This is the 12th in a series of articles introducing foreigners who have chosen to pursue their life passion in Korea. - Ed.

By Bae Hyun-jung

When flying from the United States to Korea, Bradley K. Buckwalter prefers spicy ramen to the full-course Western-style in-flight meal.

"After all the years I spent in Korea, I have become so used to the non-greasy but spicy food that I sometimes feel more at ease eating noodles than heavy steaks during my flight," said Buckwalter, who is president of Otis Elevator Korea.

Buckwalter not only has a genuine fondness of Korean food but also speaks next to perfect Korean. His first connection with the country, however, was quite coincidental, he said.

"I had many foreign friends in high school who made me realize that there was bigger world outside of the United States," he said. "After I went to university, I wanted to go abroad to experience it for myself."

He volunteered as an overseas missionary and was soon assigned to go to Korea, a country he hardly knew and even less expected to visit.

"Fortunately, some of my acquaintances had visited Korea before and they were mostly passionate about the country," he said. "The wife of one of my uncles was actually Korean and the couple invited me over for some Korean food, which I found hard to get accustomed to."

He also learned as much of the language as he could.

"At first, I just could not get 'an-nyeong-ha-ship-ni-kka' right so my friend, a big fan of Korea, told me to memorize it as 'onions on your snickers,'" said Buckwalter.

Despite his preparations, the American student's experience of Korea was beyond anything he could have expected.

In December 1983, he arrived in Korea and was assigned to serve in Chungmu, a South Gyeongsang Province city located near Busan.

"Being a typical American, I was at first shocked at the life in the Korean countryside, with no hot shower available and just rice paddies all around," Buckwalter said.

He nevertheless got used to the new surroundings and especially to the beautiful scenery of the South Sea and to the kindhearted Korean people, he said.

"Most of them had never seen an American in person, much less one who speaks or at least tries to speak (their language)," he said.

He soon grew fond of the innocence and affection of the Korean people, especially his neighbors in the rural area of Chungmu.

"They were very different from the individual, materialistic Western people," he said. "Korean people somehow had a genuine good-neighborhood vibe which made me feel at home."

In today's fast changing society, he misses the traditional Korean companionship.

Though Buckwalter learned his Korean during the 18 months he spent in South Gyeongsang Province, he managed to acquire the language without a regional accent.

"I was often confused by the unique dialect expressions which I simply could not find in the dictionary, but was determined to learn the correct standard language," he said.

As a result, he came to communicate fluently during the year and a half he spent in a country he had hardly known before.

"To learn a language is to learn the culture," the CEO said. "I used to think that I could master the Korean language by memorizing the vocabulary and grammar, but soon realized that I really had to look into the people's minds and their history."

In many Western societies, including the United States, everyday conversation is not much affected by the age, gender or social status of a person.

"However, in Korea, people always ask for a name card so that they may classify one another into a specific category," he said.

After he understood such Confucian aspects of the culture, he more easily understood why Korean has so many versions equivalent to the English word "you," he explained.

As much as he grew fond of Korea, his term in Korea soon ended and he decided to go back to his home country to finish his studies.

"Some expect that I became so attached to the country that I went back, planning to make my return to Korea, but this was not the case," the businessman said. "I had an unforgettable time in Korea, learned a new language and culture, and wanted to move on from there."

His experience in Korea, nevertheless, helped him in many other unexpected ways, especially in the academic sense. Being a rare student speaking fluent Korean, he won extra credits by taking Korean language courses, he explained.

Though it was not his goal to return to Korea, he did make frequent visits during his summer holidays. In 1987, he was hired by Seoul City as a translator in the preview show for the 1988 Olympic Games.

"I received many job offers in Korea but had to turn them down as I was determined to get my MBA and become an international businessman," he said.

With such goals, he joined Otis Elevator and applied to work in Singapore and Japan.

"I was having as good a time in Japan as I did in Korea and wanted to learn more about its language and culture when Otis Korea made a call," he said.

He returned in 1994 as CFO of Otis Korea on a one-year contract, and hasn't left since.

"Unlike typical Americans, I believe in 'in-yeon' or fate between people," he said. "The country which I hardly knew and I did not plan on coming back to, became my second home and the place where I am now living my dream."

The American, who sees himself as Korean as anyone else, has advice to the expats who wish to have a good experience in Korea.

"Eat as much kimchi as you possibly can," he said. "Eating kimchi will not only get you accustomed to Korean food and culture, but also lead you to spending more time with Koreans and thus speaking the language as well."

(tellme@heraldm.com)

2009.11.16