In Seoul
WHAT do funerals and weddings have in common especially for well known figures such as politicians and celebrities in South Korea?
The turnout is an indicator of clout and popularity. When the father of former President Kim Young Sam died a few months ago, 3,000 people attended the wake.
The media was quick to report it.
Message?
The ex-president is still a political force to be reckoned with.
Just today, I received a letter from a politician who is well-known for courting the foreign media.
He thanked me for attending the wake of his mother last week.
The strange thing is that I did not even know that his mother died.
The turnout at funerals and weddings is so important that some "face-conscious" Koreans even hired impersonators to attend weddings in order to boost the numbers.
The preoccupation with numbers can make these occasions of joy or grief a farce.
Still attending these events is necessary for a reporter.
While these things are also important elsewhere, it is much more important here.
People remember.
The payoffs come when I need a quote or two and they do oblige.