By KIM Seong-kon, Professor of English Literature 
According to the creation mythology of Korea, Koreans are descendants of the bear. The Dangun mythology says that in 2333 B.C., God sent one of his sons to Northeast Asia to establish a kingdom based on humanitarian ideals. At that time, a tiger and a bear in Northeast Asia wished to become human and prayed to God so that He might transform them. God told the two animals that in order to become human, they must meditate inside a cave for 100 days eating nothing but artemisia and garlic. The tiger could not stand the 100 days and left the cave, giving up on his wish to become human. But the bear endured the ordeal and finally turned into a beautiful woman. Then the bear-woman married the son of God and begot a son named Dangun, who later founded the ancient kingdom of Korea.
It is a mystery why our ancestors chose a bear over a tiger as their national symbol. Few people would deny the fact that a tiger is more striking than a bear; the tiger often symbolizes courage, dexterity and power. However, our Korean ancestors who valued peace seemed to have preferred the bear's virtues, such as endurance, patience and tolerance, over the tiger's belligerence and ferocity. Perhaps that is why ancient Koreans worshiped the bear as a sacred animal.
Unlike Korea, however, many other powerful nations have chosen more aggressive animals as the symbol of their countries; For example, Rome, Germany and the United States use some variation of the eagle, while England uses the lion. Polar bears and American grizzlies exude strength and power, but the small, docile Korean bear does not project such a fierce image. Even the Chinese zodiac, which consists of 12 animals, excludes the bear from its chart.
According to the Chinese zodiac, 2010 is the year of the tiger. While reading a Chinese horoscope, I came across the following passage:"Those who are born in the year of the tiger are sensitive and capable of great sympathy. However, they can be extremely short-tempered." This struck me as the perfect characterization of Korean people today. Unlike their bear-like ancestors, modern Koreans are extremely sensitive, compassionate and sympathetic for others. Nevertheless, Koreans have a reputation of being short-tempered. Like a tiger, we tend to be impatient and impulsive while dining in a restaurant, driving a car or doing business.
The Chinese zodiac also reveals that"tiger people come into conflict with older people or those in authority." This, too, seems to capture the typical personality of Koreans, for younger people frequently challenge and even disparage older people these days and Koreans customarily do not seem to respect authorities. Our politicians, for example, often engage in ageism, carelessly uttering,"Those who are over 60 do not need to be given a right to vote," or"How can we trust a 70 year-old man's memory?" Meanwhile, ordinary people do not exhibit proper respect for their bosses and their elected representatives. For example, few Koreans attach the title 'President' when referring to their nation's leader.
The Chinese horoscope continues,"People born in the year of the tiger are suspicious of others, but are also courageous and powerful. ... They are tempestuous yet calm, warm-hearted yet fearsome, courageous in the face of danger yet yielding and mysterious in unexpected places." Indeed, foreign visitors point out that many Koreans are suspicious of foreigners and outsiders and do not mingle with them easily; Koreans are also warm-hearted and calm, but suddenly become courageous in times of crisis; and Koreans become shy and uncomfortable in unfamiliar places. The Chinese zodiac also states that tiger people are"unpredictable" and"can be inflexible and self-centered." Indeed, Koreans, too, are often unpredictable, inflexible and self-centered.
Koreans, then, seem more like tiger people than bear people. In the past, Koreans were known to be a patient, enduring people, just like a hibernating bear. Today, however, it seems we have become extremely intolerant and impulsive just like a ferocious tiger. Our wise ancestors obviously wanted us to inherit the qualities of a bear, not a tiger, in order to cope with the hardships lying ahead. Unfortunately, however, we have long lost our bear-like qualities and taken on the qualities of a tiger while experiencing political turmoil and economic crises.
Perhaps Koreans have both the traits of the tiger and the bear in their blood. If we take the best traits of the two - adopting bear-like qualities on the inside and tiger-like qualities on the outside-we will be able to remarkably advance our country in 2010. Tiger people can be"open and frank, courageous and generous and they are"not afraid to explore the new and unusual." Bear people can be remarkably persistent and enduring. Like the Chinese maxim,"Crouching tiger, hidden dragon," Korea is now waiting for a quantum leap. When she soars into the sky with the agility of a tiger and the strength of a bear, Korea will definitely surprise the whole world.