Korean nationalism

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Korean nationalism
Hangul:	한국민족주의 (조선민족주의 in North-Korea)
Hanja:	韓國民族主義 (朝鮮民族主義)
Revised Romanization:	Hanguk Minjokjueui (Joseon Minjokjueui)
McCune-Reischauer:	Hankuk Minchokchuŭi (Chosŏn Minchokchuŭi)

Korean nationalism may refer to two closely related forms of identity, separated in time and differentiated by their respective conditions, that are sometimes confused due to historical circumstances and a chance of jargon usage.

The "old" or historic form of nationalism is a form of nationalism developed in an organized form in Korea during the Japanese imperial occupation, which formally started in 1910. National consciousness was stirred at each foreign intervention towards the end of the Joseon period and the Korean Empire, which from the above led to border protectionism by Daewongun and moved the masses to the Tonghak Peasant Revolution (동학농민혁명), during which the earliest recorded anti-imperial slogans were sung in battle ("Let's drive out the foreign powers!" "외세를 몰아내자!")

Within Korean academic and non-academic circles, there is some disagreement over what is exactly meant by "Korean nationalism", in part because the dominant translation for "nationalism", (민족주의), really means "ethnocentrism". This is due to the circumstance that the earliest nationalist movements that struggled against Japanese imperialism, and later American imperialism, emphasized the ethnic uniformity of the Korean nation as an overarching strategy. Thus, by "Korean nationalism" or "Korean national liberation", Koreans often mean "Korean ethnic nationalism." Nationalism for Koreans, as for other people, is not unified and monolithic.

Contents 1 Movement Nationalism 1.1 Development of National Consciousness 1.2 The National Liberation Movement 1.3 A Divided Nation 1.4 Nationalism During the Military Dictatorships 1.5 Nationalism During the Sixth Republic 2 State-Aligned Nationalism in South Korea 2.1 The Third Republic and State Nationalism 2.2 Impact of the Fourth Republic and the Police State 2.3 Case Studies 2.3.1 National Image 2.3.2 Free Trade 2.3.3 Anti-American sentiment 2.3.4 Hwang Woo-Suk 3 Juche after 1978 in North Korea 4 References 5 External links 6 Relevant articles

[edit] Movement Nationalism

Nationalism in Korea may be seen as third world nationalism. Third world nationalisms are fundamentally at odds with the first world nationalisms seen in nations such as the United States, Britain, Germany, and other former colonial powers. First world nationalism, by its definition, assumes privilege and entitlement, and often is imperialist. Third world nationalisms, by contrast, occur in those nations that have been colonized and exploited. The nationalisms of these nations were forged in a furnace that required resistance to (neo)colonial domination in order to survive. Korea is among these nations.

[edit] Development of National Consciousness

The origin of old Korean nationalism can be dated back to the Japanese invasions of the 16th century, and more recently the late 19th century invasion and occupation of Korea by Japan which lasted until liberation in 1945.

The invasion and occupation of Korea by Japan brought forth an entirely new set of Korean political leaders, spawned by the resistance to Japanese colonialism. The struggle against Japanese colonialism began in earnest in 1907. As one form of resistance, the Righteous army movement attempted to appeal to Korean patriotism against Japanese threats to Korean cultural identity.

Drawing on Woodrow Wilson's promises of self-determination, on March 1, 1919, a group of thirty-three intellectuals petitioned for independence from Japanese military rule, and were rejected in Europe at the conferences in favour of the Japanese occupiers. This touched off nationwide mass protests that continued for months.

These protests were put down fiercely by the Japanese, by brutality that was hitherto unknown in Korea, causing many younger Koreans to become militant opponents of colonial rule. The year was a watershed for imperialism in Korea: the leaders of the movement were moderate intellectuals and students who sought independence through nonviolent means and support from progressive elements in the West. Their courageous witness and the nationwide demonstrations that they provoked remain a touchstone of old Korean nationalism. The failure of the movement stimulated radical forms of anti-Japanese resistance. In the 1930s, new groups of armed resisters, bureaucrats, and--for the first time--military leaders emerged.

[edit] The National Liberation Movement

Old nationalism in Korea is a form of resistance, but with significant differences between the north and south. Since the intrusion by foreign powers in the late 19th century, Koreans have had to construct their identity in ways that pitted them against foreigners, tradition, and even themselves. They have witnessed and participated in wide range of nationalist actions over the past century, but all of them have been some form of resistance.

The Tonghak (East Learning) peasant movement, also known as the Tonghak Peasant Revolution, that began in the 1870s, could be seen as an early modern form of old Korean nationalism. It was succeeded by the Righteous army movement and later a series of Korean independence movements that led to the current status of the two Korean nations.

During the Japanese occupation of Korea, the Korean nationalists carried on anti-Japan independence struggles in Korea, Manchuria, China and Russia. They formed 'governments in exile', armies, and secret terrorists groups to fight the Japanese invaders.

[edit] A Divided Nation

Korea has been divided since the 1950s. This division is the product of rival regimes, opposing ideologies, and global politics. Korea is also divided by differing forms of nationalism that reflect the various histories, polities, classes, and genders experienced by Koreans who live the north and the south. From 1945 through 1950, the global and ideological aspirations of the United States and Soviet Union collided in a Korea that itself had social and political divisions. This set the stage for the rise of two different polities, the division of the nation, and the beginning of rival national identities.

