Via Marmot comes this from Foreign Dispatches:
One of the recurring questions that watchers of South Korea must continuously ask themselves is why it is that the country’s people and government are capable of such intense – even hysterical – fits of anger and recrimination over even the most minor of (often entirely imaginary) offenses committed by ideologically sympathetic countries like Japan and the United States, and yet manage to restrain themselves to a much greater degree when the likes of China and North Korea engage in much more ominous actions.
If you’ve ever wanted to hear an explanation to that pressing question, read on.
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Comments to this entry
dogbert
February 7, 2007
5:50 am
Anyone familiar with children know how they will "test" their parents to see to what extent they are pushovers or hardcases. Children respect (or at least don't talk back to) the hardcases, but will crap wll over the soft touches.
It is, of course, the same with Korea. No matter how much South Korea smarts off to the U.S. or Japan, it knows there will be no punishment, much less a warning. South Korea also knows that China is quite capable and will, at some point be willing, to lay the smack down in no uncertain terms.
Chirol
February 7, 2007
9:54 am
ckrisz
February 7, 2007
11:56 am
Sonagi
February 7, 2007
5:36 pm
A perfect example is the media furor a few years (2001?) ago when President Bush referred to Kim Dae-jung in English as "this man." It was translated into Korean as "i saram," a very informal expression. The media blew it up, Koreans got all upset, and National Assembly members demanded an apology, refusing to listen to the US government's explanation that "this man" is perfectly acceptable in English.
Foreign dispatches isn't talking about global indignation over Abu Graib or Gitmo. He's referring to childish tantrums like the example above.
marquer
February 7, 2007
6:29 pm
They're a wealthy country now. Let them pay for their own defense against the tiny terror of the North.
Yes, I am aware that the sub rosa rationale for having a contingent of the US military there is because that provides the Pentagon with conveniently situated ports and airfields.
However, in the event of any of several genuinely plausible regional military clashes other than the NORK coming to Seoul, the odds are excellent that the South Koreans would simply refuse American forces the right to use those facilities. An asset of which you cannot make use is no asset worthy of the name.
Jason W
February 7, 2007
7:03 pm
At-ti-ca! At-ti-ca! At-ti-ca!
lirelou
February 8, 2007
1:59 am
sunbin
February 11, 2007
4:17 am
korean do not put ideology over everything else.
1. the memory of japan is still fresh and frequently reminded of by a small group of japanese right wing.
2. the memory of chinese aggression was distant, i.e. 1400 years ago. since 600 years ago, chinese has been helping koreans defending against japanese invasion.
3. s. koreans are in general grateful and friendly to US, for saving them twice the last century. i don't think you can/should compare korean attitude to US vs that to japan - except when us is siding with japan in a certain dispute. we need to be fairer to the koreans.
Sonagi
February 11, 2007
2:52 pm
Point 2: that's not completely true. China's Northeast Project has refreshed the memories of Koreans and raised concerns about possible ulterior motives for the project. Look at the recent nationalist stunt pulled by the Korean short-track speed skating team. Korean historical drama producers are now on a revisionist bent with two recent dramas set in ancient Korean kingdoms whose borders extend far into the mainland.
An important difference between China and the US and Japan is that China's relationship with North Korea. I think that relationship is the main reason why the Korean government treads carefully. Had those girls pulled that sort of stunt in Japan over shared space like the Sea of Japan and caused the same uproar amongst Japanese netizens, I don't think Koreans would have been embarrassed, but rather angry and defiant. I doubt the Korean government would have issued an apology, either because they wouldn't want to or because of opposition from the Korean public.
The Chinese were very helpful in the 1500s and again in the first half of the 20th century but they were not so helpful from 1950-53 ( know your feelings on this from other posts; just bringing up more recent historical context).
RE: point 3: I lived in Korea almost ten years, speak fluent Korean, have had countless conversations with Koreans, read the papers and watched TV. Older Koreans who lived through the Korean War feel "grateful" and "friendly." Younger Koreans do not. What Koreans say is not "the US saved Korea" but "the US divided Korea."
Younger Koreans do not connect their current democracy and prosperity with the fact that modern South Korea sprang from a right-wing capitalist dictatorship supported and militarily protected by the United States. Koreans blaming the US for dividing Korea while failing to acknowledge that division made possible South Korea's democracy and prosperity is why an increasing number of Americans familiar with Korea no longer support the military alliance between the two countries.
I do not expect Koreans to be grateful; after all, the US is in Korea for its own interests. I wish, however, more Koreans would acknowledge the complex nature of the division of the peninsula.
snow
February 14, 2007
3:51 am
"Younger Koreans do not connect their current democracy and prosperity with the fact that modern South Korea sprang from a right-wing capitalist dictatorship supported and militarily protected by the United States."
Right on, Sonagi.
sunbin
February 15, 2007
11:40 pm
i guess that happens to a lot of people in latin america as well, where the dictators were supported by US during the cold war.
perhaps the only exception is taiwan, where the two political camps were US friendly for entirely different reasons.
Sonagi
February 16, 2007
2:04 pm
Maybe you missed my point. The right-wing government of the South was no more repressive than the Communist dictatorship of the North. The two key differences are that the South's right-wing government built Korea, Inc., and evolved into a prosperous democracy. The North is still poor and enslaved by a tyrant. Koreans proudly take credit for their economic prosperity and democracy but fail to see that modern South Korea wouldn't exist if the US had not pushed back the North Koreans and propped up the South. Koreans blame the US for dividing the country but fail to acknowledge that the division made possible the comfortable standard of living and freedoms they enjoy.
I don't expect Koreans to be grateful or thank the US. I would just like them to be honest even though such honesty may be difficult.
sunbin
February 17, 2007
3:44 am
i was simply trying to explain the phenomenon we observed, whether it is justifiable or not.
i was not trying to apply moral judgment from any perspective, or doing any relatively oppressive analysis. I do not think it is of any meaning to do such thing.