsoftechnicalskillsandemotionalstability.Whatisworse,theygroupedthestaffandplayersby
one’sschoolties.ThesolutionofthepeopleofLadakhregardingthisproblemisdifferent.InlinewithAhn’scommentsaboutthe
importanceofteam-building,Ladakhisknowthebenefitsofhealthyhumanrelationships.Asatreedoesnotstandalonebutisthe
productofwind,soil,rain,andsunlight,Ladakhisunderstandtheircommunitytobeanorganicrelationshipbetweenthepeople.
Therefore,fromaLadakhiculturalviewpoint,itcanbesaidthatKoreaseesonlythetreeandhasfailedtoseethewholeforest.
Sport games are competitive. Athletes pit their strength against one another in direct competition, so games do not
fundamentallyalignwellwiththecontemplativeunderpinningsofLadakhiphilosophy.Moreover,athletesdesiremedalsforboth
the honor they bestow as well as the monetary rewards that accompany them. However, there is something the divided Korean
sports community can learn from the Ladakhi culture sports community: the need for a sense of community. If Koreans can
rememberthewisdomofLadakh,therewillneverbeanotherVictorAhninthefuture.
eunjo814@hufs.ac.kr
MARCH 2014
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