Former Mt. Pleasant man awarded honorary citizenship in Seoul

A former Mt. Pleasant man was awarded honorary citizenship in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, Nov. 15.

Dr. Andrew White was one of 22 people to be awarded honorary citizenship at the Sejong Center for Performing Arts in Seoul for his involvement in Korean traditional archery. He has been living in South Korea since 1996.

'I was very honored to be nominated and then thrilled when I got word I'd been selected,” White said in an email to the News. 'Personally, it was special because most other recipients were awarded for their job-related efforts: CEOs, ambassadors, hotel and airline managers, etc. For me, it's just the love for my hobby of archery and promoting it to others.”

Korean traditional archery was first used as a weapon to fight against Mongolian and Japanese invaders, then became part of the skill assessment in military training for the Korean royal guard and is now a leisure sport, White said.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government awards honorary citizenship to non-Koreans who have demonstrated their love and dedication to the city of Seoul each year, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government website. As of 2015, 694 people have been presented with an official honorary citizen certificate

White was born in Mt. Pleasant in 1970. His mother, Pat White, serves on the board of the Henry County Heritage Trust and his father, Kent White, is a member of the Mt. Pleasant City Council.

White grew up in a military family, and while they lived 'all over,” they would come back often to visit family in Mt. Pleasant, Pat said. He moved to South Korea to teach English after graduating college from Humboldt State University in California and never left.

White was introduced to Korean traditional archery in 2003. The first month, White said he was not even allowed to touch an arrow and spent his time learning drawing and releasing technique.

White now has the freedom to shoot whenever he wishes. He manages to get to the shooting range two to three times a week as a club member of a Korean traditional archery range. There are around 10 ranges in Seoul and 300 nationwide, White said.

White's range is the SuRakJung, and it has about 70 members. He is the only foreign member.

White received honorary citizenship for giving demonstrations of Korean traditional archery to visitors and tourists as well as promoting it internationally.

White's favorite part of the ceremony for honorary citizens was meeting Mayor Park Won Soon, of Seoul. While White said meeting the mayor of Mt. Pleasant in the past was of course an honor, meeting the mayor of Seoul, with a population of over 10 million, was memorable.

'I was glad both my wife and eldest daughter could attend,” White said. 'I think they're pretty proud of me; pretty sure!”

White encourages anyone thinking about traveling or moving to another country to seriously consider it.

Even if it's just traveling for a gap year, the memories are for a lifetime, White said.

For people who want to live elsewhere long-term, White said to be open-minded and easygoing.

'I've seen so many people gripe about cultural differences and hold onto an American-centric mentality when it's much easier to understand (although you don't have to accept) different ways of viewing and doing things,” White said.