Before I start my essay about minjok, I would like to share a short conversation that I had with my friend Aaron. When I was in America, I was 5th grade in the elementary school and I had a friend named Aaron who was Korean American. I remember a one unforgettable question that I have asked him during the break time. We were talking about something and I said "You are Korean, right?". After few moments, he denied himself as Korean and he said "I'm American". So I said "You look like Korean and you speak like Korean. How can you say that you are not Korean!!" and the reply was "I have US citizenship that proves me I'm American". His opinion was so strong that I couldn't argue with it anymore.
Can we say Aaron is one of our minjok?
and this is a question that I want to solve during my whole essay.
I have mentioned the word 'Minjok' in my conversation with Aaron. But what is minjok?
According to the National Institute of the Korean Language, 'Minjok' means ethnic group formed with people from region in a long period of time sharing same language and culture. In English, minjok is often considered same as people, ethnic group, race-nation. The history of minjok goes back to 1900s. Minjok emerged by Shin Chaeho during the period when Japan tried to conclude the Japan-Korea treaty of 1905. Shin Chaeho, Korean independence activist, made minjok popular by portraying it as 'a warlike race that had fought bravely to preserve Korean identity'. At that time the most important thing for Koreans was to unite and resist toward Japan's attempt to completely colonize Korea to their terriotory and minjok came in to their mind, and Koreans started to fight back under the name of minjok. Finally on October 15th, Koreans could gain the fruit of independence.
Not only minjok brought independence but it also brought wealth to Korea. In 1950, Korea faced a war which separated Korea into two separate nations, North and South Korea. At that time Korean Conflict brought disastrous results to Korea. Korea's GDP was near zero and people were suffering to death. 1st president, Syngman Rhee, tried to rise Korea to its original place so he emphasized minjok once again to unite people from new-born South Korea. President thought in order to make changes Korean should move by groups not individuals. Thus, in his speech he said "United we stand, divided we fall" underling the importance of minjok. After this event, Koreans were able to make some improvements but they were falling behind compared to North Korea at that time.
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The biggest leap in Korean economy occurred during the 5~9th president Park Chunghee. Some people call him a dictator being the president for more than 15years but it is true he has built a Korean society that can be seen now. During his term president Park Chunghee did something called 'Saemaeul movement'. Saemaeul movement can be translated as the new community movement which launched on April 22, 1970 to modernize the rural South Korean economy. This ideology of minjok made people to gather and actively engage in this movement and made them to think "We can do it". By this Koreans were able to accomplish something known as 'Miracle on the Han River' which is the term that people use to describe Korea's rapid economic growth after the war. By emphasizing minjok Korea could gain so many things in such a short period of time.
Nowadays, when ask Koreans about minjok they tend to focus more on something called 'Danil minjok' which is a group that is connected with pure blood. Thus, we don't give the title of 'Danil minjok' to people who have different nationality. But, when we think of Aaron, this seems to not fit with what Koreans think of minjok. Aaron is American but he was born under Korean mother and father which makes him a pure blood of Korean. So the concept of 'Danil minjok' is quite ironic in this case. Furthermore, in Korea we call Korean Americans a 'Dong po' which means they are the members of our Korean minjok. The concept of minjok is so subjective to conclude minjok in to a one definition and people have their own different definitions of minjok. Thus, despite all these minjok controversies, I have come up with my personal definition of minjok.
Minjok is group of people who are unified as one.
Minjok is just another word for unification. If they think they are Korean and can be unified as one of us, I think they can be called our minjok.
I defined minjok as unification because it's not the blood bond that brought us independence, and wealth but it was unification. When we look at our history, people say that we have accomplished independence from Japan because it was the power of our Korean pure blood. However, this is not correct when we see what actually happened in Korea. Korea have accomplished independence not because of their pure blood but they did because they were unified as one. Furthermore, in the book 'Ethnic Nationalism in Korea' written by Gi-wook Shin, the mentions about a special event that happened in Korea in the year of 2002. 2002 World Cup is one of the most fantastic moments that Koreans remember. During the World Cup, Koreans called themselves as 'Red Devils' and very passionately cheered Korean national team. Gi-wook Shin says this event showed Korean's strong pride that they are connected with single blood line by far ancestor called Tangun and he showed a survey done by KBS that Koreans think the blood is the most important thing in Korea. However, this survey was done in 1999 when internet wasn't even commercialized, and during my research I found that many Koreans don't think they are danil minjok anymore. In my opinion, it is 21st century now, and people have something called internet that connects every people all over the world. Also, Korea is becoming a multi-ethnic society. There are many Korean Americans, many mixed-blood, and also people who have changed their nationality to Korea. From what we can see now in the year of 2013, 'Minjok' should be defined as unification rather than old-fashioned Danil minjok.
Now getting back to Aaron. Is he one of our minjok?
