Behind the Myth: The Red Pen. Korean Myths. Published on February 1. It is a common Korean superstition that if someone’s name is written in red, then death or bad luck will come to that person very soon. There are a few reasons why people believe this terrible myth. In many Asian countries, red is typically associated with death (as black is associated with death in western countries). First, blood is red in color, so red ink from a pen resembles blood and generally the appearance of blood is a sign of pain and death. Red ink is a brilliant coming of age story which I enjoyed thoroughly At the start of the book you meet Melon. Melon is 15 and has just lost her mother, the only real family she has, and has found herself alone in the world. A slang term denoting a financial loss. When accountants make physical entries into a financial ledger, red ink is used to show a negative number. Black ink is used to show that a number is positive or profitable. Red ink is suffering for years from a bad reputation. Deemed in the tattoo world as the color that causes the most allergic reactions and that fades the most easily, it is often sulk by clients. Essentially every producer lost money and the red ink forced many producers out of business entirely. Secondly, when someone dies, his or her name is recorded in the family register and on funeral banners in red ink. It’s believed that this practice wards off evil spirits. When the name of a living person is written in red, however, the reverse effect occurs, so only the names of the deceased are written in red. The only time that red ink is considered permissible is when used with a chop, a name stamp. These are often used in lieu of signatures in Korea. The red stamp makes a document official. Thankfully, no death comes from this use of red ink! It’s wise for foreigners in Korea to adhere to the proper use of red ink, so if you want to respect this Korean superstition, remember these rules for using red ink: 1. Feel free to write using a red pen. Writing in red is permissible only if a living person’s name is not mentioned. It’s okay to use red ink with a seal or stamp to make a document official. Do not write a living person’s name in red ink. Teachers should not write their students’ names with a red pen. When giving a gift, it’s considered rude to write the person’s name on the card in red ink. Writing a threatening letter to someone in red is acceptable, but it’s not recommended. Writing a threatening letter and using a red pen to do so? Now that would be offensive on both accounts! Tags: Behind the Myth, Death Myth, Korea, Korean culture, Red Pen Myth, Stephen Redeker, Writing Name in Korea. About the Author. Stephen Redeker Stephen Redeker comes from the USA and spends most of his time doing a variety of activities, including volunteering for Gwangju News magazine. 1960s I worked for an English headmistress who marked papers with green ink. She did it to distinguish her marks from those of the teachers, who made their corrections in red. Many years later, I had an American college.
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