Gangpeh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gangpeh | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: |
깡패
|
| Revised Romanization: | kkangpae |
| McCune-Reischauer: | kkangp'ae |
A gangpeh (sometimes spelled ggangpae or kkangpae) is a Korean gangster. Gangpeh literally translates to "gangster" in Korean. Other words for gangster include gundal and jopok (refers more towards organized gangs/gangsters). Korean gangs are primarily in North America and Asia, mostly in Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon, Daegu, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York City, Hawaii, Chicago, Texas and Miami.
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[edit] History
Although the history of Korean gangs is somewhat vague, historians believe that the rise of Korean gangs started back in the 1800s, the fading days of the Joseon Dynasty. With the rise of commerce and the emergence of investment from western powers, pre-existing street gangs, often consisting of lower class muscle and operated by wealthy merchants, gained influence.[citation needed] The modern history of Korean criminal organizations divides into four periods- the "Romantic Period" under the rule of Imperial Japan, Political gangs of the late '50s and early '60s under Syngman Rhee, the "Civil War period" under the military rule of Park Chung Hee and Chun Doo Hwan, and the present. Traditionally most gangs were based in Seoul, the capital and the largest city in South Korea.
[edit] Romantic Period
During the 36 year of forced occupation by imperial Japan, many Koreans were killed, raped, abused, or enslaved. This intensified during World War II when Japan spread its empire throughout Manchuria,and parts of Russia. Koreans fled to China and formed gangs to overcome racial hate and crimes. The most famous "gangster" during this period was Kim Doo Han, the son of a famous independent figure and insurgent leader Kim Jwa-jin, a freedom fighter against Japanese rule. After his father and mother were killed, he grew up as a beggar and hung out with a local gang, named Jumok (fist). He rose through the ranks and became famous for being the best fighter (which was the way of Jumok), known for fighting groups of Yakuza and other Japanese by himself with only his hands, even though he was often outnumbered by Yakuza, and Yakuza were usually armed with katanas.[citation needed]
The colonial branch of Yakuza was then under the control of Hayashi, a Korean who defected to the Japanese and joined the yakuza. The rival gang to Hayashi's Yakuza was controlled by Koo Majok, but the Korean gang was always short of money and many local gang bosses were disloyal to Koo and formed separated gangs, notably Shin Majok and SSang Kal (two knives). Koo Majok finally tried to solidify his control over the Korean gangs by knocking out Ssang Kal and taking over his territory but it caused a backlash. Kim Doo Han, originally a member of Ssang Kal, rebelled against Koo Majok. Kim killed both Shin Majok and Koo Majok and unified all the Korean gangs under his command at the age of 18.[citation needed] After solidifying his rule by beating the revolting groups, Kim made his move against the Yakuza, starting the famous gang war between Jumok and Yakuza, which became symbolic of the resistance by Koreans against Japanese racism and imperialism. Kim Doo Han was a major figure of the movement against Japanese imperialism; the rivalry between his gang and the Yakuza under their famous boss Hayashi is still remembered by many Koreans and Japanese.[citation needed] To this date, many Korean gangs are still at war with Japanese gangs, or yakuza.
Ironically, many Japanese yakuza, some claim a majority, are themselves of Korean origin (known as 'zainichi-kankokujin' in Japanese), including Hayashi.
[edit] Political Gangs
The Japanese were forced out of Korea after losing World War II. Following the Japanese surrender the Soviet and American troops occupied the nation; and Korea soon became the battlefield of a Cold War between ideologies, as the Korean War erupted in 1950. Prior to the Korean War, several gangs in South Korea defected to communist side; almost all gangs were exterminated in North Korea under the command of Kim Il-sung. However by the beginning of the Korean War, almost all communist gangs disappeared from South Korea, due to brutal suppression from the government. Many North Korean gangs also moved into South Korea and formed large factions, led by Lee Hwa Ryong.
After the Korean War, South Korea was in complete ruins. The economy almost did not exist as most of the population were short of food. The political situation of South Korea was even more terrible, as the government of Syngman Rhee struggled to keep the control of nation. To solve the problem, the Rhee government allied itself with several criminal organizations, including the Dongdaemunpa of Lee Jeong Jae. Dongdaemunpa soon formed a rivalry with Lee Hwa Ryong's Myeongdongpa; however, Dongdaemunpa, with the backing of the government, usually outsmarted Myeongdongpa and avoided the police, while Myeongdongpa members were often arrested and imprisoned. The opposition was brutally oppressed by the political gangs; Dongdaemunpa and other organizations were often accused of rigging elections. The terror of the political gangs made the Rhee government extremely unpopular, and following the presidential election of 1960, Rhee' Liberal Party was accused of election fraud and was overthrown by a revolt of the people.
[edit] Civil War Period
The new government that took power after Syngman Rhee was incompetent and was unable to make the nation stable. Instead the policy of new government dragged the country into chaos; and finally in May 16, 1961, Major-General Park Chung Hee led a successful coup against the government and started his 18-year military rule. Immediately after taking control of government, Park ordered the arrest of many politically affiliated gang bosses, including Lee Jeong Jae and Lim Hwa-su; they were subsequently executed. After this large crackdown on organized crime, most of the gangs became underground organizations, but still survived the new era.
