Baidu, the most important web portal in China, just lately prompted controversy among the many South Korean public for introducing Yun Dong-ju, a Korean poet and independence activist in the course of the Japanese colonial period, as “Chinese language.”
In response to Website positioning Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Girls’s College, regardless of steady requests for correction, Baidu maintains its encyclopedia web page’s introduction of Yun as ethnically chaoxianzu – referring to Korean ethnic minorities in China – with Chinese language nationality.
“Nonetheless, the Baidu encyclopedia stipulates Yun as Chinese language,” stated Website positioning on his Fb, “you will need to inform what’s flawed and make a transfer to repair it appropriately.”
The controversy partially comes from the distinction in using the time period chaoxianzu. In South Korea, chaoxianzu, or joseonjok in Korean, is commonly used to distinguish Korean minorities in China from mainland Koreans. In China, against this, it refers to ethnic Koreans generally.
Nonetheless, there stays a dispute over Yun’s nationality, as Baidu’s entry particularly describes him as a “Chinese language Korean” (zhongguo chaoxianzu). Though Yun was born and raised in Manchuria, his hometown was a part of the Japanese Empire when he was alive. His mom tongue was Korean, and each poem he wrote was in that language. Many South Koreans, subsequently, noticed Baidu’s description as “cultural theft” for South Koreans. Following Website positioning’s public demand for the outline to be modified, Chinese language state-run media World Occasions stated, “historic figures with transnational backgrounds like Yun must be honored by each China and South Korea.”
A Korean Poet Underneath Japanese Empire
Yun was born in 1917 to a Korean Christian immigrant household in Mingdong village, which is presently a part of Longjing metropolis in China’s Jilin province. Yun was by no means formally a poet however a college scholar who was learning literature. He was imprisoned for making a Korean nationalist scholar group in 1943 throughout his research at Doshisha College in Kyoto. He died in jail after getting a chemical injection in 1945, which is suspected to be part of a organic experiment.
Though his works had been by no means made public when he was alive, Yun’s poetry assortment “Sky, Wind, and Stars” was revealed after Korean independence, and he quickly turned the preferred poet in South Korea. The central theme of his poetry is self-reflection and introspection about life as an ethnic Korean below Japanese colonial rule. For instance, Yun wrote his poem “Confession” 5 days earlier than he needed to change his Korean identify to Japanese, and it expresses his repentance and misery for following such guidelines that went in opposition to his ethnic identification.
Yun, subsequently, is revered as a patriotic poet who resisted Japanese rule amongst South Korean folks. Yun Dong-ju Memorial Corridor in Yonsei College, one of many schools the place Yun studied literature, introduces him as a “poet who wrote his poems firmly within the Korean language regardless of Japan’s harsh colonization.” His poems are taught in Korean literature courses, and Yun’s life was additionally made right into a film in 2016.
Contemplating his popularity as a degree of nationwide delight in South Korea, it’s no shock that Baidu’s description of Yun aroused criticisms. There are even voices claiming that the South Korean authorities just isn’t going far sufficient in dealing with such points with China.
“China is distorting and stealing our beloved poet, historical past, and tradition. Why are the Ministry of International Affairs and the embassy hesitating to reply in opposition to them?” stated Yoo Seung-min, a former opposition member of the South Korean parliament.
The South Korean International Ministry stated it’s negotiating with Beijing over this problem.
These condemnations are intertwined with bigger issues over China’s “cultural imperialism,” perceived makes an attempt to combine Korea throughout the Chinese language cultural sphere. These doubts surged from China’s latest claims over Hanbok and Kimchi.
Hanbok and Kimchi: China’s ‘Cultural Imperialism’ In opposition to Korea
Final November, the Chinese language cellular recreation Shining Nikki was closely criticized by the Chinese language public for launching hanbok, a standard Korean costume, as a brand new Korean merchandise. Chinese language netizens asserted that hanbok is part of hanfu — the standard garments worn by Han Chinese language folks. Suzhou Diezhi Community Expertise, the sport developer, supplied an apology, and the sport went out of service in South Korea.
Since then, hanbok has made increasingly appearances in Chinese language media as an specific a part of Chinese language tradition. Xiaomi, a Chinese language digital firm, launched a background picture with an illustration of characters sporting hanbok with the title “China Tradition.” The Chinese language historic drama sequence “Royal Feast” was accused of utilizing garments much like hanbok, whereas Yu Zheng, the producer of the drama, claimed the characters had been sporting hanfu typical of the Ming Dynasty.
Kimchi, a widely known Korean dish, additionally turned China’s goal after paocai – a Sichuan type pickled vegetable dish much like kimchi – obtained certification from Worldwide Group for Standardization (ISO) in November. The World Occasions reported the certification as “a world commonplace for the kimchi business led by China.” Though the ISO said that the certification doesn’t apply to kimchi, China’s declare escalated disputes between South Korea and China on-line. For instance, South Korean YouTuber Hamji’s video countering Chinese language assertions on kimchi was censored on Weibo and different Chinese language social media. Her Chinese language media company additionally terminated her contract for content material manufacturing, claiming Hamji had “insulted” Chinese language tradition.
