H.O.T., Turbo, Cool, Diva, and so on. These groups are famous entertainers. We can see crying and shouting teenage girls whenever they appear on TV. Every time, my mother--like most other adults--clicks her tongue, "Tut, tut!" But I understand them, because I was like them. I liked the singers Seo Tai-ji and Boys as a teenager, so I joined their fan club and went to their concerts, broadcasting stations and office in order to see their faces. But now, I do not do such things because I have grown up to be an adult. I still like Seo Tai-ji and Boys, but I'm not crazy about entertainers as I was when I was a teenager.
        Most adults think that the reason for teenagers' obsession with entertainers is their preparation for the university entrance examination. But it is not right. In the case of other countries, I know that attachment of teenagers is present in spite of the fact that there is no entrance examination. Korea Adults try to find the cause of juveniles' problems in the social situation.
        Adults are always anxious about their sons' and daughters' grades. Especially, the passion for education of Korean parents is very strong. Therefore, parents are antagonistic to teenagers' attachment to the stars, and they regard such teenagers as regretful and as boys and girls who are bad at studying. I agree in part with these parents' opinions. But these thoughts are a little wrong. Adults have a habit of thinking negatively about youth activities. I think that these teenagers may work on positive activities in different ways. In addition, teenagers don't have a lot of cultural activities in Korea, so such activities--passion for the stars--may be fixed as a part of the youth culture.
        Just as "the parish priest forgets that he has ever been a holy water clerk," most adults forget their adolescent periods. In the 1960s and 1970s, our parents were young boys and girls. Teenagers of the 1960s and 1970s followed the Beatles and various folk singers. In the past also, teenagers went wild with enthusiasm about entertainers. It is merely a different way of expression. Most adults have forgotten their own teenage years, and so they scold teenagers of the present.
        I think that passion for the stars is a part of the growth process and teenage culture. Most teenagers are normal except for a few of them. I hope that adults try to understand about teenagers and talk to their sons and daughters. It is also a good idea to place themselves in a teenager's place. The attempts by adults can help to overcome the differences between the generations.