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[thorin]

http://www2.gol.com/users/coynerhm/flawed_logic_of_antAmericanism.htm

Flawed Logic of Anti-Americanism in Korea
By Yoon Bong-joon
Korea Times
August 12, 2003

In Korea, waves of anti-American sentiment continue to surge high, even after the first anniversary of the deaths of two Korean schoolgirls run over by a United States military vehicle. Protesters repeatedly demand apologies from the U.S. government and President Bush, the amendment of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Korea and even the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea. The anti-American protesters roar, "National defense autonomy and national independence!'' but what they truly believe is just the opposite. Anti-American sentiment in Korea is argued with flawed logic.

The protesters' anti-American logic is a modern day "sadae'' (the Yi dynasty's subservient worship of a bigger country, the Ch'ing Empire) since it blindly believes that the U.S., not Korea, determines Korea's fate. But it is the Republic of Korea that makes contracts, agreements and treaties with other nations. Any complaints concerning the terms of the SOFA or the U.S. court martial judgment over the deaths of the schoolgirls should be made to and addressed by the Korean government, not the U.S. government. The demonstrations in front of U.S. military bases in Korea and around the U.S. embassy that shout for the U.S. government to directly resolve these complaints are a de facto renunciation of Korea's self-determination. The Republic of Korea is an independent country, not a colonial possession of another sovereignty. Korea is a leading nation in terms of economy, culture, arts, sciences and military power. Any Korean national who loves his country should take pride in the Republic of Korea.

The Anti-American activism of Korea today represents the mores of slaves, lacking the sense of a master. The Anti-American activists insist on U.S. troop withdrawal and burn the U.S. flag. But they offer no alternative to the national defense vacuum that would follow a U.S. troop withdrawal. As the defense vacuum worsens investment risk for both domestic and foreign investors, the flight of capital from Korea would be inevitable, leading to an economic catastrophe. Many of the anti-American demonstrators cry out "yankees, go home!'' while at the same time they insist "the yanks cannot abandon and leave the defense of the strategically important Korea.'' This conflicting attitude amounts to an irresponsible temper tantrum by a child. Hence, they are flabbergasted when they learn that U.S. troops will leave Korea if Korea does not want them here. The demonstrators' irresponsibility leads to dishonor for the nation, as the prime minister ought to visit the commanding office of the U.S. Forces Korea to entreat them not to abandon northern border patrols, i.e., their so-called trip-wire role.

A slave neglects to pay attention to imminent personal danger, regarding it as someone else's responsibility. He expects his master will save him. The slave obeys but does not enjoy obeisance. Anytime the master falls in trouble, the slave would betray him. Hence, a slave's life repeats obeisance and betrayal. It is a slave mentality for the anti-American activists to believe the U.S. will protect Korea from Kim Jong-Il's nuclear threat despite their cry for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. If not, they must be traitors who would welcome the transfer of the Republic of Korea's sovereignty to the Kim Jong-Il regime. The Republic of Korea is the master of Korea's fate. It is the duty of Koreans, not Americans, to defend the Republic of Korea.

SOFA an unfair treaty?

The U.S. maintains SOFAs similar to the Korean-U.S. treaty with many countries where its forces are stationed. Korea also has similar treaties with any country where Korean forces are stationed so that Korean courts, not local one, can handle things such as criminal cases involving Korean soldiers on duty there.

The number of people killed in automobile accidents in Korea is around 10,000 per year, amounting to about one death per every 4,000 population, one of the highest road fatality rates in the world. Naturally, one would then expect 10 road deaths per year associated with 40,000 the U.S. soldiers stationed in Korea. It defies logic to turn a blind eye to the statistics and pre-judge a driver's crime in a Korean road fatality if the driver is American. It is another form of "sadae'' to hold American drivers in Korea to a high standard of safety and expect from Korean drivers a low standard commensurate with the harsh traffic conditions and the rough driving culture of Korea.

The "sadae'' and slave mentality among the current anti-American activists in Korea may originate from a defeatist response to Korea's unfortunate history since the late 19th century. Due to Japanese colonial oppression and disappearance of the ruling scholar (yangban) culture, which was not replaced by the culture of a new socially responsible class, a segment of the Korean populace seems to have adopted a passive mentality of blaming others for their own misery instead of overcoming it themselves. As a result, it is popular to exaggerate the victims' viewpoint in interpreting the recent historical events of Korea. The popular view overemphasizes the fates of those who suffered from the government's efforts to suppress communist uprisings such as the April 3 and Taegu uprisings, but it belittles the positive roles of the military and police forces that restored safety and security to the people. Even regarding the cause of the Kwangju uprising, many Koreans lay blame on the U.S., while they ignore the negative role of the lawless mob and the positive role of Korea's government, armed forces and police, and the law-abiding citizens of Kwangju. That is another expression of the "sadae'' mentality, revealing the passive attitude of slaves. The persecution complex that Koreans are a vanquished people and the defeatist view that Korea is an American colony overlook Korea's leading role in determining its fate and hence, makes it impossible to correctly understand the current geopolitical and economic crises and challenges facing Korea and to find solutions to them.

Which foreign power is forcibly occupying the Korean peninsula in the 21st century?

