The Korea Herald,
South Korea
'Anti-Americans' Ought to Ponder the Alternatives ...
By Jasper S. Kim* 
August 17, 2006
South Korea - Korea Herald - Original
Article (English) 
During this summer's unprecedented heat wave, in a scheme to convert
nationalism into commercial success, Korean cinema is riding another wave: the
wave of anti-Americanism. With the success of the film, The Host 
, the
question we should ask ourselves is this: In the long-run, does such blatant
anti-Americanism really benefit Korea's national interest?
The plot of The Host is a basic one. A mysterious child-eating
monster from the Han River, spawned by chemicals allegedly emitted by the U.S.
military, wreaks havoc on Seoul. A sort of Jurassic Park meets JFK.
As is well known, this movie's attempt to tie U.S. influence with negative
effects reflect the current belief held today by many (but not all) here in
Korea.
If you ask why such anti-American sentiment exists here in Korea,
you will get a laundry list of responses. But rather than try to defend or
attack such notions, I'd like to try a different approach. I'd like to look at the
current wave of anti-Americanism from a different angle, by arguing that
compared to alternative superpowers, the United States is a relatively
benign (yet robust) one, and thus, should be given due respect for not
exercising its full might and will upon other nations, including Korea, as
other superpowers most likely would have chosen to do.
First, imagine if the United States and allied powers had not won
World War II. What would the world look like today, and more to the point, how
would this alternative victorious superpower look upon and treat Korea? For
example, if imperial Japan had managed to stake its claim to the Asia-Pacific
region and entered into a nonaggression pact with Nazi Germany, I think it quite
obvious that Japan would continue to treat Korea as it did from 1910-45. That
is, it would have turned all of the defeated nations into mirror images of
itself, and would have used them as sources of raw materials for the Japanese
empire. This would mean, for example, that the Korean language would not exist
today, along with most (if not all) of Korea's historical treasures and
documents.
Moreover, if Japan won the war instead if the United States, Japan
wouldn't be carefully seeking the permission of Korean officials about the
placement and use of Japanese forces on the Korean Peninsula. It's safe to say
that this would be a strictly one-way decision-making process.
Second, imagine if Nazi Germany had won World War II, didn't sign
a nonaggression pact with Japan, and later controlled the Korean Peninsula. I
think it's just as easy to surmise that they would treat Koreans not much differently than they treated the Jews and other races viewed as
unequal to their own. And the case with Japan would be much the same with the Nazi-German military, which I doubt would patiently negotiate the terms and conditions of how
long and under what circumstances German forces could live and stay within the
Korean Peninsula. Nor would they agree to defend Korea in the event of any
attack by enemy forces.
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions tear an American
flag at an anti-U.S., pro-unification rally, Aug. 15. (above and below).
[SLIDE SHOW: Pro/Anti-U.S. Rallies in Korea].
Anti-U.S. protesters calling for a complete U.S. withdrawal
clash with riot police on their way toward the U.S. Embassy
in Seoul, Aug. 14. (above).
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Third, imagine if China were the world superpower, hypothetically,
following the 1950-53 Korean War. Many Koreans hold the view that during its
long history, China has been predominantly a non-aggressive power. But if you actually
look at history (which is the best, if not a flawless, indicator of future
behavior), this has not always been the case. In fact, China has also had expansionist
tendencies, with colonies up and down the African coast, along with the
Philippines (before the Spanish), Indonesia (before the Dutch), and Malacca.
Not to mention that during the reign of the Mongols , the
Chinese launched against Japan one of the largest naval military offensives in
world history (which failed despite a significant numerical superiority and a surprise
attack). Obviously, China attacked Japan because they viewed Japan as a
menacing threat. Currently, China stakes a claim to Taiwan and other disputed
islands.
Fourth, imagine if Korea (yes, Korea) were the world superpower
today. How would it treat Japan, China, and its European and American
counterparts, if it had both the military and economic dominance to strike
anywhere, anytime, with little or no repercussions? Would its government use
its superpower status to maximize its national interests, or play down its
position and behave as an equal with non-superpower states, potentially at the
cost of losing its superpower bargaining power?
Fifth, and finally, imagine if the same level of anti-American
sentiment in Korea were matched with a wave of anti-Korean sentiment in the
United States. Keep in mind that in the 1980s, a wave of anti-Japanese
sentiment erupted in the United States, leading to Japanese radios and cars
being smashed in Washington as a sign of anti-Japanese hostility. This could
just as easily happen to Korea. If so, Korean exports would plummet (as Korea's
economy is extremely export-dependent), leading to a severe recession, and
Korean students overseas would confront public demonstrations and demands that
Koreans be expelled from the country and calls for leading U.S. universities to
use their precious limited resources for American rather than foreign
students), which would set back Korea's high-tech workforce for decades, just
to name a few of the many possible repercussions.
So, when viewed from this perspective, does anti-Americanism really
benefit Korea's national interests?
Jasper S. Kim is a law professor at the Graduate School of
International Studies, Ewha Womans University, and author of the book,
"Crisis and Change: South Korea in a Post-1997 New Era." - Ed.