Korean nationalism in the late 20th century has been characterised by the split between North and South Korea. South Korea adopted a sunshine policy towards the North that was based on a hope for future Korean unification.

[edit] Nationalism During the Military Dictatorships

[edit] Nationalism During the Sixth Republic

Both North and South Korea have also both lodged severe protests against visits by Japanese officials to the Yasukuni shrine where Class A war criminals are held. The shrine is seen as glorifying Japanese militarism under which both Koreas suffered.

[edit] State-Aligned Nationalism in South Korea

While nationalistic theory and practice during the colonial era and the First Republic of South Korea were class-based and movement specific forces, in the South Korea of recent times (1990s onward) a more broad-based (including middle-income classes) sentiment has developed in the national ethos, the so called "New Nationalism." Two ideologies drive the new nationalism: the old national liberation movement logic of anti-imperialism on the one hand, and a state-worshipping ideology introduced by the Park Jung-Hee regime and embodied in its pledge of National Allegiance (국민교육헌장), on the other hand.

The buzzword for this new breed of ideology is "national interests" (국익), in whose name the power of Korean feminist and queer movements, organized labor, and pro-migrant coalitions are being bent down.

The "New" South Korean nationalism drives public policy and has been a powerful controlling force upon the Korean polity since 2004. It has had a coercive power to raise national consensus on such divisive issues as the South Korea's participation in the War on Iraq, strengthened gestures for sovereignty in the face of a unilateral military alliance with the United States, confrontations with China and Japan over territorial issues, and so forth.

[edit] The Third Republic and State Nationalism

[edit] Impact of the Fourth Republic and the Police State

This phenomenon when it fully and visibly manifests itself as it did in the 2002 World Cup is a sight like none other. Many Koreans commonly attribute this to:

• the mono-ethnic composition of the people
• one common language
• social structure based on literally calling (and hence thinking of) each other as "brother, sister, mother, father, uncle, aunt"
• a wireless connected population over the relatively small geographic area that is the Korean peninsula.
• Seoul as the single most important hub for culture, technology, fashion, and education

This all means that they are quicker to agree on things, more likely to think of things the same way, more likely to not harm each other and even to take care of and be considerate of each other, and more likely to gather and rally to a cause if there is reason to do so, as any location in the country is mere hours away by expressbus. The fact that Seoul is a central location of culture and fashion that can radiate and transmit itself instantly across the entire country also helps. Also, virtually the entire population aspires to be educated at universities in Seoul, making even education more or less centralized.

[edit] Case Studies

[edit] National Image

[edit] Free Trade

[edit] Anti-American sentiment

The relationship of the Korean people to the US soldiers in their land is a complicated one. In the last 15 years public sentiment has shifted dramatically, with a large number (if not majority) of Koreans viewing the US as a negative presence on the peninsula and as an obstacle to reunification. A series of high-profile incidents involving soldiers have only fanned those flames, and since 2002 demonstrations have been increasingly virulent.^{[citation needed]}

At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Japanese-American speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno was awarded the gold medal after a judge ruled that he had been interfered with by the South Korean skater, who had brushed his hand against Ohno. South Koreans were outraged and saw a conspiracy against them; one civic organization awarded their own gold medal to the South Korean skater^{[citation needed]}.

That same year came probably the most high-profile and tragic incident to involve a US soldier in Korea. On a dirt road in the city of Paju, an American armored vehicle accidentally ran over two middle school girls on their way to a birthday, crushing and killing them. An explosion of anti-American feelings, encouraged by civic organizations and politicians, followed; large demonstrations and candlelight vigils were held, American flags were burned, and an American soldier was stabbed on the subway in Seoul. Though the base commander apologized to the families of the girls and the US government paid them several times the normal compensation in the Korea justice system, outrage continued when the soldiers were acquitted of the most serious charges in a court-martial. Many Koreans called for changes in the Status of Forces Agreement. A Korean pop singer had a hit with his song "Fucking USA". Gruesome photos of the girls' bodies, taken at the scene, were blown up and placed through the subway system.^{[citation needed]}

The 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States was, as in so many other countries, deeply unpopular in South Korea.^{[citation needed]}

On September 11, 2005, a date chosen for being the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, a crowd of demonstrators attempted to tear down the statue of General Douglas MacArthur which had been erected decades before by the residents of Incheon. The police prevented them from doing so, but national politicians including President Roh Moo-hyun refused to condemn their actions or their criticism of MacArthur, which included the allegation that he had told American soldiers to rape Korean women in Seoul during the Korean War. That allegation was later found to have been based on a North Korean textbook.^[1]

[edit] Hwang Woo-Suk

Main article: Hwang Woo-Suk

In the Hwang Woo-Suk scandal, young independent scientists and investigative reporters pointed out flaws in Hwang's work, but were ignored, vilified, and even fired by the Korean people, businesses, and networks because of their criticisms of a "national hero." As the truth of the Hwang scandal eventually emerged, the Korean people realized their mistake, but not before the damage to the nation's credibility had been done.

[edit] Juche after 1978 in North Korea

[edit] References

1. ^ [1]

[edit] External links

• Korean history

[edit] Relevant articles

• Korea
  • North Korea
  • South Korea
• Nationalism
• Korean pride
• Hanchongryun