'Minjok' in the past and the present; And the way to go

The History of ‘Minjok’

  The term ‘Minjok’ first appeared in Gato Hiroyuki’s translation of Bluntschli’s book “Allgemeines Staatsrecht”. Hiroyuki used it to refer to the concept of nation (Huang and Liang). However this term ‘Minjok’ was not frequently used in Japan and this term does not appear in the first Japanese dictionary ‘Genkai(言海) which was published in 1889 (Bae). This term was also found in the Korean peninsula but the term was concurrently used to refer to both the nation and the people (Paik). However, the frequency of the appearance of this vocabulary dramatically increased around 1907 when Korea had its independence threatened by Japan. ‘Hwang-Sung News’(황성신문) used the word ‘Minjok’ in articles which provoked a social movement against Japanese imperialism (Hwang-Sung News). The term ‘Minjok’ was used to

The Concept of 'Minjok' was a great tool to unify the
people against Japanese Imperialism.

bond the people and to stand up together to overcome the political hardship. As Korea became subjugated by Japan for more than three decades the term ‘Minjok’ was repeatedly used as a form of anti-Japanese propaganda. Shin Chae-Ho also used the word ‘Minjok’ in his editorial, “20^th Century’s New People” in which he emphasized the importance of the ‘Minjok’ as a subject of construction of new nation and struggle against Japan (Shin). To the people at the time, ‘Minjok’ had to achieve independence and autonomy through continuous endeavors.

Government Formation Ceremony, August 15th, 1948.
Consciousness of 'Minjok' prevailed that of state,
South Korean government was established though. 

  Even after Korea became independent in 1945, the concept ‘Minjok’ continued to roam in the political arena. The right used the term to distinguish themselves from the communists and to gain political authority as the ruling power of the new government by emphasizing their authenticity. Such movement led to the perception that the communists were anti-Minjok and such understanding strengthened the democratization of the Republic of Korea. The fact that ‘Minjok’ is still used despite the division between the two Koreas is very interesting. Especially in North Korea, following the Inter-Korean Summits, ‘Minjok’ was used to describe the reunification. The two Koreas see their reunification as a goal of one ‘Minjok’ rather than a merge of two separate nations with different political ideologies. From this, one could see that historically, the term ‘Minjok’ had different political functions in the Korean society.

Minjok – within Korea

  For a long time, ‘Minjok’ referred to an aggregate of people united by the same history as descendants of ‘Dangun’ sharing the same culture and singular language. However due to globalization and a large influx of foreigners, multiculturalism has become a common trend in modern Korean society. According to the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, the estimated percentage of foreigners living in Korea is 2.8%, 1,445,631 people as of January, 2013 (Ministry of Safety and Administration). Including the number of illegal workers staying in Korea without visa the portion of foreigners constituting the population of Korea will become even larger. Korea is no longer a homogeneous country and the aforementioned concept of ‘Minjok’ can no longer apply.

 

Increasing number of children from multicultural families.

  Some phenomena that can be seen in the “multiculturalized” Korean society would be the multicultural families and the social attitude toward foreign workers. The rapid industrialization in Korea during 20^th century led to acute urbanization which resulted in an exodus of young generation from rural to urban areas. Those who were left in rural areas experienced unbalanced gender ratio, and they had no option but to find foreign women mainly from South East Asian countries to get married with. This was how multicultural families have become a prevalent phenomenon in today’s society. Korea Development Institute(KDI) reported that the population of people with multicultural background will continue to rise, reaching 5% of Korean population by 2050 (Choi). Another big portion of foreigners in Korea is constituted of international workers. Most of them are blue-collared laborers who take up certain gaps in the Korean employment market which are less favored by most Koreans due to low wages and dangerous working environment.

  These “newcomers” to the Korean society have to face harsh treatment due to their differences. Statistics show that these foreigners experienced difficulties mainly due to the language barrier and discrimination (Ministry of Gender Equality and Family). The bullying against the rising young generation of the multicultural families is prevalent, not only because they look different but also just because their parents are foreigners. Some people argue that the foreign laborers affect negatively toward the Korean economy, because these international workers send their income overseas to their home countries and because there is a relatively

Jasime Lee who was a panel of the program "Love in
Asia" became a member of the National Assembly first
as a naturalized foreigner.

high unemployment rate in the Korean society. These arguments sound unrealistic and obstinate but these skewed perceptions toward multicultural families and foreign laborers are based on xenophobic belief in one ‘Minjok’. As part of the governmental endeavors to enhance the public perception toward the multicultural portion of the Korean population, since 2005, Government-run Korea Broadcasting System(KBS) has been broadcasting “Love in Asia”, a talk show hosted by international immigrants living in Korea (KBS). The program was hailed by many viewers for portraying realistic aspects of multicultural families in Korea and helping the viewers take a positive stance towards the multicultural families.

The Two Koreas – One Minjok

In this summit, chiefs of two Koreas talked that two
Koreas should reunify only by Korean 'Minjok'.

