Spanning the Generation Gap

[성김 대사]

I know I say this often, but I had another great week.  In addition to a full set of very official meetings and functions, I was able to spend a good part of the week with students. 

The first group of students was really familiar to me: my own daughters and their friends.  You see, I had the opportunity to take them to the Maroon 5 concert here in Seoul, where we joined many, many, many other young people.  In fact, I was probably the oldest person there. 

Maroon 5 is a hugely popular American pop-rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by a group of high school friends.  

I happen to be a fan of Maroon 5, but my daughters were the ones who noticed that they were going to perform in Seoul.  I was a little surprised at just how expensive concerts in Korea can be, but looking at my daughters’ faces, I think it was worth every won!  The music was fantastic, and I especially liked the live version of “Misery,” my favorite Maroon 5 song. 

As for what my daughters and their friends thought about the concert, all I kept hearing was: “Amazing” and “So hot.”  True to their teenage selves, my older daughter Erin and her friends stood up once they heard the first song and danced and screamed throughout the whole concert!  I am not sure what they liked better, Maroon 5’s music or lead singer Adam Levine’s looks.

The amazing Maroon 5 in Korea!

A few days later I got to interact with a completely different group of young people at Seoul National University (SNU).  If you have not been to SNU, you should drop by.  Located at the base of Mt. Gwanaksan, the SNU campus is beautiful.  

I participated in a town hall style event with students centered on U.S.-Korea relations, American foreign policy and other related topics.  The students were from the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), and included several foreign exchange students.  They were from all over the world, including the United States.  It is great to see that our exchange programs are now going both ways.  I think this is yet another example of our unbreakable people-to-people ties.    

With some of the students at GSIS

The students’ questions were terrific.  They asked about regional dynamics, international relations, diplomatic difficulties, China, the FTA, and more.  I really appreciated the opportunity to discuss recent developments and to share my thoughts on the bright future of the U.S.-Korea relationship.

You know, dealing with high-level officials is great, but I really enjoy interacting with energetic young Koreans.  They always invigorate me and often teach me some important lessons.