Another way Korea is cuter than America

Yesterday was provincial election day in Korea. I didn't have to go to school because it's a holiday. It's too bad America doesn't have election day holidays, or at least half day holidays yet. In addition to improving our lackluster democracy, it's just nice to celebrate freedom.

Leading up to the elections there was a lot of campaigning by the candidates, just as in America. But in Korea the campaigning is different. Like other parts of Korean culture, it's much cuter.

Every candidate hires trucks to drive around with a huge picture of their face, their name, and their number (ballot number I think). The trucks also have music and campaign slogans blasting, which sometimes start driving around at 8am in the morning. Common sense says not to do this in case you wake people up and they decide not to vote for you. But common sense doesn't stop people in Korea.

The biggest part of the campaigns seemed to be the intersection gangs, as I liked to call them. At crowded intersections supporters of the candidate (or the candidate's office staff), almost always women, would wear the same shirt and sash supporting their number candidate, and perform choreographed motions to get people to notice the number. For example, number 2 women could wave the peace sign and pretend they're posing for a picture. Number 3 women could do a bow and then flash the three peat sign.