Divided we Koreans stand
Koreans have always been team players, whether they like it or not.
With perils coming from every direction, Koreans have come to take unity as a survival strategy, while division is the ticket to perdition.
Japanese colonial education during its 36-year occupation brainwashed them, constantly hammering home the message: Koreans are born to be divisive and are fated not to live independently.
The inter-Korean division between the capitalist South and the “communist” North that has continued after the 1950-1953 Korean War until now is also thrown in for good measure into the mix that reinforces this totalitarian psychology.
As a result, Koreans are alarmed at the first sign of division, worrying that it could possibly lead to the collapse of their nation. In this environment, conformity is the rule; with a challenge at it being an exception that can’t be tolerated.
One such case recently took over when ex-President Park Geun-hye said, “The truth will come to light,” upon returning to her private residence, Sunday, after the Constitutional Court stripped her of the presidency in its impeachment ruling.
Park came under fire for disputing the ruling and had to clarify through her aide that she had accepted it.
Another case is about presidential candidates being called upon to send a message of unity to heal the national division after months of demonstrations for and against the impeached head of state.
Moon Jae-in, a liberal frontrunner who is seen as a shoo-in, if the presidential election was held today, held a press conference to do exactly that. Others are following.
If the beauty of democracy is diversity and tolerance, then why should everybody adhere to the one-size-fits-all rule of conformity or risk being ostracized?
True, it is pitiful that Park failed to understand the magnitude of her crimes against the nation — sharing the presidential mandate with her friend and promoting their interests ahead of the people.
But shouldn’t she have the right to disagree with the accusations and verdict as much as we call her the B-word? After all, she has denied all along that she had sought any personal gains, although she admitted to a lapse of judgment in allowing Choi Soon-sil to act the way she did. Isn’t it the tyranny of the majority? The same goes with Moon’s call for unity.
He complied with the people’s call of the day but it remains to be seen whether it would make him a better candidate or, if he wins, a better president.
Or have we missed something?
The candlelit protests that brought down Park and the counter-demonstrations by “Taegukgi Units” supporting her have proved the maturity of our democracy.
If the past serves as any guide, Gwanghwamun Square should have been a war zone.
But for weeks, it was a picnic area for people from all walks of life. The turnout included couples, mothers with babies in strollers, fathers with children, high school students and the like, with performances of all sorts being staged.
It was a moment that showed resolving such a serious business as toppling a corrupt leader could be possible without Molotov cocktails, iron pipes and broken pieces of pavement. It defied the tone of the country’s violent protest history often against dictators. We have felt it.
Giving an additional shine to this new sign of maturity are pro-Park protests that were peaceful as well.
The two sides, each side numbering tens of thousands, protested peacefully side by side, being separated by a cordon of police buses in downtown Seoul. One lesson is hidden in plain sight: we Koreans can afford to be different and enjoy being so, depriving the old taboo of its relevance. It means the restoration of our important right so denied by the convenience of the elite in governance.
In a way, the victory of Korea’s recent protests comes in the same vein as Brexit in the ordinary Britons’ decision to exit the European Union, and the U.S. election of maverick Donald Trump as president. They have debunked the ineptitude of the governing class, holding them accountable.
Those leaders have reacted in two ways — taking evasive action or jumping on the coattails of the public wrath.
Irrespective of their political stripes, Korean politicians have taken the second path, trying to identify with the protestors in an effort to gain an advantage in the upcoming election. In the process, their colossal failure to speak for the masses and prevent their anger from spilling over appears all but forgotten. People have done the leaders’ job, and so, the leaders should have losr their jobs.
The British ruling class and the American establishment are still in denial, blaming the viral spread of public anger on ordinary people’s ignorance. It’s their hubris.
Now, the advent of the age of ordinary people appears unstoppable.
In this age, divisiveness, the byproduct of diversity, is no longer a vice but can be a virtue, a new normal and a sign of confidence.
The elite should realize what their job is all about: rise up to their new calling of the day — cleaning after us. Even if we the ordinary people should enjoy our privilege, the sky won’t fall. The elite would break the fall, just in case it does. Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times’ chief editorial writer. Contact foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com.