Mongol Makes Good

by Robert Koehler on February 22, 2007

Mongolian feel-good story: This year’s top-ranked graduate from Inha University’s School of Economics and International Trade is a 25-year-old Mongolian exchange student.  You might also recognize her from the KBS talkshow “The Beauties’ Chatterbox.”

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

1 gbnhj February 22, 2007 at 1:53 pm

For a Korean university, Inha has a comparatively large population of international students, and may well have the largest population of students from Mongolia. This is because Hanjin Corporation, which owns Inha University, funds a large scholarship program for Mongolian students. Competition for acceptance into this program is such that many students begin studying Korean language while in high school.

As a group, the Mongolian students at Inha are very bright. I know of one student who, having completed his undergraduate degree on scholarship, was accepted into a doctoral program at Korea University – also on full scholarship.

2 bluejives February 22, 2007 at 3:47 pm

나르망타흐 체웨그메드

How would one pronounce this? Narehmangtahe Chaewuhkehmaede?

Mongolians are basically exotic Koreans with outlandish names. We accept them into the min-jok.

3 Robert Koehler February 22, 2007 at 4:02 pm

Well, if you’re curious, it’s spelled Narmandakh Tsevegmed.

Mongolians are basically exotic Koreans with outlandish names. We accept them into the min-jok.

So I’ve been told from time to time…

4 kimchi2000 February 22, 2007 at 4:44 pm

i disagree. many mongolian workers face discrimnation in korea. they are looked down upon just like vietnamese or any other southeast asians in korea. however, difference between mongolia and other southeast asian countries is that mongolia once had powerful empire. if they didnt have proud military history, koreans would never admit that we share the same blood. a proud military history is something that is missing in 3000 or 5000 years of korean history besides that whole turtle ship thingy (we would be speaking in japanese if chinese didnt rescued our sorry butt).

5 Sine qua non February 22, 2007 at 5:20 pm

kimchi2000, I genuinely appreciate your thoughts that you have contributed to different threads in this blog.

I eagerly hope to hear more of your ideas and opinions in the future.

Your comments have been some of the very few (in at least my opinion) that deal with Korean culture and society in a ratonal and objective manner.

I am not saying that I like your comments because they have been criticisms of Korea. Whether it would be criticism or glorificaton is not important to me.

I am saying that I appreciate your comments because they have been quite reasonable, which is extraordinarily rare here, where Korean people almost invariably preach only the virtues or superiority of Korea, particularly when facts of a situation clearly indicate otherwise (Hwang Woo-seok, Rhie Won-bok, etc.).

I would be equally happy to read comments of yours in praise of Korean culture, because I imagine they would be as objective and reasonable as your previous comments. Thank you.

6 Sine qua non February 22, 2007 at 5:29 pm

That should read:

Your comments have been some of the very few coming from a person of Korean ancestry that (in at least my opinion) deal with Korean culture and society in a rational and objective manner.

7 pawikirogi February 23, 2007 at 5:41 am

‘a proud military history is something that is missing in 3000 or 5000 years of korean history besides that whole turtle ship thingy (we would be speaking in japanese if chinese didnt rescued our sorry butt).’

c’mon, kimchi2000, let us have our turtle ship! at least, we get great sa-guk from it.

‘in 3000 of 5000 years of korean history’

i’d say 2000.

8 seouldout February 23, 2007 at 11:15 pm

MongoliansKoreans are basically exotic KoreansMongolian offspring with outlandishunoriginal Chinese names.

We accept them into the min-jok.

Laughing so hard they fell off their ponies.

Next time you’re putting your head up it take a closer look. It ain’t called the “Korean spot”.

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