Korean Reunification: An Operation in Progress

It’s been 70 years since the division of the Korean peninsula, yet the two countries are no closer to reaching a mutual agreement than they were at the height of the Korean War. From the inception of a separate government in 1945, South Koreans have been increasingly vocal in their desire to be reunified with fellow countrymen, particularly as the US-backed schism forced its way between relatives. However, as the pain of family division has faded from people’s memories, public support of reunification has been replaced by the rationality of the next generation, who emphasizes continuously the expected costs of such a venture. As of today, South Korea’s finance ministry has placed the predicted price of reunification at 7% of the country’s yearly GDP for the next 10 years. Though the upfront costs will cause a serious dip in Korea’s growing economy, the expected benefits from natural resources, labor, and overland access to neighboring countries are projected to ameliorate the damage in the long-term. In addition, reunification will lead to the elimination of a major nuclear threat, and subsequent decrease in required military presence will give South Korea greater flexibility to focus efforts elsewhere. With young professionals viewing the task as more of a financial burden than an imminent future though, the prospects of consolidation are very slim.

Despite such rising apathy, efforts to promote increased dialogue between the two nations are continually on the rise. Earlier this month, family reunions between Koreans of the North and South occurred for the first time since 2010, a symbolic gesture carried out only with support from the Kim regime. The leaders of both nations have also spoken on more actively pursuing interests for renewed relations. In his New Year’s Day address, Kim Jong Un expressed hopes for better ties with the South, while President Park Geun-hye recently made headlines by calling reunification a “jackpot.”

South Korean president Park Geun-hye recently made headlines by calling reunification "a jackpot."

Reunification, though conducted with a highly capricious regime, will positively impact not only the Korean peninsula, but all those nations with economic ties to the Republic of Korea. The last prime minister of East Germany recently compared the situation in Korea to that faced by his home country decades before, and offered both unique knowledge and words of advice. At the time of the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, the GDP difference between the East and West was at a ratio of 1:3. From the debilitating effects of this gap, Germans are still recovering from inequality and imbalance between the formerly divided nations. Korea faces a far greater crisis with an estimated ratio of over 30:1, but the minister suggested that with a focus on social and economic integration, Koreans would be able to reap the long-time benefits of union.

Kim Jong Un, the chairman of the Communist Workers' Party, has also expressed interest in a reunified state.

Korea, As One!

The crowd waited with bated breath. It was the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships, and the first place medal for the women’s team event was about to be announced. Over the loudspeakers, a booming voice proclaimed, “Korea!” The entire audience rose as one, roaring and cheering as two young women, from the North and South, stepped onto the podium together, tearfully lifting their clasped hands as a plain flag with the Korean peninsula outlined in blue unfurled behind them. There was no trace of the hostility that existed between the two Koreas as the other team members piled joyously onto their champions. Fans in the stands and watching from home were one in spirit as they sobbed with pride for their country, Korea. Several hours later, the tears were falling even more heavily, tinged with shock and anguish, as teammates were torn from each other’s embrace to return to their respective countries. Despite the victory they had won for Korea as one country, the strictly-enforced division between the nations was still present, and the athletes never saw each other again.

As One, based on the true story of a united North & South Korean table tennis team, and their 1991 Championship.

The real Korean table tennis team at the 1991 games in Chiba, Japan.

Though this is only a scene from the truth-based movie, As One (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2328503/), the real tragedy of Korean separation has been a shadow in the heart of every Korean for the past 70 years. Only last month, the same sudden euphoria and pain were mirrored in the reactions of South Korean seniors, who were able to meet their family members in the North for a few minutes, in the first of such reunions since 2010. Korean leaders from both states have expressed the priority of reunification as one of the main goals of their administration, but unless this process is carried out soon, such scenes can only continue to prey at Koreans’ peace of mind.

