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[Mashimaro]

https://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2007/04/11/200704110041.asp

[Kaleidoscope]Extreme in nationalism, patriotism

Every company has its own trademark. At the back of a DVD, for example, one can see the Dolby logo, followed by a familiar phrase: "Dolby and the Dolby symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation." Likewise, each country has its own trademark, too. The trademark of the United States, for instance, may be multiculturalism and diversity, for it is a country of immigrants. As for Korea, the trademark seems to be nationalism, patriotism and uniformity, characteristics that inevitably drive people to be impulsive and extreme when threatened.

Foreigners unanimously point out that Koreans tend to be overtly nationalistic and patriotic. In protests against the free trade agreement between Korea and the United States, for example, a taxi driver recently set himself on fire and is currently in critical condition. He proclaimed that he did it for his people and country, inspired by nationalism and patriotic fervor, out of the belief that he could save his beloved, faltering country from the outrageously unfair treaty. During an argument over the FTA issues a few days ago, a farmer, too, went extreme and killed his neighbor and wounded several others with his air rifle. Undoubtedly, both the taxi driver and the farmer, blinded by nationalistic fervor, sought an extreme way to express their feelings.

Nationalism has always been a dominant ideology in Korean society, which has inspired the Korean people to be hostile to foreign interventions and the influx of foreign cultures. Even in the sphere of literature and art, nationalism has been rampant. The so-called National Literature movement, which was predominant in the 1970s and 1980s, has now become the mainstream in the Korean republic of letters once again, as the writers belonging in this faction came to seize the political power.

In other parts of the world, however, nationalism is on the verge of extinction. In Europe, for example, nationalism is largely regarded as an obsolete idea, a remnant of Nazism and Fascism. A few years ago, I traveled to Stockholm with three other prominent Korean writers -poets Ko Un and Hwang Ji-woo, novelist O Jeong-hee - for the purpose of promoting Korean literature in Europe. Everything went smoothly including the poetry and story reading sessions, except my ill-fated lecture on Korean literature. I was asked by my sponsoring agency in Korea to talk on the flowering of Korean national literature. And that was a fatal mistake.

The first speaker was novelist O Jeong-hee whose topic was the image of Korean women in Korean literature. Her talk attracted so many Swedish reporters and women who were interested in Korean feminism. As the next speaker, I was so pleased to have such a huge audience, thanks to the charming topic of Ms. O. When her talk was over, however, the audience suddenly ebbed away and the hall was nearly empty. The Swedish people were not interested in "national literature" at all! They even stared at me suspiciously, thinking that I was an extreme right-wing fascist, probably a follower of Hitler and Mussolini.

The inscrutable thing is that in Korean society it is the leftists, not the rightists, who constantly chant nationalism. This uniquely Korean phenomenon proves that Korea does not know where the world is headed and is therefore isolated from the rest of the world. That also explains why in Korea, politicians in the ruling party still naively believe that socialism is not only valid but also the life-saving force that will bring a Utopian society, at a time when Marxism has turned out to be a complete failure. After Copernicus and Galileo, one can no longer argue that the earth is square or the universe revolves around the earth. Why then do we still have to cling to the obsolete idea of Karl Marx that belonged to the 19th century?

Nationalism and patriotism, when going extreme, do not allow other voices and eventually bring forth stifling uniformity. It is no wonder that in Korea "we" are always more important than "I" or "they." During the recent Frankfurt Book Fair, for example, the German press did not understand why Korean writers, who were supposed to be aloof and independent, always flocked together in the event subsidized by their government funds.

In the eyes of nationalists, globalization is imperialistic and thus unpatriotic. To be a global citizen is, therefore, to be a national traitor. Unfortunately, however, nationalism has confined Korea in a hard shell of ideology for a long time and as a result, made her hopelessly retrogressive. Our leaders who now preach nationalism would not be exonerated from the charge that they misled the Korean people in this critical moment.

We are living in a changed world now and only global citizens will survive the swift torrent of globalization. If we still believe that nationalism is the most sacred ideology that will deliver us from foreign evil, we are making a grave mistake. The South Korean economy heavily depends on exports, which means we cannot rely on nationalism or protective trade forever. There comes a time when one must boldly slough the old skin and accept the change. Then he will find a great release in a new skin, a new world and a new perspective.

Kim Seong-kon is a professor of English at Seoul National University and president-elect of the American Studies Association of Korea. - Ed.

2007.04.11
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Bravo your life Professor Kim Seong-kon! You have the right idea. Heres hoping a few more Koreans get with the program ASAp

[RACETRAITOR]

Do any Americans on here have any problem with American patriotism in all its many forms?

[eamo]

[jajdude]

Pretty well-written article. I would guess nationalism is alive and well in most countries, however. International sports events bring out the pride and other strange things.

[King Baeksu]

If he doesn't like Korea, he should just leave.

[mashuu]

you read:

"Koreans are ultra-nationalistic."

RACETRAITOR reads:

"Americans are worse."

Do you even know any Americans? Don't count the "Triumph of the Will"-boogeyman who lives in your head.

[Hater Depot]

[RACETRAITOR]

[pkang0202]

American patriotism and Korean nationalism are apples and oranges.

You are either Korean or your not.

In America you can be American, but still retain your own cultural identity, whether it be black, irish, korean, japanese, latino, jewish, polish, etc....

[dogbert]

[RACETRAITOR]

[dogbert]

[Newbie]

[just alittlecrazy]

Charles de Gaulle describes the difference between patriotism and nationalism well:
Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.
and Richard Aldington gives a good image of what nationalism is (regardless of what country you're from)
Nationalism is a silly cock crowing on his own dunghill.

(haha due to censorship you can't use the word for male chicken)

[Hater Depot]