By I can’t imagine this man’s plight considering his background.
Mangjul Ilrang has one of the rarest surnames in South Korea, one that might even be considered hazardous in this country, where anti-Japanese sentiment still runs deep. Only nine other South Koreans share it: his own four children and five grandchildren.
“I tell my children to tell people that it’s a Japanese name and be proud of it,” Mr. Mangjul, 67, said in an interview at his home.
How Mr. Mangjul ended up with his unusual name is a story of how he made peace with both Japan, his father’s country, and South Korea, his mother’s. It tells one man’s struggle to salvage an identity amid the turmoil that engulfed the two nations for much of the last century. [The New York Times]
I recommend reading the rest of this intriguing story.
8:22 am on March 27th, 2010 1
He seems like a good man. It's a shame some people can't see beyond his name.
8:31 am on March 27th, 2010 2
I'm breathlessly awaiting Tom's comments on this one.
9:05 am on March 27th, 2010 3
Well, he can't deny that it was wise of him to tell his children to do good because people will remember them because of their unusual name. I'll share that bit of wisdom with my own kid.
10:05 am on March 27th, 2010 4
Good on him. In a society that values groupthink so much, it's nice to see someone who is proud of their individuality.
2:05 pm on March 27th, 2010 5
Always nice to see variety, especially in a culture where the common structure of naming convention makes for much repetition.
8:33 pm on March 27th, 2010 6
Yeah and nowhere in the article mentions "all South Koreans hate this guy". As a westerner, it's a shame that westerners sometimes miscommunicate towards other cultures.
9:42 pm on March 27th, 2010 7
In reality, there is a wide variety of family names in use in South Korea. He's not the only South Korean citizen who was given the name of his or her foreign born father.
9:50 pm on March 27th, 2010 8
…Which is probably thanks to Mr. Mangjul's activism.