Today, the two Koreas have grown so far from one another both socially and economically, that a reunification at any time would result in costs vastly outweighing the German model. Due to its serious impact on the US and other neighboring countries, the process is not one that can be carried out with cooperation between the two Koreas alone. Recognizing their role in the two Koreas’ future, world leaders converged in Seoul last Monday for the 5^th annual Asian Leadership Conference. From former-president George W Bush, to the last prime minister of East Germany, and English professor, Adam Johnson, 63 innovators spoke on the theme “One Korea, New Asia,” and why reunification needs both international attention and support. In his keynote address, Mr. Bush opened the discussion with an appeal to the international community on the necessity of a union, and its likelihood of occurring with support from the US, China, and other global superpowers. This need and how it could be carried out was further undermined from the different perspectives of former prime ministers of Australia and East Germany (Ms. Julia Gillard and Mr. Lothar de Maiziere, respectively), who through their own experiences in national relations with the two Koreas, spoke on key obstacles to the task. Participants could register for a special lecture by local Stanford professor Adam Johnson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his novel, The Orphan Master’s Son, a story of an orphan boy’s struggles in North Korea. After numerous visits to the closed regime in the North, Mr. Johnson highlighted the need to focus on the voiceless North Korean population, for whom “it’s illegal… to interact with a foreigner visiting the country.” Whether it was through debates between the foreign ministers of Korea, Japan, and China, insight provided by the former ASEAN secretary-general (Surin Pitsuwan), or investment advice from American business mogul Jim Rogers, participants were exposed to a new future for the Korean peninsula,

In the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships, Koreans embraced their shared heritage to enter the world arena under a single flag, emblazoned with a map of the Korean peninsula. Though this was only a single step in the obstacle-strewn path toward reunification, the future of union has never been brighter. No matter the difficulties of an uncompliant North, the US must set a foundation of support and promotion for union. Then who knows? Four years from now, we may be facing the re-introduction of a united Korean flag, this time waving from the host podium at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

Young General Yi-Sunshin

A children's book written by Hae-ok Lee, published by Sesaem

Translated by June Lee

Yi Sun-sin

“Captain, the enemy is approaching.” Our team’s lookout shouted down to me from the top of a tree.

“Okay everyone, this is it. Get ready!” Crouching even lower down in the brush, my troop and I waited with baited breath, straining our ears to hear the battle cry…

“Attack!” the enemy appeared at the top of the hill, dashing madly towards us with their wooden swords waving in the air.

Winking at my comrades, I thrust my own wooden sword straight above my head, “Now is the moment! Counterattack!”

“Ahhhh!” the two lines of soldiers raced towards each other, coming closer and closer to the moment of impact. Concentrating fiercely, I raised my sword to knock away the first victim, when,

“Boys! Stop this nonsense! Who gave you permission to ravage this path!” a tall scholar stepped between our troops and glowered down at us.

Rather disappointed at the turn of events, I stepped forward to address the nobleman. “But, we were only playing war!”

“Playing war?! I was planning on enjoying the warm day at this spot, so you boys run along and play somewhere else.”

 “Why don’t you find a more vacant bench to rest at, sir?” One of the boys behind me piped up, and everybody in our group became deathly still.

“Young boys are not supposed to address their betters or elders in that manner.” Incredulous and furious, he reached up for a low-hanging branch, as if to whip us for our insolence. My playmates began to slowly back away, not daring to look the man in the eye.

Squeezing my lips together to keep from shuddering, I boldly took another step towards the gentleman, and tried to explain. “With all due respect sir, this place is a battleground. Although this may seem like only child’s play, for us who will serve our country by joining the army someday, this is very serious. We are training for our country.” Without another word, the scholar immediately stood up from his bench, and with a slight nod of approval at my words, turned to clear the area for us. As he walked past, I could have sworn there was the hint of a smile tugging at the edge of his lips. A warm feeling of pride filled my heart as I turned back to my companions. “Okay, let’s do that attack one more time!”

