There are no free lunches under the sun.
An
old Korean saying says, “At the feast of others, say ‘Bring persimmon: bring
pears." It means ridiculous meddling in the business of other people.
Historically Korea was indebted to America two times: first, Korea got liberation
for nothing from Japan defeated in the Second World War, thanks to the United States
of America.
Second, South Korea managed to defend its half part of Korean Peninsula
from North Korea’s attack in the Korea War in 1950-53 through the forceful
support of American soldiers. As a result, Korea became a state which has been served
free lunches two times from USA.
If that so, America is a country of an angel to Koreans? According to
Gallup Research, about 58 percent of South Korean love America by two percent
more than Americans loves their country.
In the early 1950s, a British journalist said, “expecting democracy to
bloom in Korea is like expecting a rose in a trash can.” In those days, Korea
was one of the poorest countries in the world, relying on corn powder and dry
milk powder offered by USA. John F. Kennedy asked his high-ranking personnel
how to keep South Korea from North Korea’s threat. His aides advised him that America
should help South Korea achieve two things: One thing is to help enhance South
Korean’s quality of life, and the other is to achieve political
democratization.
Surprisingly in half a century, South Korea has achieved not only its
economic growth in the eleventh place in global economic power but also
political democratization. By strong people’s power, they have driven out the
military dictatorship of more than thirty years. America’s diplomatic policy for
supporting South Korea resulted in great success. Koreans proved to be a
beautiful rose is in full bloom in a trash can. Namely Korea made the Miracle
of the Han River.
I think that main motives to have led Korea’s economic development and
industrialization were due to its time-honored history, Park Chung-hee’s timely
development dictatorship, and people’s cooperation. After Park took the power through military
coup, he mapped out the First Economic Development Plan to lead export-drive
policy from 1961 to 1979. The export-drive policy brought a rapid economic
growth and industrialization in South Korea. However, his eighteen-year-old
authoritarian rule had committed numerous human rights abuses and yielded
socials conflicts between conservatives and liberals.
But except this positive facet, America’s wrong policies against South
Korea sometimes gave South Koreans disappointments and frustration. They have
played a disturber’s role in modern Korean history, I think. I would like to
describe America’s mistaken policies: One is “the Shufeldt Treaty” of May 22th,
1882, signed between Chosun and America.[1] King
Kojong in the late of Chosun Dynasty period was said to have danced in the
palace before his subjects. The reason was that USA will help Chosun(=Korea) sustain
independence without China and Japan’s interference, but it was a wrong
political judgment. On the contrary, President Theodore Roosevelt was a
believer in Social Darwinism and “Big Stick Diplomacy” in international affairs.
The Taft-Katsura Memorandum on July 27, 1905, was a secret document which means
Japanese control over Korea and the Japanese establishment of suzerainty over
Korea.
The other is that Carter administration overlooked Chun Doo-Hwan to
dispatch his army’s 20th Division to Kwangju to quell the
demonstration from May 18 to 27, 1980.[2] After
President Park Chung-Hee was assassinated by KCIA’s chieftain, the spring of
democratization seemed to come like a mirage. Opposition leaders insisted that
we should choose our president through direct vote. Gradually the political
situation engulfed into a large turmoil’s tornado. Major General Chun who took
power in 1979, declared the Martial Law to prohibit all political activities. Every
day demonstrations broke out in all larger cities. Especially, thousands of
people in Kwangju’s street were demanding an end to military rule and seeking
the restoration of democracy. He dispatched the Korean army and the Special
Forces “black berets” with M-16s and bayonets fired at unarmed civilian
protesters. More than 600 citizens were said to be killed. Namely the Korean
army committed massacre which does have an American connection. America insists
that Wickham had no power to keep the division under his control. It was a
clear lie. Since 1950, the joint defense of South Korea is under the coordinated
command of an American four-star general.
Nowadays, North Korea and US are competing each other’s diplomatic power
to gain a good position through bargaining of ”give and take” for
denuclearization of North Korea, leaving south Korea as a looker-on.
In conclusion, after Korea was served expensive free lunches, it unintentionally
lost her military sovereignty. Whenever Korean political situation ups and
downs in the process of democratization, America has exerted her wrong
influence upon the Korean Peninsula. In 21st century, we have the
responsibility for passing over a normal state with our military sovereignty to
our descendants so that they never expect to be served other’s free lunches
again.
-The End-
이름: 정 인 성 (Chung In sung)
이메일
주소: flesung48@naver.com
[2][2] Los Angeles Times: US role in Kwangju and Beyond Korea: Joint
command of troops keep complicity in military misdeeds an open question, August
29, 1996.
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