South Korean, U.S. airmen celebrate Lunar New Year

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amanda Savannah
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AFNS) --  Members of the 8th Fighter Wing joined South Korea air force 38th Fighter Group airmen in celebrating Lunar New Year's day during a ceremony in the Korean air force base exchange Feb. 3.

The ceremony included a memorial service, ceremonial bowing, a traditional Korean breakfast and traditional games.

"In the morning of the new year, we wake up early, wear new clothes, and start the ancestral memorial service with traditional bowing to our elders," said Soth Korean air force 1st Lt. Kim Chong-Hwan, the 38th FG co-emcee for the event. "This memorial service is conducted ... for one of our traditional holidays, and it is protocol for us to remember the ancestors; to not only feel festive, but to feel sorry for the ancestors who cannot be here with us."

The participants were shown the proper way to bow before the memorial service, and bowing ceremonies began.

During the memorial service, Col. Steven Caberto, the 8th Medical Group commander, was offered the chance to participate.

"It was awesome," he said. "It was a privilege to represent our United States Air Force with our Korean comrades at war. I'm looking forward to celebrating the new year with them, and sharing prosperity and good things from this point forward."

After the ceremonies, the South Korean and U.S. airmen enjoyed a traditional Korean breakfast.

"Happy New Year," said South Korean Col. Jung Sang-Hwa, the 38th FG commander, as the breakfast began. "I'm very happy to be with all of you on this fruitful new year. I realize that all personnel should be with their families right now, but since they're serving their country, they are all here to be with each other for this event. But today's event, since we did it with the U.S. Air Force group commanders, I do believe will be a memorable one. I would also like to be thankful for this unique opportunity to have a (South Korean) and U.S. combined memorial service this New Year's day. I hope this marks the start of a greater friendship between the 8th Fighter Wing and 38th Fighter Group, and may the ROK and U.S. alliance be more bonded and stronger in the days to come."

The South Korean and U.S. airmen then played the traditional Korean games of yut, chegi and to-hoe.

In yut, two teams of four players take turns throwing four pieces of wood that are rounded on one side and flat on the other.

"We throw the wood, and we count the ones flipped (with the flat side) up," said South Korean air force Senior Airman Nam Hyun-Wook. "One flipped (up) is one (point), two is two and three is three. When all four are flipped up or down, it is a five. The goal of the game is to get around the circle (gameboard) and get back to the start first."

The game of chegi was familiar to the 8th FW Airmen, as it is played by bouncing a small, heavy and flat plumb and tassel off the foot, the same way Americans play hackey sack.

"I was surprised to know that American people play this game also," said South Korean air force Staff Sgt. Park Joseph. "I thought it was only Korean people who play this because it is a traditional Korean sport.

"I like this (joint celebration) event a lot," he added. "I was involved in this event last year, and I was fortunate enough to be part of it this year also. It's a great opportunity to bond with each other and it's quite an experience."

The final game, to-hoe, is an arrow-throwing game, where arrows or sticks are thrown from a distance into a pot.

"This event was great," said South Korean air force Staff Sgt. Jung Bin-Seh. "It was my pleasure to attend such a great event with the U.S. Air Force. The combined forces between the U.S. Air Force and (South Korean) makes it crucial to understand each other, the culture differences and all that matters between the U.S. Air Force and (South Korea). It's vital to understand each other in terms of culture."

Col. Ronald Jolly, the 8th Maintenance Group commander, agreed with Sergeant Jung.

"For us, this was a great occasion to continue to cultivate the relationship that we have with our ROKAF counterparts, and also to learn and be educated about their culture," he said. "It was outstanding, great camaraderie and we really enjoyed it."