Well, it depends on him whether he thinks he is one of Korean minjok. Since he has pure blood of Korean on the perspective of Danil minjok he can be considered as our minjok but minjok is group of people who share same culture. He denied himself as Korean but there are many Korean Americans that have very deep bond with Korea thinking they are Korean as much as they are American. Thus, I think it is not the Koreans who decide whether they are our minjok or not, it is themselves who decide where they belong to.
and this is a question that I want to solve during my whole essay.
I have mentioned the word 'Minjok' in my conversation with Aaron. But what is minjok?
According to the National Institute of the Korean Language, 'Minjok' means ethnic group formed with people from region in a long period of time sharing same language and culture. In English, minjok is often considered same as people, ethnic group, race-nation. The history of minjok goes back to 1900s. Minjok emerged by Shin Chaeho during the period when Japan tried to conclude the Japan-Korea treaty of 1905. Shin Chaeho, Korean independence activist, made minjok popular by portraying it as 'a warlike race that had fought bravely to preserve Korean identity'. At that time the most important thing for Koreans was to unite and resist toward Japan's attempt to completely colonize Korea to their terriotory and minjok came in to their mind, and Koreans started to fight back under the name of minjok. Finally on October 15th, Koreans could gain the fruit of independence.
Not only minjok brought independence but it also brought wealth to Korea. In 1950, Korea faced a war which separated Korea into two separate nations, North and South Korea. At that time Korean Conflict brought disastrous results to Korea. Korea's GDP was near zero and people were suffering to death. 1st president, Syngman Rhee, tried to rise Korea to its original place so he emphasized minjok once again to unite people from new-born South Korea. President thought in order to make changes Korean should move by groups not individuals. Thus, in his speech he said "United we stand, divided we fall" underling the importance of minjok. After this event, Koreans were able to make some improvements but they were falling behind compared to North Korea at that time.
Nowadays, when ask Koreans about minjok they tend to focus more on something called 'Danil minjok' which is a group that is connected with pure blood. Thus, we don't give the title of 'Danil minjok' to people who have different nationality. But, when we think of Aaron, this seems to not fit with what Koreans think of minjok. Aaron is American but he was born under Korean mother and father which makes him a pure blood of Korean. So the concept of 'Danil minjok' is quite ironic in this case. Furthermore, in Korea we call Korean Americans a 'Dong po' which means they are the members of our Korean minjok. The concept of minjok is so subjective to conclude minjok in to a one definition and people have their own different definitions of minjok. Thus, despite all these minjok controversies, I have come up with my personal definition of minjok.
Minjok is group of people who are unified as one.
Minjok is just another word for unification. If they think they are Korean and can be unified as one of us, I think they can be called our minjok.
I defined minjok as unification because it's not the blood bond that brought us independence, and wealth but it was unification. When we look at our history, people say that we have accomplished independence from Japan because it was the power of our Korean pure blood. However, this is not correct when we see what actually happened in Korea. Korea have accomplished independence not because of their pure blood but they did because they were unified as one. Furthermore, in the book 'Ethnic Nationalism in Korea' written by Gi-wook Shin, the mentions about a special event that happened in Korea in the year of 2002. 2002 World Cup is one of the most fantastic moments that Koreans remember. During the World Cup, Koreans called themselves as 'Red Devils' and very passionately cheered Korean national team. Gi-wook Shin says this event showed Korean's strong pride that they are connected with single blood line by far ancestor called Tangun and he showed a survey done by KBS that Koreans think the blood is the most important thing in Korea. However, this survey was done in 1999 when internet wasn't even commercialized, and during my research I found that many Koreans don't think they are danil minjok anymore. In my opinion, it is 21st century now, and people have something called internet that connects every people all over the world. Also, Korea is becoming a multi-ethnic society. There are many Korean Americans, many mixed-blood, and also people who have changed their nationality to Korea. From what we can see now in the year of 2013, 'Minjok' should be defined as unification rather than old-fashioned Danil minjok.Now getting back to Aaron. Is he one of our minjok?
Well, it depends on him whether he thinks he is one of Korean minjok. Since he has pure blood of Korean on the perspective of Danil minjok he can be considered as our minjok but minjok is group of people who share same culture. He denied himself as Korean but there are many Korean Americans that have very deep bond with Korea thinking they are Korean as much as they are American. Thus, I think it is not the Koreans who decide whether they are our minjok or not, it is themselves who decide where they belong to.
This is a news about Korean website called 'Uriminjokkiri' which was made to intentionally criticize North Korea's dictatorship. One thing that is interesting about this website is that it uses the word minjok to North Koreans saying they are also one of us. Their opinion is hereditary dictatorship should collapse one day, and North and South Korea should be united.
References:
National Institute of the Korean Language, 민족
Wikipedia, Korean ethnic nationalism
Wikipeida, Samaeul Movement
Wikipedia, Miracle on Han river
Gi-wook Shin, Ethnic Nationalism in Korea
