Consoling soldiers through letters is a tradition that goes back decades. It's also split Korea this week along gender lines. A furor erupted thi

What to Make of 'Consolation Letters' for Korean Soldiers

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2022-01-14 14:30:06

Consoling soldiers through letters is a tradition that goes back decades. It's also split Korea this week along gender lines.

A furor erupted this week in Korea over a single letter. Haphazardly written by a female high school student in Seoul to a male soldier, it appeared to be on a piece of paper ripped from a notebook with no regard for proper orthography.

More scandalous to many readers has been the content: "Life to come will certainly offer many trials, so how could you call yourself a man if you can't deal with this [military service]? I am about to become a high school senior and feel fucked, but I still have to participate in events like this, so you, too, should give it all."

A photo of the letter, presumably shared by the wounded recipient, spread widely through online communities before being picked up by the media and criticized for lacking effort and sincerity.

Korea mandates nearly two-year compulsory military service for all men, with only some exceptions. And it's an old custom for students to write to conscripted soldiers. In the best scenario the letters are meant to express gratitude and comfort those undertaking the service. For that is the name of this genre of writing: wimun pyeonji 위문편지, meaning 'consolation letters'.