Kim CP #6

For our last meeting, Dojun and I discussed our opinions on a couple of very interesting topics including: childbearing, cohabitation, and marriage. I am not sure how old Dojun is but it was really interesting to speak to him about his opinions on these topics. He told me that in South Korea it is very traditional to meet the parents of your partner and have their approval before extending a marriage. He told me he will follow this tradition himself before marrying his girlfriend. I told him about my upcoming trip to Japan and how I recently read that the Japanese government offers incentives to young Japanese couples to have children and help grow the population. He told me there are similar pushes in South Korea as well because young people are not marrying or having children. He told me in Seoul it is really expensive to live in the city as a single person or as a couple, so he couldn't imagine having to pay for a child as well. This led into a really great conversation about the education systems in both the US and South Korea and how they vary. He thinks the children are worked too hard in South Korea. I've really enjoyed getting to know Dojun over these past few weeks and hope we continue to stay in touch!