[Opinion]Why Taking Vacation Only in Summer?

August 8 was the day of entering fall season and August 15 will mark the end of summer season, according to the lunar calendar. Sometimes, it is hard to understand the law of nature – the first day of fall comes before the last day of summer. Now the summer vacation season is coming to an end. Seoul has begun to see traffic again. By next week, vacationers will find it rather cold to swim in the sea, and people might feel chilly wind of fall early in the morning and late in the evening.

People who had their summer vacation this year say that it was still `noisy, dirty and out of orde` rather than `pleasant and relaxing.` Koreans were proud of themselves, seeing the streets near the City Hall cleaned completely after the mass cheering by tens of thousands of people during the World Cup last year. But this summer, they are talking about sympathetic Koreans again. Some even said that they had to pay 200,000 won for a dish of raw fish or spent 300,000 won to stay at a small room a night. It is because most people take their vacation leaves in summer in this small country.

It has been years since people began to talk about the vacation congestion. But most people still take vacation leaves in summer, since there is no systematic approach. To tackle on the problem of vacation congestion, first we need to revamp the present system allowing only summer and winter vacation. It is good to have a monthly-based system by letting people choose which month to take a break. A merit system, which gives more holiday bonus or extends the period for those avoiding July-August beach and December-February ski season, will do. What is equally important is that school authorities allowing students to have holidays with their parents at any time. Young students can do their assignments while traveling with their families and watching many things.

Many experienced travelers say that November is the best season to take vacation. The month marks the end of fall and the beginning of winter, and you are welcome whereever you go. Mountains and fields are especially beautiful in November. Buddhist monk Bup-jung once wrote about the beauty of Gangjin and Dasan Chodang area in November, Prof. Yoo Hong-joon admired at the scenic sight of Gampo Gado near Gyeongju in mid November. Hope to see more people take vacation in November next year.

Oh Myung-chul, Editorial Writer, oscar@donga.com