The Chosun Dynasty leadership in the late 19C split into pro-Chinese, pro-Japanese and pro-Russian factions vying for power. To protect the factions' interests at the sacrifice of national interests, they called in the Chinese and Japanese armies, letting Korea become the foreign powers' contest stage as the Sino-Japanese War testifies. Consequently, Korea lost its sovereignty to the dominant regional power of the period, Japan. In this 21st century, then, which foreign power encroaches upon the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea? Is it the U.S. or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea?

U.S. troops staying in Korea are obviously a foreign army. But their stay is as an allied army her at the request of the Korean government in accordance with the Korean-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty. They must leave Korea if the Korean government orders them to do so. The U.S. investors and multinational corporations stationed in Korea should also obey the Korean government's order to leave. The U.S. and Korea share a social system based on liberal democracy and free market economy. Though Koreans and Americans differ in language and cultural makeup, the two countries are allies promoting mutual interests by trade and by personal exchanges. Korea is not a colony of the U.S.

Being a member of the United Nations under the official name of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea is another country separate from the Republic of Korea. The principles constituting the DPRK are Kim Jong-Il's hereditary dictatorship, socialist economy and the labor camps filled with political prisoners. These principles deny the South Korean system of representative democracy, individual liberty, private property ownership and the rule of law. The DPRK is nothing but the South's enemy, which has occupied by force the ROK's northern territory and governs illegally over the South Korean nationals residing there, in violation of Article 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. Unlike the US troops in Korea, the DPRK's troops stationed just north of the border would not withdraw at the request the South. If the DPRK stations troops in South Korea, that's the end of the Republic of Korea. It is the DPRK, not the U.S. that aims to conquer the Republic of Korea. It is the DPRK that occupies, as a foreign force, the Korean peninsula against the will of the Republic of Korea.

Does the presence of U.S. troops in Korea conflict with Korean defense autonomy?

Anti-American activists clamor for U.S. troops to withdraw from Korea, but they do not present a solution to the resulting defense vacuum. Therefore, they are nothing but "sadae'' big country worshippers suffering from a slave mentality, if not traitors of the Republic of Korea and working for the Kim Jong-Il regime. A U.S. troop withdrawal does not mean defense autonomy unless Korea's own forces make up for the defense vacuum. It is, however, a false argument that the Republic of Korea can attain defense autonomy only when it evicts the U.S. troops and depends on its own military for 100 percent of its national defense.

Defense and economic autonomy are similar concepts. A prospering autonomous economy does not domestically produce all its needed goods. It would produce more of the goods with a comparative advantage than needed for domestic consumption and export the surplus. It would use the export revenues to import goods without a comparative advantage from its trading partners. This international cooperation in trade promotes the wealth and economic autonomy of a nation. Economic autonomy does not mean autarky. Likewise, international cooperation in defense promotes a nation's defense abilities, as defense comprises many sectors. For instance, a battlefield consists of not only land, but also sea and air.

The non-combat sectors of defense include intelligence, communications, behind the lines supply and support and many other functions. Intelligence gathering breaks down to depending on hi-tech equipment and human contacts. Just as trade promotes the trading countries' mutual interests, it is in the interests of both countries that one enjoys an ally's defense umbrella in the air and sea in return for readiness to help the ally in danger by dispatching troops. Exchanging the intelligence gathered by secret agents for the ally's intelligence gathered by satellites and other hi-tech equipment is another important form of international defense cooperation. By international defense cooperation with its American ally, Korea's ability for defense autonomy strengthens further: While Korea helps America in defense areas where Korea has comparative advantages, America can assist Korea in other defense areas.

Given that the defense enhancement benefits of U.S. troops in Korea far exceed their cost to Korea, there is no sense in asking them to leave. Japanese and Germans do not shout "yankees, go home'' despite the many U.S. soldiers stationed on their soil. U.S. troops in Korea strengthen Korea's defense autonomy as the ensuing savings in manpower and other resources can be applied to satisfy other urgent defense needs. Defense autonomy is not defense autarky shut off from the world.

This article was originally published in Korean on the Center for Free Enterprise (CFE) homepage on July 4, 2003. Churle Jung of the CFE and the author translated the article into English.

[Kiddirts]

thanks, that was good...I'd love that to be a discussion article in some of my classes.

[shakuhachi]

Interesting article. Foreigners have made similar points but its the first time I have heard this viewpoint expressed from the Korean perspective.

[shakuhachi]

Can anyone find the original article (in Korean)?

[thorin]

Please distribute this as widely as you possibly can:

http://www.cfe.org/opinion/?cid=110100&idx=225&pid=2&pn=5&sp=1&key=&si=

[indiercj]

This is exactly how the colonial ties are made. Those who benefit from or at least can position themselve a few steps out of the actual scenes of exploitation, oppression can bond under a common interest(their well being). That is how the most 'liberal' west can even befriend with some of the worst right wingers of the 3rd world. But in the end, this kind of stratigical sympathizing will only hurt back the west because their action nullifies one's belief of democracy, egalitarianism, human rights. A mob is a mob. You don't have to quote a pro-American right winger to make your point, unless....

[Gwangjuboy]

[thorin]

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

[Guri Guy]

An excellent article in my opinion. I feel the same way about Canada as well, as the United States helps protect us too. Our military is so weak it's laughable. It's like the old saying, "be careful what you wish for. It may come true".
If Korea ever had to fully defend itself the economy would go in the sh*tter. I am happy to see there are some Koreans that understand this.