In 1986, a Korean folk duo 시인과 촌장 (City Dweller & Village Chief) released a song, 풍경 (scenery), consisting of just two lines:
세상 풍경 중에서 제일 아름다운 풍경
모든 것들이 제자리로 돌아간 풍경
(The most beautiful sight in all the world:
The view of everything returning to its place.)
Two weeks ago, after school ended, I set out on a long journey around the Korean peninsula, traveling through relentless heat and thick, sun-soaked humidity. Along the way, I witnessed a country beginning to breathe again, finally emerging from three years of incompetence and corruption under Yoon Seok-yul, Korea’s own Donald Trump, only more empty-headed and far more vile.
I know my American friends might find it hard to imagine any politician worse than Trump, but Yoon was in a league of his own. Through his failed self-coup, he plotted not only to imprison, but to murder and torture opposition party members, liberal journalists, and labor rights leaders. He even attempted to provoke war with North Korea, sending drones across the border, an act that could have led to catastrophic consequences. The only reason a larger conflict was averted was because North Korea, aware of his intentions, chose not to retaliate. Thank God.
Yoon now sits in jail, on trial for treason. In Korea, a conviction for treason carries only two sentences: death or life imprisonment. The generals involved in his plot are also behind bars and face the harshest penalties under the law.
And, as if by some cosmic design, all members of BTS were discharged from their mandatory military service just as the new president, Lee Jae-myung, of the liberal Democratic Party—the very party of Moon Jae-in, the leader who BTS adored and who had invited BTS to join him at the Blue House, Korea’s answer to the White House, as well as in Paris and at the United Nations in New York—assumed office. Again, thank God.
BTS with Moon in Paris
BTS with Moon in New York
BTS with Moon in the Blue House
President Lee, for his part, frequently mentioned BTS during his campaign speeches, emphasizing his vision for a stronger Korea built on the success of not only major industries like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and SK, but also the thriving entertainment and cultural sectors. In stark contrast to Yoon, who sought to undermine these industries by slashing budgets for Korean cinema and traditional music, disparaging them as “socialistic,” President Lee has pledged full support for the creative fields. I truly hope he will once again invite BTS to serve as cultural ambassadors at global events. Nothing would delight me more than to see photos of them together!
As I traveled across Korea, witnessing the country finding its way back to normalcy, and watched BTS’s first live with all seven members reunited after their discharge, I felt as though I was living out the very lyrics of City Dweller & Village Chief’s song—“the most beautiful sight in all the world: the view of everything returning to its place.”