In the end, my team emerged the victors of our mock battle, and we gathered together by the stream to cool off from the day’s excitement. The captain of the opposing side sat beside me as we splashed our feet in the water. Suddenly, turning to me, he said, “You know what, Sunshin? You’re going to be an incredible general. How many times have you knocked us into the dirt with your strategies?” Face turning red, I grinned at him, and was about to clasp his back in thanks, when he uttered a new challenge. “I think it’s time we try a new battle game.”

‘I like this guy’s way of thinking…’ Unhesitatingly, I replied, “Great, what were you thinking of?”

With an almost sinister smirk spreading across his face, he shouted, “To the archery range!”

Korea(1950s) through American eyes

The first half of the 1900s was a very difficult era for Koreans. After 35 years under Japanese rule, Korea was plunged into a civil war with hardly any break in between. However, during these relatively peaceful years, the US sent many troops to Korea with the intentions of protecting the country. One such soldier video-taped what was going on at the time he was deported to Korea. Through this video, we are able to see what Korea was like during the brief years of restarting from the eyes of a foreigner.

The children in the video are orphans from an orphanage that US troops helped to rebuild. Although a few scenes from Japan at the time are mixed in, the video gives quite a clear view of Korea in the early 1950s. Enjoy.

Admiral Yi Sun-shin

Who was Yi Sun-shin?

To put it simply, Yi Sun-shin was the greatest naval commander that Korea and the world have ever seen. He was most famous for creating and successfully using the turtle ship (Gobukseon), an elite battle ship,

and designing the crane wing formation. But General Yi wasn’t just a superb naval general. In addition to his career in military, he was a brilliant writer who excelled at poetry, and was a very loyal, courageous, clever, and caring man. Even the enemies that he fought with, the Japanese could do nothing but praise him, having found no quality to criticize him by. Now let’s take a look at the background during which Yi Sun-shin became the figure in history we revere today.

During the late 1500s, the Japanese launched an attack on Korea, hoping to use it as a bridge to reach China. Their main goal was to conquer China, and they thought that defeating the Korean army was going to be a piece of cake. They couldn’t have been any farther from the truth.

In 1592, with the help of creative naval strategies, and several of the new turtle ships, General Yi Sun-shin and his troops defeated the Japanese in an amazing victory at the battle of Hansan Island. Facing 73 Japanese battle ships with only 56 of their own ships, the Korean navy managed to sink 47 battleships, and capture 12 more without damaging anyone of their own ships. How could this have come to be?

The main reason for this victory was thanks to some very serious thinking completed by General Yi. Understanding that the Japanese had already begun to realize and even copy Korean naval tactics, he decided that the navy needed a completely new strategy that would throw the Japanese completely off the hook. This is where the crane wing formation comes into play.

By positioning his ships in a boomerang-like shape, with the mouth of the boomerang open towards the enemy, Yi Sun-shin guided his navy to close in on the invaders, raining down cannons, bullets, and flaming arrows at them from all sides. Steam and smoke also poured out from the dragon head at the front of the ships, disorienting and confusing the enemy.

The turtle ships were also a very major part of the successful defense. Designed for rough battles, the turtle ship was the only ship of the time with a roof, and this was made up of heavy iron plates. Along the roof were sharp nails and spears to discourage enemies from climbing onto the ship. At the front of the ship was a dragon head (as mentioned above) that shot cannons out of its mouth in addition to a thick smoke that easily hid the approach of Korean battleships.

 One of the most important features of the vessel was the row of small holes in the side of the ship that were just big enough to fit the mouths of cannons. Being the only ship of its time to be able to hold many cannons at once, turtle ships usually fought by turning its cannon side to the enemies so they could rain down all of their firepower on unsuspecting invaders.

The turtle ships’ superb qualities were proved to be very important in another battle, the battle which General Yi is most famous for: the battle at Myeongnyang.

