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Food Imperialism” Teaching ESL in Korea in the 80’s and early 90’s
From 1988 to 1991, after the Peace Corps, teaching in Korea, and graduate school, I came back and taught full-time for three years before joining the Foreign Service. I taught at Kyunghee University, the University of Maryland, and Sogang University, and worked at a newspaper andat a Korean government think tank.
The universities were in open revolt as Korea underwent its transition to democracy in the late 80s. I like to think that I played a small role in helping that transition occur. That was a tumultuous time to be an expat in South Korea. During that time, I got tear-gassed daily for three years, as one could not avoid being gassed if one worked at a Korean university, as demonstrations were a daily occurrence throughout the three years,
Korea was amid the Fifth Republic, living under a military dictator but slowly transitioning away from an authoritarian regime to a vibrant democratic republic.
Korea in those days was an extremely competitive society and if one did not get into the right college, one was doomed to join the ranks of the underclass and not make it in society. Sadly, this is still very much true, if not worst.
I taught conversational English and composition to English literature majors. I also served as the faculty advisor to the weekly English newspaper the students put out. That was a great gig too. I would meet with them once a week and edit their paper then go drink with them to celebrate putting out another paper.
Korea campuses were in open revolt in those days. There were daily demonstrations against the regime. The Chun government had to promise free elections which had taken place just before the Olympics, but the new regime was still a military-dominated government led by an ex-general. The students were demanding free elections and revisions to the constitution to create a real democracy. The government was resisting these demands.
The students were radicalized and were more interested in political developments than studying on campus. But I persisted. My classes became open debate forums where the students were free to say anything if it was in English of course.
My students were always careful to warn me when a demonstration was about to go down. They also taught me how to cope with being tear-gassed. One afternoon I was leaving early to avoid a 3 pm demonstration. The riot police broke protocol and rushed the students at 2:45 pm. I got caught up trying to leave campus and got hit with a tear gas canister that landed right in front of me, giving me the full dosage. That was the worst experience of my life – my students found me and took me to a restroom and after washing up for thirty minutes, I could finally breathe.
Just before I left Kyunghee, Burger King opened next to the campus. I had a standing offer to meet students for more English practice over late lunches or early dinners. We usually went to a Korean restaurant, but I started meeting them at Burger King.
One day one of my students began talking about the U.S. being “food imperialists” as we were trying to pressure Korea to open its restaurant sector to foreign chains.
Burger King had just arrived, and Wendy’s was coming soon. McDonald’s had gotten in first just before the Olympics supposedly because of a huge unofficial donation to someone in the government. Burger King had refused the bribery solicitation as had Wendy’s. So, they had to wait until 1990 to get in. In any event, I started meeting my students at Burger King.
Mr. Lee, one of my favorite students, was a flaming leftist as were many of the students in those days. When he started talking about the U.S. being a food imperialist, I interrupted him asking him to prove his point and suggesting that we continue the conversation at Burger King. He then asked me why I was always meeting them at Burger King. I said,
“Well, as you know, I am a food imperialist. The U.S. is trying its best to force Koreans to eat American fast food. And I am part of the conspiracy.”
Everyone laughed and we went to Burger King.
Later after I had joined the State Department, I met a Burger King executive at a function at the Embassy. When I told him this story, he laughed and offered me a job as an executive at Burger King. He said I had made his day.
Historical Background
From co-pilot
South Korea’s Transition to Democracy
The South Korea I encountered as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1979 was very different from the South Korea that exists today. During much of the post-Korean War period, the country was governed by a series of authoritarian governments that justified political restrictions as necessary to maintain stability and support economic development.
Following the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in 1979, General Chun Doo-hwan consolidated power and established the Fifth Republic. Political opposition was restricted, the press was closely monitored, and student activism was frequently suppressed. The watershed event of this period was the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, when citizens protesting military rule were violently suppressed, leaving a deep and lasting impact on Korean society.^1
By the mid-1980s, a broad coalition of students, labor activists, religious leaders, professionals, and ordinary citizens began pushing for democratic reforms. Their efforts culminated in the June Democratic Struggle of 1987, a nationwide protest movement that forced the government to accept constitutional reforms and direct presidential elections.^2
Although many activists believed the transition remained incomplete in the late 1980s, democracy had clearly gained momentum. When I taught at Kyunghee University from 1988 to 1991, student activism remained intense, and university campuses were among the most important arenas for political debate and democratic participation.
