Published : Jan. 26, 2016 - 17:52
As North Korea jeopardized world peace again with its self-proclaimed hydrogen bomb test, South Koreans are concerned about the future of the Korean Peninsula. What if the wayward political leaders of North Korea misjudge the situation and launch nuclear missiles at the South? What if they are reckless enough to cross the border and start another Korean War?
Military experts claim that since the ROK Army is equipped with cutting-edge military technology, which is far superior to that of its counterpart, it can easily overpower North Korean troops. However, the fact that Pyongyang possesses nuclear and biochemical weapons cannot be ignored. If war broke out, both the North and the South would be devastated: All of South Korea’s glory and prosperity would vanish in an instant, and North Korea would turn into an inhabitable waste land as well.
Meanwhile, South Koreans strongly, and perhaps naively, believe that American troops would come to their rescue if North Korea launched a war against the South. But would American soldiers really come for us this time? Suppose South Korea was contaminated with deadly nuclear warheads, chemical gas and biological agents, would they still come risking their lives? Would the U.S. be willing to or capable of carrying out another war?
Could South Korea, then, expect help from China, Japan or Russia? No one knows for sure, since international politics is so complicated. For example, China is a longtime ally of North Korea and thus it would not be easy for it to take South Korea’s side. Japan would not want to have a communist or a socialist country nearby, and yet it knows the Koreans do not want to see Japanese soldiers on their soil. Besides, Japan would follow American policy and thus would not want to interfere unless the U.S. did. As for Russia, it would consider its relationship with China and the U.S. first before taking any action.
After liberation from Japan in 1945, North Korea was governed by the Soviet Union and South Korea by the U.S. for three years. At the time, there was a popular maxim in Korea: “Migook, midji-mara; Soryeon, sokji-mara; Ilbon iro-nanda.” It means, “Do not rely on the U.S. too much; do not be beguiled by the Soviet Union; Japan is rising again.” The connotation was, “Do not depend on other countries and Japan will restore her power someday.”
Perhaps, we are now facing a similar situation only in a more complex way. We cannot depend solely on U.S. troops. We should take into account that they may not come when we need them. We cannot trust Russia either because she has become distant from Korea these days, unlike during the Soviet Union era. Meanwhile, Japan is rising again. And so is China. Once again, we are on our own, no matter what happens in the future.
Under these circumstances, the first thing we should do is to stop factional brawling between the left and the right in South Korea. In times of crisis, we should stop splitting our society into antagonizing groups for political gain. We should unite and show the power of one to the international community. Surely, that would make South Korea a strong nation, capable of dealing with North Korean aggression and the perilous tide of international politics.
For that purpose, we should discard self-righteousness and become flexible. We should embrace the idea, “I may be wrong, too.” Unfortunately, many of us firmly believe we are absolutely right and all others wrong. Hardened with a radical political ideology, we have a firm conviction that whatever we do is right, and we are capable of doing anything. Yet that is very wrong. Such self-righteousness can kill you and other people. As Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich aptly points out, such people are like those who jump out of the window, believing they can fly.
Next, we should overcome the dark past and soar toward a bright future. We should learn from the past, and yet we cannot forever cling to it. As the maxim says, “Let bygones be bygones.” You cannot undo what has been done. Why, then, cling to the past incessantly? Let us forget and forgive, and move on. Instead of holding grudges, let us gather together and discuss what we can do together in the future. We should be future-oriented people, not lost-in-the-past types.
In addition, we should strive to foresee the future. We should not be myopic and should see the bigger picture instead. We should see Korea in the larger frame of China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. from a comparative perspective. We should also be aware that we are not the center of the world; most foreigners are not interested in our history no matter how tragic and compelling it is to us
We should seriously ponder how we can survive and thrive in the vortex of international politics.
By Kim Seong-kon
Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and the president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. -- Ed.