After the execution of Lee and dissolution of Dongdaemunpa, Sin Sang Hyeon of Sinsangsapa became the most influential figure within Korean gangs. However during the 1970s, Beomhonampa under Oh Jongcheol and Park Jong-seok gained strength and challenged the Sinsangsapa. In 1975, Beomhonampa attacked the New Year party of Sinsangsapa and became the most powerful organization. However the Beomhonampa was divided by Oh and Park; and Jo Yang-eun and Kim Tae Chon emerged as the most powerful figure of the gangs of the time.[citation needed] Kim Tae Chon gained his fame by introducing knives to the Korean gangs; he stabbed Oh Jongcheol and formed his own gang,Beomseobangpa, and soon became the most noted figure of organized crime in Korea; Jo Yang-eun also formed Yangeunyipa and started war against Kim, as well as OBpa of Lee Dong Jae. At the same time, various gangs rose from many South Korean cities, following the rapid economical and industrial development under Park Chung Hee government. Many organizations based their wealth on many businesses such as money laundering, loan sharking, liquor selling, construction, gambling, prostitution and others.
[edit] Organized crime in Korea
Organized crime was widespread in Korea during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The syndicates controlled large parts of the entertainment district, media and politics. Common practices of these groups included extortion by offering "protection," prostitution, loan sharking, money laundering (ex. construction) and gambling. However in 1990, the Korean government declared a war against organized crime,[1] which resulted in the incarceration of thousands of gangsters and mob bosses. However the gangs transformed themselves into business corporations, and yet began another expansion as the East Asian Financial Crisis struck the nation in 1997.
Current activities of gangsters include extortion, prostitution, illegal goods (drugs, guns), money laundering (construction, fishing), loan sharking, kidnappings, and running night clubs. Gangs have more of a presence and control in smaller towns and cities, where there is less of a police and government presence. Korean organized crime also has strong connections and relationships with the Japanese Yakuza and the Russian mob.[citation needed]
Members of organized gangs often have tattoos of the 'pa' (gang) they are in. When confronted by other gangs, they show the tattoo to identify themselves. The tattoo can also be used as a warning to show civilians that they should not be taken advantage of. Because of this, tattoos have often been a stigma and considered taboo, unless you were a gangster or a criminal. Many bath-houses, pools and saunas do not allow people with tattoos to enter for fear of trouble.
The stereotypical image of gangsters in Korea is as follows: 'gakdoogi' hair (sides shaved, hair on top), big build, black attire, tacky suits, black luxury cars, huge tattoos and 'saturi' talk (regional dialect). While this may not apply to every gangster, if you have seen someone with these attributes, it is likely they were a member of organized crime. Contrary to popular belief, Seoul is not known for mob activity. The mobs of the Jeollado region (Gwangju, Mokpo) are the most respected and most well known out of Korea. Other areas gangsters are known to come from are Busan and Incheon.
However, there is usually very little contact between gangsters and civilians. Korean gangsters are very low-key and the mentality is, if you don't get involved with them, they won't get involved with you. People should not feel scared to visit Korea, as mobsters usually avoid foreigners to avoid attracting attention from the police.
[edit] Korean-American gangs today
Korean gangs largely consist of troubled youth, unsure of themselves and burdened by family and/or financial problems. Other gang members are simply upset with the local law enforcement officers, convinced of their incompetence and racial bias. And a smaller, yet still significant, percentage of Korean gangsters are comprised of individuals unsatisfied with their status, in want of money and, with it, power. This last category of gang members are usually the most influential in their community, whether they choose to let their identity be known or not.
An overwhelming majority of Korean-American street gangs can be found in the cities of New York and Los Angeles. However, they have relatively recently expanded to regions in and around Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Hawaii, Houston, Dallas, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.[citation needed]
The Korean gangs in New York are, for the most part, inactive and spread out into smaller gangs called "crews". These crews often clash over turf or a source of income.
Korean gangs in Los Angeles, however, are still very active and are known to have the potential to be incredibly violent and merciless when need arise. However, the older and more sophisticated Korean mob (NY/LA) is still heavily involved in extortion, prostitution, money laundering, illegal gambling, and drug trafficking.
[edit] Unique characteristics of Korean-American gangs
Many Korean gangs exist as partly modern and partly traditional organizations. Each gang is comprised of older heads (who are also understood as the leaders of the gang) and younger heads (to do the leaders' bidding). The younger gangsters are expected to defer to their elders (even if only by one year or even less), and call them hyeongnim, or "older brother." In some cases, failure to show proper respect to an older head can lead to serious consequences. In the Korean community, respect is an important aspect of daily living, and not something to be regarded lightly.
Another notable difference between Korean gangs and non-Korean gangs are the rankings. Usually, the positions of authority in Korean gangs are given to the most qualified older members, unlike other gangs, where the strongest or most clever person is at the top. Also present in Korean gangs is the unique bonding method: drinking together at a "sool jib," or a casual Korean restaurant or bar.
Certain Korean gangs are also known to be backed by bigger, more organized gangs, who in turn have connections with other well-known gangs, and with ultimately, the Korean mob. In these situations, being a Gangpeh not only gives an individual a sense of pride and respectability, but connections with influential people in the real world. For instance, many hyeongnim reward their favorite dongsaeng (younger siblings) with job opportunities, money, and other practical positions.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DD1F30F93AA35756C0A965958260
- http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0814FF3C5C0C768CDDAE0894D9404482
- http://citypaper.net/articles/2002-08-22/cb2.shtml
- http://www2.gol.com/users/coynerhm/life_of_korean_gangsters.htm
- http://www.stanford.edu/group/reflections/Winter1998/Nonfiction/KoreanPride.html
- http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-koreatown31oct31,1,4413066,full.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
- http://www.munhwa.com/news/view.html?no=20050207010110270370010
- http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=910aafffcf7ec967ae92c5411382b9f8
[edit] Notes
- ^ Lee, Y K (1998). "The status of organized crime in Korea and its countermeasures". International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice 22 (2): 157-174.
