“The ‘Vulnerable Country’ Korea, nationalism, etc. endured ideological resources”

The United States ranks 15th in global strategic importance, 20% of factory productivity compared to the Japanese colonial period, more than half of bureaucrats under 20, skyrocketing prices and scarce resources …,
American troops on the Korean peninsula clamored to send them to their hometown as soon as possible, and the United States government, which focused on Europe, was only contemplating how to quickly conclude negotiations with the Soviet Union and withdraw from this place. ‘ “ unimportant ”.

The first President Syngman Rhee is reading his inaugural address on July 24, 1948, dressed in a hanbok at the Central Office. [중앙포토]

This is the situation in South Korea after liberation in 1945, drawn by the recently published 『The Birth of a Vulnerable Country Korea: The Age of Nation Building 1945 ~ 1950』. This book is a provocative book that debunks the widely established myths about the history of liberation and war. On the arguments of revisionists, including Professor Bruce Cummings of the University of Chicago, the United States repressed the establishment of a nation-state and devised a division to make the Korean peninsula a stronghold of anti-communism. . In addition, the Republic of Korea (first republic), which entered this way, defines itself as a fascist country made up of public powers such as the pro-Japanese capitalists, anti-ethnic and police.

However, Taek-seon Lee, a professor at Chungnam National University Social Science Research Institute, who wrote 『The Birth of a Vulnerable Country in Korea: The Age of State Building 1945 ~ 1950』, refuted this theory and suggested a new concept of a ‘vulnerable country’. It is said that the Republic of Korea, which entered in 1948, did not develop the capitalist class to exploit the people, and was a ‘vulnerable country’ that was difficult to suppress various left-centered riots. Support from the United States was also scant. On the 26th, a written interview was held with the author who made this complaint. The following are questions and answers

『The Birth of a Vulnerable Country Korea: The Age of National Building 1945 ~ 1950』 [사진 미지북스]

Taek-sun Lee, professor at Chungnam National University, who wrote 『The Birth of a Vulnerable Country Korea: The Age of National Building 1945 ~ 1950』 [사진 이택선]

-The Republic of Korea, which was founded after liberation, was described by the word “vulnerable country”.
= The resources and manpower of Japan, which ruled the Korean Peninsula during the Japanese colonial period, escaped like an ebb with liberation. Building and governing a state requires skilled labor and capital, which is almost non-existent. It was a “vulnerable country” where there was no bourgeois to lead the construction of the modern state like the West. Therefore, the policy of the First Republic and Syngman Rhee is to nurture the bourgeoisie through land reform and the sale of Jeoksan. It’s hard to say that a large-scale bourgeois or heritage class existed in South Korea at the time, close to a vicious backlash that should be overthrown from a communist point of view. At that time, the situation in Korea was so bad that it was difficult to revolutionize it. Furthermore, Korea did not have a specific support plan because natural resources, which are the main objectives of imperialism, were not abundant, nor was it a region of great importance for the global strategy of the United States.

-In a similar situation, North Korea has fewer pro-Japanese factions and its founding process was stable.
= The reason Korea was more vulnerable than North Korea was that the United States, acting as a gatekeeper, did not have a stronger will to build a state than the Soviet Union. Unlike the United States, which sought a graceful withdrawal from the Korean peninsula, the Soviet Union focused on the Korean peninsula and actively supported North Korean nation-building. Large numbers of Soviet North Koreans were dispatched and an economic construction plan was drawn up. In addition, the People’s Committee was formed to promote land reform and military construction, etc., to promote state construction faster than South Korea. The fact that the Soviet Union paid more attention to the Korean peninsula than to the United States is revealed in that the salaries they paid to police, interpreters and officers at the government office level showed a marked difference. For example, in September 1945, the Korean police salary was only $ 3. By comparison, the translator who worked for the Soviet army around January 1946 received a salary of 200 rubles, about $ 40. In addition, in February 1950, the North Korean ensign received about $ 260. It clearly shows the difference of interest between the USSR and the United States on the Korean peninsula.

Return event of the provisional government of Kim Gu Rhee Syngman [중앙포토]

-There are criticisms and criticisms that many pro-Japanese groups were employed after the founding of the country.

= The governing body must have qualified personnel with experience. However, immediately after liberation, to be able to participate in the police, army and other administrations, at least one high school graduate must have an academic background, and there were only about 25,000 people. Even if all the inexperienced people were mobilized, it was only between a third and a quarter of the personnel required by the police or the army. Furthermore, in the immediate post-liberation situation, when the job career during the Japanese occupation became a kind of ‘scarlet card’, experienced people ran away and were forced to mobilize it. In other words, as the number of personnel was too small, eventually pro-Japanese officials or policemen were hired and part of the public power depended on the right-wing youth group.

-Even so, isn’t it a problem that South Korea isn’t completely liquidated like France?
= Looking at the book 『The Dark Continent』 by Professor Mark Mazowar, an authority on European history, the police, the army and other administrative agencies required special skills. For this reason, French government officials who served under Nazi rule were not well vetted. Even in Eastern Europe, where the communist regime was established, it was difficult to acquire technical knowledge in a short period of time, leaving many policemen, soldiers and officials who served under Nazi rule. However, even the US military was aware of the pro-Japanese issue. So, in a textbook published under the United States military government, he emphasized the ideology of Samgyunism adopted by the Hongik people or the Provisional Government, and also recruited Kim Gyu-sik, a former vice president of the Provisional Government, as president. of the Legislative Council of South Korea. The same applies to the support of Kim Guo and Rhee Syngman, who was the leader of the Provisional Government.

The main actors of the liberation regime (from left to right), Syngman Rhee, Koo Kim and Haji (November 24, 45, the day after Kim Gu returned to Korea). [중앙포토]

-How did the ‘vulnerable country’ Korea survive?
= Compared to a standard national model created by intensive nation-building cases supported by the United States, Korea is a country created with only one-26th of national construction funds. The United States did not provide enough budget to focus on Europe. The Koreans had to bear the burden and the costs, but the Koreans were too poor. The government had no choice but to appeal to the ideological resources of Korean patriotism and nationalism. Even the Syngman Rhee government, which appointed a pro-Japanese bureaucrat, used “anti-Japanese nationalism.” Through this, voluntary dedication and donations from the people were encouraged, supplying the scarcity of resources in many ways and promoting the construction of a modern state. Subsequently, the government continued to rely on these ideological resources. Fundraising for the Peace Dam and IMF fundraising are typical. The side effects of excessive ethnic tribalism also emerged. Now is the time to cultivate a civic nationalism that can embrace multicultural communities like Koreans. Unlike the current Cold War generation of 40 and older, I believe that the future of Korean society, led by those in their teens and 30s, who have experienced internationalization since childhood, may be different. ”

Reporter Yoo Seong-woon [email protected]