The only reason that the battle of Myeong-nyang truly became so important was because of a shocking event that occurred inside of Korea only a few months before. The king’s advisors were very jealous of Yi Sun-shin, and they told the king lies about him that began to make him doubt Sun-shin’s loyalty. Finally unable to bear his suspicions any longer, the king lowered General Yi’s rank to a common soldier, and was prepared to execute him.

While this drama was going on, the new general the king had appointed in Yi Sun-shin’s place was quickly proving that he was a terrible replacement. After a disastrous defeat in which nearly the entire Korean navy was destroyed, the king realized that Korea would lose the war without General Yi, and he hastily reappointed him as commander of the navy.

Because of this, when he stepped once again into battle, General Yi found himself with an army of 13 ships, preparing to fight against the 330 ships in the Japanese army. However, not giving up hope, Yi Sun-shin used the geography around him to his advantage, and after another miracle battle, 31 Japanese battleships were destroyed, 91 were damaged to the point where they could not be reused, and all 13 of General Yi’s ships were in good condition. He had saved Korea again.

Time and time again, General Yi Sun-shin would prove himself a very difficult commander to beat, and the most strategic general the world of navies had ever seen.

Finally, in the final battle of the seven year war against Japan at Noryang, General Yi was hit by a stray bullet in the armpit, and he passed away. Even with his dying breath, he said, “The battle is at its height. Let none know of my death.” Needless to say, the Korean navy would go on to win that war.

For more information on Admiral Yi, visit http://www.koreanhero.net/en/NationalHeroOfKorea.htm

Teacher Seminar on Korean History and Culture

This Saturday, the SVKS Korean school staff put together a wonderful Free Teacher Seminar on Korean history and culture. The many wonderful speakers present were: the Consul General of San Francisco, Mrs. Mary Connor (President of the Korea Academy for Educators), Jung Hae Kim (Principal of the Wilton Place School), and Gi-wook Shin (Director of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center). Their enthralling and informative lectures captivated the audience and were very educational at the same time. Following a delicious Korean lunch and free book raffles, several cultural booths were set up for the teachers to have hands on experiences with Korean culture. Some of the intriguing booths included making Korean pancakes, trying on Korean clothing(hanbok) or posing with Hanbok models, having a professional write participants' names in Korean on beautiful Korean flags, and watching the fan dance team from the Silicon Valley Korean School perform. Out of all of the fascinating lectures, scrumptious meals, and wonderful culture booths, I have to say that the Consul General's speech was the most touching and motivational to me. Hearing the strong and descriptive speech, I myself was motivated to become a diplomat later in my life. The Teacher Seminar was a wonderful experience to me, and I would like to thank everyone who worked hard to make it work. Thank you!

Waving the Korean Flag

Have you ever seen the South Korean flag? Whether it was from a flash on the internet, or a quick glimpse during a ride through a city, seeing the Korean flag is not an experience you are likely to forget very soon. But first of all, what does the flag even mean?

The flag of South Korea, or Taegeukgi, is actually a highly complicated symbol of the country. Simply organized, the flag is divided into three parts: the white background, the four black trigrams, and the red and blue taeguk in the center.

The white background represents the traditional color of the Korean people(which they also like to wear) and the cleanliness of their hearts. The blue and red taeguk in the center is the image of all things in the universe. It represents all of the opposites in the world merging together to form a nation. This symbol is also known as the yin-yang symbol, and it can be shown as unity. The four black trigrams technically also represent opposites: metal, fire, water, and Earth. The similar helping elements are on the same vertical side of the taeguk, while the opposite elements border each other diagonally. Traditionally, the four trigrams refer to the five elements of fire, water, earth, wood, and metal. In Korean, the trigrams are known as geon, ri, gam, and gon.

Inexorably, the South Korean flag is a true representative of the thoughts and minds in its nation, a bold reminder to all Koreans to live up to the courage it bequeaths upon them.

Information courtesy to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_Korea