The Rising East
Growing anti-Americanism
festers in South KoreaSouth Korea and the United States are on a collision course -- and this time it won't be on a soccer field as it was in the World Cup games a few weeks ago.
Anti-Americanism is clearly on the rise in Korea and appears to be undergoing a fundamental change. Before, it was more anti-baseism, with the Koreans demanding that the 37,000 American troops posted in their country go home. Now, that has ballooned into a demand that Seoul's alliance with the United States be dismantled.
On the American side is a basic change in attitude that began with the terrorist assault of Sept. 11. It is still in its formative stage, but Americans seem to have become less tolerant in dealing with other nations, a mood that might best be expressed: "If you are not with us, you are against us."
If those conflicting trends continue, it is only a matter of time before Koreans and Americans bump heads, with unpredictable consequences that will affect the security of East Asia. In particular, a collision would weaken the diplomatic and military front against North Korea.
Public opinion polls underscore Korean hatred of the United States. Beyond that, anti-Americanism manifests itself in the most mundane ways. When a Korean skater was disqualified in the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Koreans went ballistic -- even though the referee was not an American. The U.S. soccer team was repeatedly booed during the World Cup. On issue after issue, as David Steinberg, an experienced and astute observer of Korea, wrote recently: "When in doubt, it is the Americans who are wrong." He is director of Asian Studies in the Foreign Service School at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
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Anti-American demonstrators held a rally last Sunday in front of the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division in Uijongbu, north of Seoul. The protesters' signs read, in part, "Oppose USA."
In the most recent incident, two Korean schoolgirls were killed in a tragic accident when a truck driven by two American soldiers hit them. At first, the U.S. command ruled it a mishap and said the soldiers would not be arrested. Under Korean pressure, the soldiers have been charged with negligent homicide and will be court-martialed. The Korean government, reacting to more public pressure, has demanded that the Americans be tried in a Korean court, where their chances of a fair trial are questionable.
The depth of Korean anti-Americanism is evident as many Koreans can recite a long list of alleged mistreatment by the United States. They reach back to the treaty of 1882 that helped to open the Hermit Kingdom, a 1905 pact between the United States and Japan that Koreans contend led to the brutal Japanese occupation that lasted until 1945, and a conspiracy to divide Korea after World War II. American support for Korean dictators, from Syngman Rhee to Park Chung Hee to Chun Doo Whan, is readily recalled. In Korean eyes, the United States has prevented reconciliation with North Korea.
Steinberg says the Korean educational system and the press cultivate the antipathy toward America.
"Korean governments have lied about the attitudes of Americans and misrepresented or suppressed U.S. concerns about human rights," he wrote. He cautions: "South Korea needs to act with internal political maturity."
Today, Korea is in a political season, with a presidential election scheduled for late this year. Candidates will find it hard to resist exploiting the deep-seated anger for their own political gain.
Confronted with this, the United States has perhaps five options:
>> One would be to mount an intense, high-level diplomatic campaign intended to reverse the Korean mind-set.When the Americans and the South Koreans met on the soccer field during the World Cup, the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Next time, unless Washington and Seoul turn things around, both nations will lose.>> A second would be to move the bloated U.S. military headquarters out of Seoul and consolidate it with other American forces in a less visible location. The United States has offered to do so if Korea will find a new site and pay for the move. So far, the Koreans have refused.
>> A third possibility would be to muddle through, allowing the sore to fester and treating it with Band-Aids.
>> Fourth, the United States could withdraw its military forces from Korea, which would have an incalculable strategic effect from the Russian Far East to Singapore.
>> Last, if worse comes to worst, the United States could abrogate its security treaty and let the Koreans fend for themselves.
Richard Halloran is a former correspondent
for The New York Times in Asia and a former editorial
director of the Star-Bulletin. His column appears Sundays.
He can be reached by e-mail at rhalloran@starbulletin.com
