Preface

“Koreans” from a Korean perspective; tracking the change in Korean identity

“Who is Korean?” Political identity defines ‘us’ as being inside of the political bubble and ‘they’ as being on the outside. For ‘us,’ since Koreans have lived on Korean peninsula and shared cultural and linguistic homogeneity for a long time, being Korean in itself defines Korean identity. In other words, the discrepancy between the racial and territorial identity as in modern European national states did not exist in Korea.

However, the division of the Korean Peninsula made it impossible to realize nationalism’s basic principle of “one people, one nation.” This has made today’s national and ethnic identity more complicated than it used to be the past. As South Korea created its own identity through the successful achievements of political, economical, and social progress, the unification of ethnic and national identity is no longer expected to be a natural result of the eventual reunification of South and North Korea. Also, globalization and Korea’s strengthened place in the international community have diversified Korean culture, while also newly intensifying its identity crisis. This is the reason why the question “who is Korean?” is important.

The book Understanding Korean Identity Through the Lens of Opinion Survey is the result of an attempt to examine the above mentioned question. When the 60th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from the Japanese regime in 2005 was being celebrated, EAI published Korean Politics and National Identity based on its first public survey on Korean identity. This joint-research project conducted by EAI (President: Sook Jong Lee, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University) and the Asiatic Research Institute of Korea University (President: Nae-Young Lee, Professor at Korea University) is an extension of such past research; it attempts to track the changes in and persistence of Korean identity over last 5 years based on the results of the second public survey on Korean identity conducted in 2010 in a comparative manner. The team consists of experts from EAI and the Asiatic Research Institute in various fields including Political Science, Sociology, and Public Administration, to comprehensively analyze the changes in Korean identity.

South Korea’s “Korean Identity,” Diffusion of “Global Citizenship” in Global Era.

This book consists of the nine chapters of research. First, Won-Taek Kang points out the increasing strength of South Korea’s own “Korean identity,” while examining the potential conflict between South Korea’s own national identity and ethnic identity encompassing the Korean peninsula. Nae-Young Lee analyzes Koreans’ viewpoints on reunification and concludes that hostile sentiment towards North Korea has increased over the last 5 years, and skepticism and cautious attitudes towards the reunification have become pervasive. Globalization and the change in location of Korea’s place in international community result in considerable changes in Koreans’ perspectives of international society. Sook-Jong Lee argues that global citizenship is emphasized among Koreans as they started stress their contributions to international society. In addition, Lee points out the increased importance of diplomatic power in order to secure leverage in international society. Also, Shin-wha Lee claims that interests in non-military and non-traditional security issues have increased in accordance with the heightened caution towards super-national issues (초국가적 이슈) like natural disasters, disease, and economic crises.

“The Era of Democratization and Multiculturalism,” New Definition of Korean

Through analysis of the relationship between democracy and nationalism, Han-Wool Chung and Kon Su Yi discover the tendency of “democratic nationalism,” and find that high levels of democratic citizenship and radical nationalism are coexisting. Interestingly, Chung and Yi view the growth of democratic citizenship as a factor that not only weakens the exclusiveness of nationalism, but also strengthens the consciousness sovereignty. On the other hand, In-Jin Yoon analyzes the awareness of overseas Koreans, North Korean defectors, and foreign immigrants. Yoon argues that Koreans place a high emphasis on ethnic characteristics like birthplace and lineage, civil components like nationality, and the observance of laws and systems. Jung-Mee Hwang explored the receptivity of multiculturalism and claims that even though Koreans are yet to internalize cultural diversity and multiculturalism, most of them agree with the policy of promoting multiracialism and multiculturalism.

Change in national identity and the advent of a new national agenda

Such changes in national and ethnic identity must influence the formation of the national agenda. M. Jae Moon suggests that the 5 national agendas that Koreans desire are: fair wealth distribution and development as a welfare state, continuous economic development, social integration, establishment of a transparent and fair democratic state, and establishment of a unified nation and conveyance of international leadership. Moon emphasizes that establishing policies to pursue continuous economic growth and to plan comprehensive welfare policies is critical in dealing with social changes. In this context, Yong wook Lee explains that Koreans have a high level of preference for materialism compared to other nations, and this tendency does not differ among each generation. Moon claims that such high preferences for materialism is based on an overwhelming emphasis on material success and social status over other values.

Evolving challenges and opportunities for Koreans; what is the choice of Koreans?

This research shows that Korean society is more diversified than ever. At the same time, Koreans’ viewpoints on national identity have been gradually changing and this tendency will continue into the future. This phenomenon may come as a new challenge to Koreans who have lived in the myth of a single-nation state for a long time. Nonetheless, this change will enable Koreans to progress more in the future with regards to ongoing globalization and the heightened status of Korea in the international community. The question is whether Korean society can properly grasp the meaning of the changing identities and appropriately respond. The readers will discover the possibilities and limits surrounding this issue in Understanding Korean Identity Through the Lens of Opinion Survey.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The Changing National Identity in Korean Society ｜ Won-Taek Kang
Chapter 2. The National Identity of Koreans and Changing Views toward North Korea and Reunification ｜ Nae-Young Lee
Chapter 3. The View of Koreans on Security and Foreign Affairs ｜ Shin-wha Lee
Chapter 4. Global Identity and Korea’s Diplomacy ｜ Sook-Jong Lee
Chapter 5. Changing Korean Society and the National Agenda ｜ M. Jae Moon
Chapter 6. Does Democracy Strengthen Nationalism? The Possibility of a Democratic National Identity from Comparative Analysis between Surveys in 2005 and 2010 ｜ Han Wool Jeong and Kon Su Yi
Chapter 7. What Defines Korean Nationality? The View of Koreans on Nation and Nationality ｜ In-Jin Yoon
Chapter 8. The Adaptability of Koreans to Multiculturalism and National Identity ｜ Jung-Mee Hwang
Chapter 9. Materialism in Korea ｜ Yong Wook Lee

Appendix
Project overview
Questionnaire
Result comparison table

*This preface was translated from the original Korean by EAI intern Chaeree Lee and edited by Ben Engel.