  Going back to the definition of ‘Minjok’, an aggregate of people united by the same history as descendants of ‘Dangun’ sharing the same culture and singular language, a big question would be if North Korea belongs to the same ‘Minjok’ that Koreans define themselves as. Looking at the entire history of Korea, the period of division between the two Koreas has been very short. If the aforementioned definition of ‘Minjok’ with the same history, culture and language is true, then there will be no doubt in placing the two Koreas in the boundary of one ‘Minjok’. This all began with the Korean War, the clash between two political ideologies. The Korean war is most often described by Koreans as ‘Dong Jok Sang Jan(同族相殘)’, meaning fratricidal war. The second Chinese letter is identical to the character used in the word ‘Minjok(民族)’, meaning family by blood, sharing identical ancestor. However, because the current status of South and North Koreas is so starkly different, the two Koreas may be interpreted as two different, separate ‘Minjok’.

  South Korea is one of the largest economies in the world, and is a supreme model of political and economic developments in a relatively short period of time. The United States at the forefront of democracy and capitalism has been the biggest supporter of the development of Korea. However, the other half of the Korean peninsula experiences economic hardship and human right infringements. The North Korean society is the most isolated and secluded one in the entire world. Its Stalinistic communist regime based on one party dictatorship resulted in economic failures. It is difficult to think of the two Koreas on two extreme political and economic ends belonging to an identical ‘Minjok’. However both Korean governments set the reunification as the ultimate goal that needs to be achieved on the Korean peninsula. This shows that, regardless of the political and economic differences, the two Koreas see themselves as one. ‘Minjok’ acts as a factor binding two Koreas together, aiming at an identical goal.

The Way Ahead – How Korea should utilize the concept of ‘Minjok’

US and Korea, an inseparable relationship

  The Republic of Korea cannot be described without citing the United States. The ROK-US alliance is often described as the strongest in the world, and the political, economic, social and cultural influence across the Pacific Ocean shaped today’s Korea. The US is quite different from other nations in many ways. One of the most noticeable characteristics can be represented by the expression ‘melting pot’. Throughout its history, spanning over two centuries, immigrants with their American Dream from different parts of the world gathered together, creating a melting pot of cultures, languages and histories. What today’s US boasts as its strongest advantage – diversity – was not achieved overnight. The US society underwent several stages of transformation. The US also had periods of time when its people were hurt by racial prejudice and segregation. However, because the society matured over time, the US has become what it is today. Every American regardless of his or her background or ethnicity sees him/herself as American.

  Korea can learn from its alliance. In order to create a society which fully appreciates the presence of “newcomers”, Korea needs to take time. Even though the immigrant workers and multicultural families have so far experienced prejudice and difficulties, there is no doubt to the fact that it will be better for the next generations. ‘Minjok’ as an identical ethnic group no longer applies in the diverse Korean society.

Many people think that the reunification of two Koreas is an ultimate goal. 

  However, in order to achieve the goal of reunification, the concept of ‘Minjok’ should play a pivotal role in binding the two Koreas. The only way the two Koreas, separated by stark political and economic differences, can achieve peaceful reunification is through the emphasis on being one ‘Minjok’. During the history of Korea when the term ‘Minjok’ was widely used, its political and social functions changed and developed continuously. In order for Korea to achieve true globalization through creating multicultural society, exclusive definition of ‘Minjok’ should be shed away, while a more inclusive use of the word should be applied to bring the two Koreas together. Korea should be able to sensibly apply the concept of ‘Minjok’ kaleidoscopically in different cases, as it had in the past.

Works Cited

Huang, Philip C; Liang, Ch’i-chao. Modern Chinese Liberalism. Seattle: University of Washington, 1972.

Bae, Jin-Young. ‘Minjok’- How It Was Created and Is Being Used. Seoul: Monthly Choson.

Paik, Dong-Hyun. Appearance of the Term ‘Minjok’ around Russo-Japanese War and Its Awareness. Seoul: Korean History Periodical, 2001.

Singohaehangdongpo. Seoul: Hwang Sung News. Apr 10 1908.

Shin, Chae-Ho. 20^th Century's New People. Seoul: Daehan Maeil News. Mar 3 1910.

Ministry of Safety and Administration. “2013 Foreign Resident Status.” July 3 2013 <http://www.mospa.go.kr/gpms/ns/mogaha/user/userlayout/bulletin/userBtView.action?userBtBean.bbsSeq=1023919&userBtBean.ctxCd=1012&userBtBean.ctxType=21010002&currentPage=1>

Choi, Kyung-Soo. Medium-and Long-term Effects of Immigrant or Foreign Labor Force Entering the Domestic Labor Market, Seoul: Korea Development Institute.

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Nationwide Multicultural Family Status Report. 2009.

Korea Broadcasting System. Love in Asia. <http://www.kbs.co.kr/1tv/sisa/loveasia/
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