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Curzon
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Curzon

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November 10th, 2005

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Kim & Fujimori, Korea & Israel

Kushibo asks:

Does anyone see a parallel between the Japanese authorities welcoming Fujimori and the Korean media welcoming Robert Kim?

Well, both men are carbon-based life forms! But I’m not sure what Kushibo is getting at. Kim betrayed his adopted homeland for his country of birth and damaged a critical alliance in the process; Fujimori is using Japan to return to power in his home country of Peru. Here’s the background of the two men.

Robert Kim was a computer analyst for US Naval Intelligence indicted for handing classified documents to South Korean in September 1996. He was convicted and sentenced to nine years, serving seven and a half. The guilty man had this earlier this year: “Some people think that when you acquire citizenship in a different country, that you forget your home country, but this is not true… Is a citizenship so important? I acquired a citizenship in order to work.” (Via the Marmot’s old site.) I’d be surprised if Kim’s treason doesn’t shock US government officials to question whether Korean-born Americans can be trusted to safeguard national interests.

Alberto Fujimori was the ethnically Japanese President of Peru who Fujimori resigned after a decade in office via fax from Japan. Fujimori was granted citizenship after his resignation on questionable grounds and speaks no Japanese. Tokyo is protecting him for two reasons, one obvious and one less so. First, some senior Japanese politicians have supported Fujimori for his decisive action in the 1997 embassy hostage crisis; and second because Peru recieved copious Overseas Development Aid, much of what was not used for overseas development, plus other kickbacks during Fujimori’s tenure and the last thing Tokyo wants is a trial. Planning a return to power, Fujimori landed in Chile yesterday and was arrested—Japan is desperate to protect him.

The ROK government didn’t help Kim get a reduced sentence, but the Korean press fawned all over him. Japan doesn’t want Fujimori to blab about the kickbacks he got from Tokyo during the 1990s and is trying to protect him, while the Japanese media is quiet (plus plenty in Japan call for Fujimori to be expelled already).

Kushibo also asks why this doesn’t hurt US-Israeli relations when Israeli spies are convicted. The answers should be obvious: 1.) Israel has a good lobby; 2.) Israel is (or pretends to be) grateful for US help, 3.) the Korean ambassador made monthly visits to see Kim; and 4.) the Israeli media doesn’t applaud these people when they’re disowned by their government. Nor does it help when Kim announces he’s returning to ROK to spread his technique: “Now as a senior, I would like to use my remaining time to teach patriotic sentiment to young people.” See more on the topic here.

Comments to this entry

Kirk H. Sowell
November 10, 2005
7:00 am
Another difference may be that the U.S. and Israel believe that they face a common enemy; it is not at all clear that this is the case for the U.S. and South Korea, given the latter's police with re to the Communist regime up north.
Yago
November 10, 2005
7:30 am
Fujimori does speak Japanese. Just saw him on NHK speaking fluently -
Yago
November 10, 2005
7:32 am
also I don't see what's "desperate" about asking fair treatment. It's not like they're demanding his inmediate release.
adamu
November 10, 2005
12:15 pm
Thanks Curzon! much appreciated
Kushibo
November 10, 2005
2:43 pm
What was I getting at? Nothing, really. It just started to seem like some in both Korea and Japan were getting a little too behind these two people of questionable character, primarily (it seems) because of ethnic ties.

It was more like a Linda Richman "Coffee Talk" moment: Is there a parallel between the Japanese authorities welcoming former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori and the the Korean media welcoming convicted American spy Robert Kim? Discuss."
Adamu
November 10, 2005
2:55 pm
I can't tell you how infuriating it is to read press reports about Fujimori knowing that it's a coverup for sleazy backdoor dealings.

"During the hostage crisis at the Japanese Embassy in Lima in December 1996, he played hardball with hostage-takers. All the Japanese hostages were rescued, and Japan felt deeply indebted to Fujimori."

From Asahi's editorial... WTF? The public has a right to know!

BTW, where did you hear about the kickbacks? I'd be interested to see.
Dusty
November 10, 2005
6:24 pm
If you look at the two from the standpoint of corruption, neither are much different, particularly if you view the money (Fujimori) and the secrets (Kim) as property taken.

But if you view it from the standpoint of deceit, Fujimori deceived the people of Peru in how he would act in certain circumstances whereas Kim deceived the people of the US in who he was in certain circumstances. This latter deceit is a much more grievious betrayal. So in just comparing those two, the actions of the Japanese is much more understandable than actions of the South Koreans.

In that respect, that is comparing apples and oranges. Israeli and Korean secrets stealing is comparing apples. Here you have to compare the "who you are's" and to see it in the clearest sense, I suggest looking at the differences after removing the dependencies both countries have on the US. When I do this, and let me say that I have only considered it superficially, I don't see the Israeli "who you are" as being any different than who we are. I do see the Korean 'who you are" being different though.

Let me clarify all that by saying those views are based on the country's/people's general principles not interests. While dismayed over Israeli spying, I'd been even less dismayed by Australian or Brit spying, if you that helps you see what I mean; I see those as being about as close to Americans stealing American secrets to give to USA as you can get.

Let me also clarify that it is not the Koreans as individuals that I see as having different "who you are's" from ours. I know a couple Korean families that have more compatible "who you are's" to the US than some fourth gen Americans I know. (See also Japanese-Americans circa WWII for "who you are's", though not knowing that history intimately, I am undecided on whether that "who you are" sprang more from similiar general principles or the sole one of loyalty.)
Kushibo
November 12, 2005
7:42 am
Going back to Chinese immigration to California, continuing on with Japanese, Korean, and probably some other groups, I think it's always been very easy, perception-wise, for many people not of those groups to conjecture a different "who you are" for those Asians and Asian-Americans than for most White immigrants and their progeny.
Dusty
November 12, 2005
10:16 am
You're right, Kushibo, and I think familiarity is the key. Some of that derives from the fact that it there is greater cultural separation due to distance (and here I am talking both geographically and in relation to the eon making aspect of culture) such that Germans know the French and the Polish better than the Spanish, etc, etc. Some inherency in that is/will be also due to the degree that Germans are curious and, say, the Spanish are open and project their culture, though I think the latter is more important.

Another is the commonality involved. I know, if I can say know, the Brit's "who you are" from a progeny standpoint and the Aussie's from the fact we are cousins when considering the commonality of political culture. I know Israeli's "who you are" from the fact that, as a Christian, I know who my elders are. I cannot say either when it comes to East Asians.

But I am curious. Do you think the "who you are's" of the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans are different or the same? Was that easy for you to perceive? Why?