Until the mid-20th century, Korea was a secluded country largely isolated from the rest of the world. Naturally, the Korean people were unaware of international affairs and situations. Even after the Qing Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty in China in 1644, for example, Korean politicians still stubbornly refused to acknowledge the Qing Dynasty. They even built a monument for the Ming Dynasty inside the king’s palace even though the Ming court no longer existed. Historians say that such actions stemmed not so much from Korea’s loyalty to an old friend, but from ignorance of international affairs and an obsession with authenticity. 

In the 17th century when China and Japan were already well known to the West, Korea was a dormant country referred to as the Hermit Kingdom. When a Dutch sailor named Hendrick Hamel and his crew became stranded on the shore of Korea in 1666, they were not allowed to leave the country. Historians write that Korean politicians feared the foreigners would disclose what they saw in Korea to the world. Perhaps the leaders thought everything in Korea should be kept confidential. Korea’s policy of seclusion, which blocked its knowledge and adoption of outside developments, resulted in Korea’s loss of sovereignty in the swift torrent of international politics.

During the 19th century, Koreans were still unaware of what was going on outside of their country. In 1893, for example, a Japanese man named Honma Gyuseke, after spying on Korea for a year, reported that Koreans were woefully ignorant of international politics and affairs. He wrote, “They do not know what is going on in other countries and neither do they care about foreign affairs. So they are hostile to foreigners.”

Even in the 20th century, Koreans were still naive and uninformed of international affairs. An anecdote regarding the inaugural first lady of the Republic of Korea well illustrates the Korean people’s ignorance of foreign countries. From 1948 to 1960, the first lady of South Korea was an Austrian named Francesca Donner. Confusing Austria with Australia, however, the Korean people called her “Hoju Daek,” which means “Madam from Australia.” Thanks to Lady Francesca, Koreans became fond of Australia, not Austria, and thought of Australia as a friendly nation.

During the Korean War, therefore, when a U.S. fighter or a bomber appeared in the sky to attack North Korean troops, Koreans hurrahed with gratitude, “Ah, there goes a Hoju Gi (an Australian plane)!” implying “Ah, our first lady’s country has come to rescue us!” Once again, the credit went to Australia, and not to the United States. It is no wonder anti-American sentiment was prevalent in Korea until recently. Poor Americans! Their effort to help South Korea went down to the drain, as all the gratitude of Koreans wrongfully went to another nation.

In 1990, when Korea and the Soviet Union established official diplomatic relations, there was a so-called Russian boom in South Korea. Politicians were praised for accomplishing a seemingly impossible feat and Koreans were excited because they could now travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg freely. Learning the Russian language became fashionable as well, and numerous private Russian academies sprouted up around the nation. And many brilliant Korean students rushed to departments of Russian language and literature, full of hopes and dreams that they could join the vanguard of many Soviet-Korean projects.

Alas! Koreans, including our politicians, did not have a slightest clue that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was to come in the very next year. As the Soviet flag was lowered from the Kremlin in 1991, future prospects for Russian majors became grim. So many Russian majors are still not able to get a job even today. Our friendship with Russia is a precious diplomatic accomplishment to be sure. And yet, if we had known what would happen to the Soviet Union the following year, our approach to the country would have been somewhat different.

Today, Korea is quite a different country. South Korea has become a globalized, multicultural country and is widely known to the world thanks to the enormous popularity of K-pop, Psy, Samsung, LG and Hyundai. South Korea has also produced a female president and a secretary-general of the U.N. Nevertheless, our politicians, still unaware of the challenges of the international arena, continue to make fatal mistakes. Instead of preparing for potential international crises, for example, they are endlessly mired in partisan politics, viciously fighting over party interests.

In “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” Edward Gibbon wrote, “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within it.” The ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius, too, wrote, “When you are completely exhausted from internal brawls and thus lose the power to defend your country, you will be inevitably invaded by another country.” If we are still ignorant of the international situation and thus repeat the same mistake ― confusing Austria with Australia, or an American plane with an Australian one, metaphorically speaking ― no country will come to rescue us when we are in trouble again.

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. ― Ed.