Certainly, China and Korea have traditionally exchanged cultures, and thus they share many similarities. However, since Korean tradition has been extensively accepted in China for the reason that Nineteen Nineties, with the rising reputation of Okay-pop and Korean dramas, this raises a query: What’s behind the sudden enhance in “cultural imperialism” focusing on Korea?
What’s Behind China’s Claims to Korean Tradition?
China’s claims over hanbok and kimchi, together with Yun’s nationality, will be seen as rooted in three major causes. First, the strife over the cultural heritage exhibits the distinctions in how South Korea and China determine their very own cultures. South Koreans current themselves as culturally distinctive from China, driving them to view such Chinese language behaviors as “stealing” their tradition. China, then again, postulates itself as the middle of East Asian tradition. This Sino-centrism is the legacy of the tributary system in the course of the imperial dynasties, which perceived different Asian states, resembling Korea, as traditionally and culturally a part of its periphery. For instance, in 2002, the Chinese language Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), a Chinese language governmental assume tank, argued that Goguryeo – one of many earliest Korean kingdoms and the origin of the identify “Korea” – was traditionally a Chinese language regional authorities as a substitute of an autonomous Korean political entity. The implication is that Chinese language historic narratives view Korean tradition as one other department of China.
Second, Beijing goals to assimilate its 55 ethnic minorities right into a unitary “Chinese language” identification. Certainly one of China’s claims over Korean tradition thus comes from the two million ethnic Korean minorities in Manchuria – the chaoxianzu. These Korean minorities in China are the descendants of Korean immigrants who fled to Manchuria within the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in search of to flee Japanese colonial rule – similar to Yun’s household. The logic behind China’s claims over Korean tradition is that as a result of Korean minorities exist in China, their traditions are additionally part of Chinese language tradition. Claiming Korean tradition as “Chinese language” is a bid to include Korean minorities right into a better Chinese language identification, legitimizing its guidelines over their area – Yanbian Korean Autonomous Area – and other people. The Chinese language Communist Celebration (CCP) prioritizes unifying the ethnic minorities in a single identification to stop any potentialities of conflicts or secessionist actions. – a technique most dramatically seen within the oppression of Uyghur and Tibetan tradition. Therefore, for China, Yun, a Korean born in Manchuria, must also be held up as a “Chinese language” – even when he by no means acquired Chinese language nationality.
Moreover, Beijing has been utilizing nationalism to spice up its legitimacy in response to a number of home and worldwide crises previously few years. Whereas the U.S.-China commerce conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic prompted financial and social difficulties, utilizing nationalism to foster public antagonism towards international states diminishes home dissatisfaction. It additionally reinforces inner unity and constancy towards the CCP. Beijing, subsequently, is utilizing these nationalistic sentiments to impress cultural disputes with South Korea and switch the general public’s consideration exterior China. This isn’t solely about tradition – Chinese language President Xi Jinping described the Chinese language intervention within the Korean Conflict in opposition to america and South Korea as “preventing in opposition to the imperialist invaders” throughout his speech on the seventieth anniversary of China’s entry into the conflict in October final 12 months. The Chinese language public additionally condemned Okay-pop superstars BTS for praising the U.S. troopers in the course of the Korean Conflict.
“Because the strategic competitors with the U.S. intensifies, the Xi administration promoted nationalistic schooling campaigns. In consequence, Chinese language youths turned extremely anti-U.S. and patriotic,” stated Kim Han-kwon, professor at Korean Nationwide Diplomatic Academy, “it’s possible that China will keep its nationalism. The disputes between Korea and China will persist for some time.”
Chinese language cultural imperialism, nevertheless, can be a supply of friction with its neighbors. Its claims over Korean tradition raised anti-China sentiments in South Korea. In response to Pew Analysis Middle, 74 p.c of the South Korean public had unfavorable views of China in 2020. Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, expressed issues that “China’s Sinicization of Korean historical past and tradition could switch to its may to overcome Korean territory and other people.” These views in opposition to China usually are not a superb signal for Beijing in gentle of its competitors with america within the Asia-Pacific area. Public opinion could pull South Korea away from China.
Yun Dong-ju: The Poet With out a Dwelling
Yun was an ethnic Korean poet who lived his life at a time when South Korea didn’t exist as a contemporary nation-state. Despite the fact that Yun’s works explicitly depict his agony of being a Korean below the Japanese Empire, historic forces disadvantaged him of a homeland to match his identification. It will be a fancy problem to guage his nationality utilizing modern political requirements. Making a dispute over it solely complicates the connection between South Korea and China. China’s cultural imperialism makes an attempt could play effectively with home audiences however undermine its worldwide reputations. As a substitute unilaterally claiming the possession of cultural heritage, the 2 nations ought to promote mutual communication to resolve misunderstandings.
Choi Seong Hyeon is a contract journalist and a postgraduate scholar on the College of Hong Kong.