The Institute for Research in Collaboration Activities (IRCA) has released its encyclopedia on pro-Japanese collaborators, and needless to say, the Hankyoreh is pleased.
Frankly, I’m ambivalent. No doubt I will find the accounts interesting from a purely historical standpoint, but to put this bluntly, the pro-Japanese collaborators ultimately helped birth a pretty decent country in South Korea, while anti-Japanese guerrillas with unimpeachable nationalist street cred created in North Korea a regime that would put the colonial regime to shame in its inhumanity and brutality. Of course, this is a generalization — not all independence activists were communists or pro-communist (South Korea’s first president, Rhee Syngman, was both an independence activist and a virulent anti-communist), nor were Japanese collaborators universally helpful in South Korea’s development — but it does point to the difficulty of drawing moral judgments about a period of history that doesn’t lend itself easily to a simple good vs. evil analysis.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Apologies for repeating a post, but I think it a relevant issue.
“A textbook from the South Korean New Right”
on Ampontan
(being a summary of a longer article sent to him some months ago by Prof. Shimojo)
at
http://ampontan.wordpress.com/
I certainly agree these matters are not black-and-white.
Rather interesting…
Folks on the Korean peninsula have been at war with each other since
the dawn of history. Ain’t never changed; ain’t ever gonna.
Nothing unique about Koreans on that point – mankind has been at war since the establishment of civilization – nuclear weapons might make a difference though.
On a separate point – what do the various accomplishments or crimes committed by North or South Korea since division have anything to do with a transparent retelling of Korean colonial history? Nothing. First, because an honest account of the historical facts is critical for understanding Korea today. Secondly, even if we buy the idea that Japanese collaborators did something positive in South Korea (which is debatable), we can’t ignore what happened in the colonial period. Should Polanski get a pass on rape charges because he made a few good movies? Absolutely not.
That apparently is the general consensus…
As for the collaborators… I would agree that the issue is morally ambiguous and not clear-cut as most Koreans would have it to be. It’s almost like the Captains of Industry/Robber Baron duality… sans the philanthropy, of course. Perhaps the conflict comes from the fact that the collaborators ultimately brought utilitarian benefits, but only in the process of bringing moral harm?
I guess the way you view the collaborators depend on where you are on the scale of consequentialism vs. deontology.
Let’s call a spade a spade: It is hostile invaders and occupiers — from the mongols, to the manchus, to the Chinese, to the Japanese, to the U.S., to the Communists — who have been waging war and preparing for war on the Korean peninsula since time immemorial.
The Koreans themselves, however argumentative and devisive they may be in the midst of such powerplays (and who wouldn’t), at least, do not go around into each others schools, hospitals, workplaces and homes to play shoot-em-up, like we Americans are so good at doing. (And btw, don’t even bring up that guy from Va. Tech — for all intents and purposes, he was a product of American culture and education through and through.)
In the words of Lee Siegel, there is: “No other prosperous country not torn by civil conflict (that) has anything like our volume of mass killings.” This is our national shame.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-07/americas-mass-murder-addiction?cmpid=p_yahoo
Ummm 8675309, do the words “daegu” “fire” and “subway” mean anything to you?
Sorry, but the old, stale “the invaders made Koreans what they are” line is
. . . well, old and stale. (Does the name “Kwangaeto” mean anything to you?
How about “kamikaze” (the wind, not the pilots)? The Han Tribes era and the subsequent Three/ Five Kingdoms periods were somehow not internecine?
Cae to explain why South Korea never signed the armistice?)
And, yes “dokdofever” thanks for reminding us that warfare is an inherent component of the (collective) human psyche. [yawn]
Favor: Could someone on this board please give me a telephone call or text message me when folks on this peninsula in their silly little hierarchically-organized groups stop fighting amongst themselves? I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks.
(Anticipating smart ass comments. Type in sassy comebacks in space provided below.)
I’m glad this book was finally released. I like to see more lists like this, perhaps Chinese, Russian and American collaborators lists. People have right to know who benefited politically during Chinilpa days.
I’m seeking these Chinazis in Korea right now. Korea should do this more to humiliate these collaborators even they are dead or alive.
Judging from Korea’s economic performance during the Park Chung-hee period, the answer would seem to be, “The bulk of the Korean population.”
I guess it’s easy to be a patriot when the stakes are so low. One wonders where this spirit was, however, when it actually mattered.
That is a worthless pursuit. Without understanding the times and conditions that these people lived in — which are too far removed from what most Koreans have experienced today — such is simply a mean-spirited witch hunt which only harms the country and people. The only Koreans that would understand living under a siege mentality are North Koreans but then they are so misunderstood by everyone else and rich in ideology!
There are far more important issues for the South Korean collective to address in this day and time than indulging in mindless revenge.
I would also rather see people discussing the past and what happened in terms of understanding it better.
During Park regime days, true that Koreans benefited economically from Japanese investments but didn’t really benefited anything from politically. Chinilpa is the reason why we still have war crime distortion & Dokdo issues, as well as children of Chinipas still enjoy their wealth plundered from others.
The list of Japanese colonial collaborators is not simply for revenge or seeking retribution. But to raise the awareness not to repeat this humiliation.
I really like to see the next books on Chinese, Russian and American collaborators as well. All four countries (China, Japan, Russia & USA) have done evils in Korea in return for their own gains. The world deserve the truths!
I also like to see how these descendants of Japanese collaborators lives today as well. I’ve heard most freedom fighters’ families are still poorer than these families of collaborators. Unfair wealth distribution considering these collaborators taken so much wealth from others.
Also, this list humiliate Japanese sides too. Japan the country who never formally apologize to the world and never paid their debts & compensations to these victims and still don’t pay attention to their reconciliation by even distorting their war crime records needs to be humiliated over again again until they seek reconciliation.
koreansentry, i find your style very funny.
it’s like
yay! clap clap clap
wtf? boooo!
yay! clap clap clap
eh? booo!
and you move on to other threads without bothering to reply, usually leaving wangkon who comes in with a 걸레 to mop up your trail of 아저씨 mess..
I wonder if koreansentry was the taxi-robbing guy arrested in Pocheon?
Koreansentry, I’m curious if you would give a list of the evils China, Russia, and the USA did in Korea for their own gain.
yuna, I’m glad you like my style.
Setnaffa, no I don’t rob taxi drivers.
cmm, I’m waiting for the next list. Imperialists should be humiliated again again even they are dead.
well you shouldn’t be. last time i liked someone’s style he got banned.
Touche.
a very in-depth article showcasing how 조중동 all have kept mum or expressed explicit views against the publication via various methods.
the fact that both founders of 조선 and 동아 are featured in the book might have more to do with it.
i especially like this bit how 친일파 is classified into three categories.
친일파에는 세 가지 부류가 있다. 첫째 을사늑약 당시부터 나라를 팔아먹는 데 앞장선 매국노의 무리, 둘째 세속적인 출세와 야망을 위해 제국주의 체제에 투신한 개인, 셋째 처음에는 민족지도자 또는 선각자인척 하다가 그럴듯한 명분을 만들어 훼절한 배반자 등이 그들이다. 조중동이 문제 삼는 박정희는 둘째, 김성수나 장지연은 셋째에 해당한다. 특히 백범 김구 선생은 친일파 중에서도 배반자를 가장 나쁘다고 보았다.
출처 : 조중동, 친일인명사전이 그렇게도 두려운가 – 오마이뉴스
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