[KS] Inquiry from a New York Times columnist

[Don Baker]

I agree with what Ned and Clark have already told you. If my memory serves me right, this custom was being practiced when I first went to Korea in 1971 but, obviously, people in jobs with low pay couldn’t afford to spend their entire first pay check on the parents.  Those lucky enough to graduate from a university and land a decent paying job, however, often felt obligated to share that first pay check with their parents. I know of one young Korean-American man who waited a while until he had enough money to buy his mom a new car (He still lived at home, so he didn’t have to worry about housing costs.) 
My wife  tells me that traditionally the first pay check was used to buy long johns to keep the parents warm on cold winter nights. I’m not sure if that aspect of the culture survives, now that there is better heat in Korean homes! 
It’s good to keep in mind that some time-honoured customs survive longer in overseas communities  (because Koreans outside of Korea make a special effort to maintain Korean customs), so I’m not sure how much that custom is followed in Seoul today. Somebody who lives in Korea could provide more reliable information.
Don

Don Baker ProfessorDepartment of Asian Studies University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z2 don.baker at ubc.ca

From: lieber at nytimes.com
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2016 19:51:20 -0400
To: koreanstudies at koreanstudies.com
Subject: [KS] Inquiry from a New York Times columnist

Hello - 

My name is Ron Lieber, and I write the Your Money column for the New York Times -- all about anything and
 everything that hits you in the wallet. I write often about families 
and money -- how not just dollars but also wisdom and values are taught 
and passed between generations. 

On that note, over the years Korean-American 
friends of mine have told me about a tradition where new college 
graduates (or teenagers or college students or even some older adults getting their first 
paychecks at a new, prestigious workplace) buy a gift for their parents after they start their first 
full-time jobs. I've heard about everything from handing the entire 
paycheck over in cash to buying red thermal underwear for both parents or lingerie for 
their mothers. 

I'm trying to trace the origins of this 
tradition and write about how different Korean and Korean-American families 
interpret it today. I think it's something that 
all young adults might want to mimic in some way, whatever their family 
background.
If you can help, I'd be grateful for an email reply -- even if it's to share a story about a gift you've given or received. 
Thanks so much...


Ron Lieber
The New York Times
Your Money columnist
lieber at nytimes.com212-556-1514http://nytimes.com/lieber

"The Opposite of Spoiled" is my book about how -- and why -- to talk to kids about money. For more information, visit http://oppositeofspoiled.com

Twitter: @ronlieber


 		 	   		  
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