Today, South Korea is widely regarded as one of the most successful democratic transformations of the late twentieth century.
Kyung Hee University
Kyung Hee University was founded in 1949 and developed a reputation as one of South Korea’s leading private universities. The institution’s founding philosophy emphasized what it called the “Democratization of School, Democratization of Thought, and Democratization of Living,” a motto that resonated strongly during Korea’s democratization movement.^3
Located in Seoul, Kyung Hee’s campus was particularly active during the political upheavals of the 1980s. Like many Korean universities of the period, it served as a center for student activism and debate. During my years there, demonstrations were frequent, and students often viewed themselves as participants in a broader struggle to shape Korea’s future.
One of my most rewarding responsibilities was serving as advisor to the university’s English-language student newspaper. Through editing articles and working closely with student reporters, I gained invaluable insight into how young Koreans viewed issues such as democracy, nationalism, economic development, and Korea’s relationship with the United States.
Several of those students later became journalists for major Korean newspapers. One eventually became an attorney in the United States. Although I have lost touch with most of them, they gave me an extraordinary window into the thinking of a generation that helped build modern democratic Korea.
More information:
Sogang University
Sogang University, founded in 1960 by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), is one of Korea’s most respected private universities.^4 Located in Seoul’s Mapo District, the university is known for its rigorous academics, emphasis on critical thinking, and strong liberal arts tradition.
The Jesuit educational philosophy encourages intellectual inquiry, social responsibility, and ethical leadership. These values made Sogang an important center of academic and political discussion during the decades leading up to democratization.
While teaching evening classes at Sogang, I encountered students who were deeply engaged in the rapid political, social, and economic changes taking place throughout Korea. Like students elsewhere, they were trying to understand how Korea could modernize economically while building a more democratic and open society.
More information:
Globalization, Fast Food, and “Food Imperialism”
The debate that inspired my “Food Imperialism” story occurred during another major transformation taking place in Korea: economic liberalization.
In preparation for hosting the 1988 Seoul Olympics, South Korea increasingly opened its markets to foreign companies. American fast-food chains became highly visible symbols of this change. McDonald’s entered the Korean market in 1988, followed by competitors such as Burger King and Wendy’s.^5
For many Korean students, the arrival of these companies was not simply about hamburgers. It became part of a larger debate about globalization, national identity, economic sovereignty, and America’s cultural influence. Those debates often surfaced in my classroom discussions and eventually led to the humorous exchange with a student who accused the United States of practicing “food imperialism.”
Ironically, while students worried about American cultural influence in 1990, Korea has since become one of the world’s most successful exporters of culture through Korean food, K-pop, television dramas, films, and consumer brands.
Endnotes
- Gwangju Democratization Movement, May 1980. For an overview see the National Archives of Korea and the Gwangju International Center: https://eng.518.org.
- The June Democratic Struggle of 1987 forced the government to accept constitutional reform and direct presidential elections. See the Korea Democracy Foundation: June Democratic Uprising.
- Kyung Hee University history and founding philosophy: Kyung Hee University History.
- Sogang University was established by the Society of Jesus in 1960 and remains Korea’s leading Jesuit institution of higher education: Sogang History.
- For a history of the entry of American fast-food chains into Korea, see the Korea Economic Institute and contemporary reporting on market liberalization during the Seoul Olympics era.
Standard Disclaimer
These writings and musings are entirely my own and the product of my overactive imagination and is based on my 70 years of lived experience, including 27 years of service in the US State Department as a foreign service Officer (diplomat) working in ten countries and DC, as well as travel to all 50 States, DC, and PR, and travel to 45 countries, and living in Alexandria, VA. Bangkok, Berkeley, DC, Bridgetown, Barbados, Mumbai (Bombay), Medford, Oregon, Seattle, Yakima, Washington and Stocton. California. Along the way, I married the lady of my dreams, learned to speak Korean, Spanish, and Thai. I retired in 2016 and have been splitting my time between Korea, Oregon, and DC, and am moving back to Alexandria this summer.
My writing tends to be neo-beatnik or outlaw poetry style, or wild SciFi speculations or political rants. Some people will be offended by some of my writing, but rest assured that is never my intention.
These reflections are based on decades of exploring the national wonders of the US.
I have been using AI tools (Chat GP3, Claude, Co-pilot,and Gemina, for research,and editing for grammar, punctuation, and spelling, the words are all mine.
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