ed Korea is a 'hero-less' society

By Lee Chang-sup

Many U.S. landmarks are named after Americans who have significantly contributed to society, including presidents and social leaders. Examples are the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and more than 730 streets named after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Some may wonder why Korea, a similarly democratic society, does not have landmarks named after its great leaders and heroes or heroines, like Syngman Rhee Airport, Park Chung-hee Highway or Kim Young-sam Street. Kimdaejung Convention Center in the southwestern city of Gwangju might be the only exception.

There are several reasons why Korea does not commemorate its leaders and heroes or heroines by naming landmarks or streets after them. First, while Americans like to connect history to individuals, not events or movements, Korea does not. “The United States as a Western society thinks highly of the individual as the main character in history and history-making. Korea sees events not through the personalities or individuals but through the larger flow of nations, epochs and dynasties,” according to University of Maryland University College sociology professor Jon Huer.

Thus, while Americans easily relate the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 to President Ronald Reagan and the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 to President John F. Kennedy, Koreans have not made such associations regarding their own history.

Second, Korea’s turbulent modern history makes it difficult for its society to agree on who is considered a great leader and a hero or heroine. For instance, conservatives consider President Syngman Rhee, the nation’s first president, and President Park Chung-hee, as the country’s founding father and the hero of the industrialization, respectively. In contrast, liberals label the same two presidents as dictators, anti-communists and obstacles to reunification.

Third, North Korea’s deification of the Kim political dynasty, namely Kim Il-sung, his son Jong-il and grandson Jong-un, has made South Korea wary of elevating its own leaders and heroes or heroines to the same status.

Fourth, as a young modern state, South Korea has not had enough time to objectively assess its leaders and heroes or heroines and their achievements. South Korea has taken a fast march toward democracy, experiencing coups, dictatorships and bloody anti-government and pro-democracy movements along the way.

According to Kyung Moon Hwang, associate professor of history at the University of Southern California, “South Korea has gone through so much change so quickly and even democratization has failed to produce agreement about who should be given credit.” In his view, these achievements could be credited to former President Kim Dae-jung, but the vehemence of anti-communism and regional bias among the older generation makes this unlikely. “If South Koreans ever agree to prioritize industrialization and economic development in their historical memory, Park Chung-hee might be a good candidate, but this would raise questions about whether Koreans believe economic development was more important than democracy. I doubt even that half the population would overlook the dictatorial excesses, including torture and corruption, of the Park years.”

The United States has a long history as an established modern nation, and today, its Founding Fathers are respected almost unanimously by citizens and residents. But even great leaders, such as former presidents Washington and Jefferson, have not always been admired by everyone. Thus, in the young state of Korea, where socialism and capitalism is claiming preeminence, there is still disagreement on who should be considered a great leader and a hero or heroine. Huer said, “In modern politics, Korea is a young nation and the United States is the world’s oldest. So given time, Korea may settle down, like the United States, on who their heroes are and will start connecting names and individuals to public items.”

King Sejong the Great (1397-1450), who invented the Korean alphabet, “Hangeul,” and Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598), who defeated the invading Japanese armada, are among the few whom most Koreans consider as national heroes. Thus, it’s no surprise that their statues are placed in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul.

Fifth, owing to the ideological biases among Korean historians themselves, many figures who had been considered great leaders and heroes or heroines are now considered historical villains. For instance, Korea now considers Yu Gwan-sun, a 17-year-old girl who died of torture at a Seoul prison for protesting in 1919 against the Japanese colonization, as irrelevant. Her patriotism had been well chronicled in textbooks until recently, when liberal historians started to claim that pro-Japanese leaders during the Japanese colonial rule fabricated her patriotism to hide their cooperation with the Imperial Japan. However, the lack of objective historical data has made this claim difficult to prove. It may take time to reevaluate Yoo’s role during the colonization and to put her back into the textbooks.

Finally, Koreans have strict criteria for evaluating potential great leaders and heroes or heroines. If Ronald Reagan were Korean, he would not have been considered a hero. He might have been criticized for his supply-side economy, which led to the 2007-2008 American economic crisis, and for his corruption, as demonstrated in the Iran-Contra scandal. Likewise, a Korean John F. Kennedy would not have become a hero because of his personal flaws, or more specifically, his womanizing ways.

Korea should acknowledge cultural and historical differences from other democracies when it comes to commemorating its great leaders and heroes or heroines and should give itself time to grow or develop as a nation, which is more important than the issue of naming landmarks and streets.

In addition, historians should overcome their ideological biases to come up with historical figures whom Koreans from every generation can stand behind as great leaders and heroes or heroines.

Lee Chang-sup is the Korea Times editor-in-chief and vice president. Contact him at editorial@ktimes.co.kr.