33 Keys to Decoding the Korean Wave, Hallyu 

#3 The Masters of Nunchi 

Homo Nunchius Korean 

 

*한류를 이해하는 33가지 코드 #3 눈치의 달인들  <한국어 버전, Korean version>

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Focus&document_srl=4074200

“The Power of Nunchi” by Euny Hong, a second-generation Korean, published by Penguin in November 2019.

 

#The Power of Nunchi, by Euny Hong 

 

“Measure Nunchi, give Nunchi, fast Nunchi, no Nunchi, aware Nunchi, see Nunchi, notice Nunchi, search Nunchi, keen Nunchi, eat Nunchi rice (walk on eggshells), Nunchi fight...”

 

What is the big deal about Nunchi? According to Wikipedia, Nunchi is “a Korean concept signifying the subtle art and ability to listen and gauge others’ moods.” Nunchi refers to the ability to grasp the situation in an organized society, insight, emotion, intuition, sense, and empathy. In English, it can be translated into wits, sense, tact, hint, understanding social cues, ability to read a situation, etc.

 

Can foreigners notice our “Nunchi”? Do second-generation Koreans have the same insight as us? 

The Korean-American journalist Euny Hong wrote in “The Power of Nunchi: The Korean Secret to Happiness and Success” (2019, Penguin), that: “There is a Korean expression, ‘Half of social life is nunchi.’ You need nunchi to get along with people, to get what you want out of people in a purely pragmatic sense and to protect yourself from danger. Nunchi emphasizes speed - if you are a skilled nunchi practitioner, Koreans don’t say you have ‘good’ nunchi, they say you have ‘quick’ nunchi.”

 

 

*Emotional Intelligence - The Power Of Gibun Noonchi Nunchi Designed by deichmonster

 

Euny Hong maintains that Nunchi is helpful for those who suffer social anxiety like her. “The great thing about nunchi is you don’t need to be rich, privileged, or even in a good mood to employ it. In fact, Koreans say that nunchi is ‘the secret weapon of the disadvantaged.’ It’s especially useful to women and minorities in the workplace who, like me, are tired of being given contradictory feedback — that they are either leaning out or leaning in too much.”

 

According to Hong, Nunchi is “the superpower of Koreans with a history of 5,000 years,” and is probably the most important word she has ever learned. She confesses that she is a living witness to the power of Nunchi. Born in New Jersey in 1973, she went to Korea to study with her parents at the age of 12. She did not even know Korean and relied on the silent Nunchi to adapt well to the new environment, and Nunchi became her sixth sense.

 

From that experience, she recalls that education in Korea is “Nunchi education.” In the classroom, the students did not ask questions, and the teachers deliberately vaguely told the students about the textbooks and test sites. That is why the students understood it with their eyes. She wrote that the reason she took first place in the class a year later and was elected as the vice president a year and a half later was because of her sharpened sense of Nunchi. Hong concludes that the key to success and happiness lies in being “quickly aware” without having to be smart, rich, or privileged.

 

 

#The secret to becoming a master of Nunchi, a flood of books

 

Books about Nunchi published in Korea

 

Euny Hong’s “Nunchi” was the first book published about Nunchi in English-speaking countries, but there are already countless books on Nunchi in Korea. From self-improvement and self-development, to psychology, children’s education, essays, novels, fairy tales, linguistics, tales, and collections of poems, books with the title or subtitle were published one after another. Nunchi is a necessary skill in human relationships and social life, from home to school and work. Especially in the workplace jungle, it is also a weapon of survival.

 

In Park Geun-young’s “Why am I always watching Nunchi” (2013), the author warned: “If you don't use your Nunchi in a healthy way, you can fall into the terrible trap of closeness, capriciousness, self-exhaustion, lack of self, imbalance, exploitation, and obsession.” Park gave a  list of the Nunchi syndrome that makes life difficult:  #1 Nunchi because of other people’s gaze, #2 Nunchi to compare with others, #3 Nunchi to see because of dependence, #4 Nunchi to attract attention, #5 Nunchi to know which side you are on, #6 Nunchi because the world is rough, #7 Nunchi to take advantage of others.

 

Eun-seong Kim claims in the book "THE SENSE": You are having hard time because you do not have Nunchi" (2019): “A person who takes good care of his/her eyes is a ‘sensible person’ and can become a wise person. A person who knows how to respect each other always has a bright and happy smile in the conversation space.”

 

Books on Nunchi published in Korea

 

In Korea, it is said that half of social life is Nunchi. Huh Eun-ah’s “Nunchi Coach Work Manners" (2007), suggested etiquettes for 270 social situations that job seekers should know. The situations discussed include “Do I have to say hello every time I see you?” “If you want to go to the hospital or the bank during work hours, you have to be smart.” “Should I get cheap rice and buy expensive coffee?” “If I work while listening to music, will I be photographed?”...etc.

 

The titles of foreign language books are often paraphrased as “Nunchi” in Korean translations. Books on psychology published in Japanese put Nunchi in the title or subtitle instead of the original one. This is probably because Nunchi is a hot topic in Korea, and the word Nunchi is advantageous for marketing as well.

 

 

#Nunchi Antenna: The Key to Success and Happiness

 

In the movie “Parasite,” Ki-woo and Ki-jeong, who are “masters of the Nunchi,” take advantage of Yeongyo’s innocence.

