Thursday, February 05, 2004
IRREDENTIST DREAMS. Check out this map of Korea in the year 2040 (link courtesy of the Marmot). Such sentiment percolates among a good number of Koreans today. See for example, the essay written (I presume) by a UC-Berkeley student on "The Big Country" (not the eighties band of the same name). A section:
As big as Koguryo may have been at its height? Or a big as the "Purham culture sphere" was thought to have extended: from Paektusan across Asia to Bulgaria? The sky's the limit.
But there is another historical view of Korean history that flies into the face of the present paradigm--minjoksagwan, or nationalist history. Not only does it disclaim everything the present paradigm claims, but paints an incredibly GRAND view of history--Korea was a mighty and powerful continental power, with its territory stretching from Lake Baykal in southern Siberia to the Yangzi river, its inhabitants being powerful warriors called Dong-yi, founders of the so-called Sinic Civilization, the dominant military AND cultural power in East Asia. I can use all the fancy metaphors I want, but the past history of Korea can be summed up in a few short words: IT WAS A BIG COUNTRY. A BIG COUNTRY: a nation ruled by sons of heaven and emperors instead of kings and vassals, rulers rather than the ruled, builders of civilization rather than receivers and transmitters, mighty warriors instead of meek farmers. This is the kind of historical tradition that can instill pride in a people,
The view of Korea as a small country and a big country are diametrically opposed and diverging. But wherever its origins may be and whatever formation process it had, the consequences in the case of prevalence of one view over another will be drastically different. If the former view prevails, then the people will be pretty much satisfied with what they have now: a middle-of-the-road, run-of-the-mill, semi-democratic/capitalistic NIC; Its greatest hope being to surpass Japan someday. If the later view wins out, then they will stop at nothing to make Korea what it once was, A BIG COUNTRY.
As big as Koguryo may have been at its height? Or a big as the "Purham culture sphere" was thought to have extended: from Paektusan across Asia to Bulgaria? The sky's the limit.
