Chapter 63 Go on to the world stage

Every time I visit any country in the world, on the first day of my arrival there, I will arrange to meet with the Chinese compatriots. Way.When I meet my compatriots scattered all over the world, such as the United States, Japan, China, and Europe, I feel as happy as seeing my childhood friends. I like the cohesion that exists because we all share the same blood. Another thing that I try to obey as much as possible when meeting my compatriots is wearing Hanbok.Hanbok is not just clothing, but a symbol of our country's culture and national spirit.I hope that through the use of Hanbok, our compatriots who live far away in other places can feel the feelings of the motherland, even if it is only for a short time.So every time I go abroad, even if the suitcase can't fit anything, I will still bring Hanbok with me.

The differential treatment and pressure experienced by the overseas Chinese in Japan is indescribable. In the midst of unspeakable suffering, as long as the motherland is in trouble, the overseas Chinese in Japan will still help without hesitation.When we tried our best to get rid of poverty, for the development of the motherland, they donated their hard-earned property savings to the motherland without hesitation. In the 1970s, the amount of aid to the motherland by overseas Chinese in Japan even exceeded the total amount of funds supported by all other foreigners.Not only that, in order to successfully host the Seoul Olympics in 1988, non-governmental organizations and women's associations also carried out fundraising campaigns and sent huge sums of money.When faced with the international financial crisis in 1998, the overseas Chinese in Japan once again made concerted efforts to contribute to the motherland.

In March 2006, I visited the embassy in Tokyo, Japan. The embassy was established in the center of Tokyo.When I heard this, I couldn't help but choked up. Not only the embassy, ​​but most of the local consulates in Japan were also built by local overseas Chinese donating land or buildings.I think there should be no overseas Chinese in any country in the world who donate their private property to build embassies or consulates. This makes me feel the love and affection shown by overseas Chinese for the poor motherland. In Japan, there are still second and third generations of overseas Chinese who hold Chinese nationality and are treated differently but live strong and bravely.Even though they have differential treatment for promotion in public office and cannot have the right to vote, they still have not renounced their Korean citizenship.I can only describe my feelings with gratitude. Now is the time for the motherland to repay my compatriots in Japan.

When I visited Japan, one of the things I was most worried about was the issue of suffrage for overseas Chinese.Prior to his visit to Japan, the National Assembly, at the initiative of the Grand National Party, passed the "Resolution on Promoting Local Suffrage for Koreans and Koreans in Japan."Whenever I meet with Minister of Defense Shinzo Abe and Taro Aso and other relevant people, I always mention the matter of asking for assistance in ensuring local suffrage for Japanese compatriots.Foreign Minister Taro Aso said, "If local suffrage is agreed, I am worried that it will become a demand for suffrage in general elections in the future." But I responded, "South Korea has allowed foreigners to enjoy local suffrage. If it is a political power, I believe that our people will also increase their favorability towards Japan, which will be of historic significance." Strongly urge the Japanese government to change its mind.The Foreign Minister replied: "I will consider it carefully." It is a pity that there is still no conclusion on the issue of suffrage, but for the rights and interests of overseas Chinese in Japan, I will still do my best to assist in the future.

When the motherland is in trouble, there is another group of compatriots who sacrificed for the country, and they are compatriots in Germany. In the early 1960s, many Korean miners and nurses were dispatched to work in West Germany.At that time, my country was the poorest country in the world. In order to get rid of poverty, some compatriots were sent to remote Germany as miners. They had to work at a high temperature of 40 degrees Celsius and inhaled a lot of toner every day.The dispatched nurses toiled in hospitals where the language was not spoken.At that time, we borrowed from the German government to build the Gyeongbu Expressway with the salaries of these miners and nurses as guarantee. In 1967, 36% of my country's total exports were earned by Paide miners. Their dedication and sacrifice laid the foundation of our country's economy.It is said that the compatriots who work in the mine will greet each other by saying "Gluck auf!" in German when they descend one thousand meters underground.This sentence means "we will meet again when we return to the ground safely". It is conceivable that for the compatriots in Germany, they work in an environment where their lives are worrying every day.

In September 2006, I finally had the opportunity to meet them during my visit to Germany.I still remember the news that my parents cried together when they met the miners and nurses in Germany in 1964. I cried while watching the news on TV, and I still have a deep impression on it to this day.Wearing a Hanbok, I walked into a meeting place with my compatriots.The appearance of these overseas Chinese in Germany today is completely different from when their parents visited before. Everyone seems to be comfortable and stable.Based on their experiences as miners and nurses, they realized their dreams of becoming singers, doctors and professors, and now have a place in German society.Those who used to be nurses are all retired, but in order to meet me, they drove two to three hours from Dortmund to the meeting place in Frankfurt.They reminisced about meeting my parents in 1964, and some were in tears.A group of people sometimes laughed and sometimes had red eyes, chatting like this until the sky darkened. No matter where they go, the perseverance and potential of the Korean people are always unlimited.

Since China's official reform and opening up, the volume of transactions between Korea and China and the number of immigrants to China are gradually increasing.Chinese nationals are heading to my country, which is full of infinite possibilities, and are working hard to open up the market and build their homes.Although they have experienced many hardships in life, they are most worried about their children's education, especially their mother tongue education.It can be felt that although they are in China, they still want to stick to the Chinese language and Chinese spirit. When I visited China in 2005, I visited the "Korean International School" in Beijing.This school was established by Korean expatriates with the motto of "Being a Korean means learning Korean even though you are in a foreign country."The pain experienced by teachers and parents running a school in a foreign country is extraordinary.

"During the seven years since the school was established, it was forced to relocate four times. Now the school is also operating by renting out to others, and there have even been incidents of being evicted." Let the expatriates living abroad not forget that the mother tongue should be carried out by the country. Instead, the overseas Chinese spontaneously carry out the work on behalf of the country. What to do" and depressed endlessly. Today is the era of globalization where the whole world is united.In the future, I believe that there will be more Koreans scattered all over the world. At that time, the only way for us to connect is our mother tongue.I think the government should at least try to make it possible for our nationals to learn Korean no matter where they go in the world, from now on.Looking at the deep love of the expats in China for their mother tongue, I remind myself that there is one more thing to pay attention to in the future.

Among all overseas Chinese, the number of overseas Chinese in the United States is the largest and they have a history of successful overseas Chinese that is worth showing off.Therefore, the scene of overseas Chinese preparing for the welcome party is also quite impressive.Every time I visit the United States, I gain a lot of strength through the welcome parties prepared by the overseas Chinese. The three welcome venues in Washington, New York, and Los Angeles are all overwhelmed by the expatriates who came to attend. "So far, this is the largest gathering of Koreans, and it should set a record for the largest number of people gathered over the years."

This is the explanation of someone in the Diaspora Association. I am very grateful. I never thought that I would be loved by so many people in the United States. I can only feel endless gratitude in my heart.Looking at the expatriates, I have mixed feelings. They challenged the difficulties and successfully gained a foothold in American society, and even pushed the second and third generation Koreans into the mainstream of American society. Those Koreans were right in front of my eyes. When you meet compatriots from all over the world, you will find that they all have one thing in common, which is a strong love for the motherland.In particular, the deep love of our compatriots for the motherland is even more special. The special patriotic feelings of the Koreans are also an important asset for the future development of South Korea.