Minjok Essay

Minjok Essay: What's the problem?

 

More than a century ago, a few decades before the Second World War had erupted; Japan creates a new ideology, a new religion - A new belief that would allow the governors to be able to easily control the Japanese citizens and make them help prepare for the expected war. It was the belief that asserted that the Japanese were the ‘chosen ones’ and were the best of the world. A few years after, Japan took over the Korean peninsula. Then, for the purpose of making Korean ‘proper Japanese citizens’, they tried to insert their strong nationalism. This has actually originated from Western Europe in the fifteen hundredth, created by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Japanese copied the nationalism, but while translating ‘nation’, the Japanese had used the kanji, or Chinese letters, 民族, which meant ‘minjok’ in Korean. And from here, the word ‘minjok’ has formed.

Nationalism - a wrong way to unite people

 

 

While the Japanese tried to spread this nationalism, the intellectual class of Korea denied it and instead used exactly the same term, ‘minjok’, to resist against the Japanese reign. Quite a long time before the word ‘minjok’ was even formed, Koreans had a strong belief that their race was not related in any way with those in other countries. Thus, Koreans found the concept of ‘minjok’ perfect as resistance against being ruled by a foreigner. They argued that Korea is only made of one minjok, basically saying that Korea is a group of community solely made by those who share the same blood. By emphasizing this fact, most of the Koreans stayed united against Japan. And a few years later, the word ‘minjok’ had become something common and natural.

 



Complaining about how the Pledge of Allegiance in Korea is similar to that of Japan



Even now, despite the fact that the Japanese rule has been finished since long, Koreans still utilize the word ‘minjok’ in various terms, such as ‘the minjok spirit’, ‘the minjok identity’, ‘Korean Minjok Leadership Academy’, etc. These are mostly to emphasize the nation, or to keep the pride of the so-called ‘pure-blooded’ race. Surprisingly though, the Koreans shout for globalization and being a part of the world. At the same time, they ironically use the term of strong nationalism which stubbornly contends the Korean heritage. While the number of foreigners who occupy in Korea is about 3% of the total population, not even half of them own citizenship because the process is so difficult. Moreover, foreigners who are born in Korea will always receive attention from Koreans, and will never be accepted as one of them, not even with the citizenship. And still, Korean textbooks rant about how the 21^st century is the time for ‘segyehwa(globalization)’.

Pureblood - really that special?

 

 

The ‘minjok’ contradiction doesn’t end here. While the concept of ‘minjok’ has been around only beginning from the 20^th century, it is certainly one of the ideologies that receive the most attention in Korea. For instance, while ‘minjok’ is quite abstract about the specific line of ‘being one with those who share blood’, many Koreans firmly believe that the unification of the North and South Korea is necessary for the sake of ‘minjok’, that because they are from one branch of a race, the countries should reunite. However, when more than sixty years have passed and both countries have such different beliefs and systems, is it really reasonable to shout ‘unify’ without considering those cultural differences? Is the term, ‘minjok’, really such an important factor that it is more emphasized than cultural aspects? Furthermore, it is even more ironic that Koreans tend to use so much a word that had originated from Japan, especially when they let most of the world know that they are negative towards Japan.

So why is ‘minjok’ so important to Koreans? Of course, there are various reasons, but it is undeniable that the obsessive behavior towards ‘minjok’ has mostly to do with the fact that Koreans tend to think that their race is somewhat unique; that they are ‘pure-blooded’ and ‘not mixed with foreign blood’. Most people still believe the fact that ‘all Koreans are brothers and sisters of Dangun’, while it has become absurdly obvious that there is no race in the world which is a sole product of a unified bloodline. Even now, many Koreans believe that they are unique and have a distinct culture (a famous Korean quote is that ‘Korea has 4 distinct seasons’, while most countries in the world also has them).

 

 above is a video which briefly presents the 'Dangun' myth, which relates to the 'minjok of Han'

One of the main problems of minjok is that many Koreans still do not know the true meaning of it. Originally, minjok means an ethnic group or a community which share the same cultural aspects. There is nothing about blood or heritage, however, the word itself has an ambience, although abstract, of a community which is bond by blood. Because of this, minjok has been falsely interpreted and used by Koreans. Even in the Korean dictionaries, minjok is described as a group of people who share the same heritage, language, history, and culture.

Furthermore, minjok is often used to refer to quotes such as ‘one minjok, one nation’. Perhaps this is one of the biggest problems which would retard the Korean globalization. The heroic and somewhat mythical view of minjok has made the term translated even worse. The notion of minjok was developed by Shin Chaeho, a Korean historian, by portraying minjok as a warlike race that fights to preserve the Korean identity. Of course, this belief of uniqueness has helped resisting against the Japanese policies. However, as consequence, the wrong historic view now hurts Korean globalization.

It is popular that Koreans proclaim an ethnic homogeneity and pure bloodline of the ‘Han’ race. Even in soccer games, the quote they shout, ‘Daehanminguk’, means great country of the great Han. This racially defining character still continues to affect politics and foreign relations. The so-called uniqueness of Korean race adds on an unreasonable national pride, and many are infatuated by the ‘greater racial and national value’. Because of this, there appear various side-effects, most of which are related to globalization. Many people consider Koreans strange from their xenophobic view to the world. This is unsurprisingly because Korea is steadily becoming a multi-ethnic society. However, Koreans define their identity as only one ethnic society, causing discomfort and disturbance to foreigners from Korea’s xenophobic view to the world. In fact, seventy percent of foreigners who actually live in Korea felt that although they live in Korea, they cannot get the feeling of longing.

 

DaeHanMinGuk - Country of the Great Han?

 

Minjok is not an exclusive term to Korea. Minjok is only a different way of saying ‘ethnic group’. Minjok is not made from a common bloodline, but from shared cultural aspects. It was not made originally to be used exclusively. The ideology of racial purity, or the belief of a unique racial and cultural heritage, or the Korean term ‘minjok’ itself, is now an anachronism in the current society, the 21^st century, the time of globalization and international communication. Korea should make more effort to consider themselves not the ‘minjok of the great Han’, but rather a part of East Asia, a part of the world.



UN's opinion of Korean 'minjok' - It basically says Korea should now be used to the multi-ethnic society

 

 

 

 

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

 - Wayne Dyer