 

Why has Nunchi become such a peculiar sense for Koreans? How did we come to have this intuition?

 

Korea has long followed Confucius’ moral guidelines, Sam Gang O Ryoon (Three Duties and Five Ethics). The history of the Korean Peninsula is also significant, as Korea had to constantly engage in diplomacy as a weak country surrounded by great powers. Mind reading to understand the intentions and feelings of the other person, Nunchi is a skill for interpersonal relationships and communication, and survival skill for the weak. The strong are confident and bold, while the weak tend to rely on nunchi. When the strong practice nunchi, it often demonstrates consideration for others. Conversely, when the weak employ nunchi, it usually stems from a desire to avoid inconveniencing the strong.

 

If the intuition to sense the atmosphere and the Nunchi antenna work well, human relationships and social life are positive. On the other hand, one should not stand out in a group society. This is because in Korean society, “moderate mode” is important. If you act according to your beliefs without Nunchi, it is easy to be bullied by the group. This may also be the influence of military culture and uniformity in Korea.

 

 

Park Geun-young’s “Why am I always watching” cover (Soulmate, 2013) Cover (above)/*[Live ONE] Paul Kim-The Road

 

Of course, even in a relationship between a man and a woman that pushes and pulls, the skill of Nunchi is desperately needed. Nunchi also appears in K-Pop. Singer Paul Kim sang a song titled “Nunchi.” Nunchi seems to be an eternal topic for Koreans.

 

*Paul Kim, Heize, Peakboy-Nunchi (Tic Tac Toe) <YouTube>

 

Meanwhile Korean Poet Hwang Kyung-sik emphasized “Take care of Samchi (three ‘Chi’s)” in a column in 2016. Yumchi (shame for a pure life), Jaechi (wit, intellectual ability), and Nunchi are required in Koreans. Hwang stressed that the most important thing is to adjust one’s words and actions according to the mood or intention of the others. He claimed that there is no difficulty in living in the world even if we have minimum Nunchi, and he expects the Korean politicians to take a good look at the Nunchi of people today.

 

 

#Oscar Awards: Director Bong Joon-ho’s Nunchi and Jaechi 

 

*Bong Joon-ho Accepts the Oscar for Best Director <YouTube>

 

The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony in 2020 was memorable not only as a remarkable achievement for a Korean film that swept the first Best Picture award in the history of foreign language films. Of course, it was exhilarating to win four Oscars for “Parasite” with director Bong Joon-ho, but the improvised and heartwarming drama at the ceremony also remained in my memory for a long time. It was on the stage during the presentation of the Best Director award. Director Spike Lee, who was appointed as the jury chairman of the Cannes International Film Festival that year, took to the stage and shouted “Bong! Joon! Ho!.”

 

Cheers erupted from the audience of the “Parasite” team for the unexpected award. Director Bong went up to the stage with an excited expression and took the Oscar trophy. In addition, he expressed his gratitude to master director Martin Scorsese, who was also nominated for the Best Director Award for his ambitious work “The Irishman.” Scorsese is Spike Lee's senior film major at New York University.

 

Bong said, “When I was young, studying film, the phrase that stuck to my heart was ‘The most personal is the most creative.’” Director Bong continued, “That quote was from our great Martin Scorsese!” in English. Director Scorsese’s eyes teared up, and a standing ovation poured out with “Bravo!” from the audience.  Bong continued, “I studied while watching his movies at school, and it’s an honor to be nominated together.” Director Scorsese, who had been sitting next to his daughter, got up from his seat and put his hands together to thank the audience and Bong Joon-ho.

 

 

Bong Joon-ho directed the 92nd Academy Awards as a moving stage with his Nunchi and Jaechi.

 

Martin Scorsese, who has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director nine times beginning with “Raging Bull” in 1981, won an Oscar only once for “The Departed” (2007). In 2020, Scorsese’s “The Irishman” was nominated for 10 categories, but failed to receive even a single trophy. Although Scorsese failed to win the award, thanks to Bong Joon-ho, Scorsese became the main character of the Oscar Night that moment, as if he had received the Lifetime Achievement Award without a trophy. Scorsese was a winner, thanks to Bong Joon-ho’s Nunchi and Jaechi.

 

That moving scene, of course, was not in the script for the Oscar ceremony. Later, in an interview, Bong said, “When I was called for the Best Director and went up on stage, I made eye contact with Director Scorsese.” Bong spoke of his sincere feelings of caring for the master with his “quick glance (Nunchi)” after his eyes met with Scorsese’s, and he made the Academy Awards ceremony a surprise drama. It was director Bong Joon-ho’s “Nunchi” and wit that made the 2020 Academy Awards ceremony a moving and entertaining stage. 

 

In Bong’s movie “Parasite,” the Kim family members get jobs at the house of the rich Parks with quick glances and lies. They were all employed. One of the characteristics of Koreans is that they are quick-witted. Nunchi is called the sixth sense of Koreans, a super-power. Now, maybe it’s okay to call Koreans “Homo Nunchius.” (*Nuncius means messenger in Latin, and Galileo Galilei wrote an astronomy treatise “Sidereus Nuncius” (Starry Messenger), in 1610.