Kim Jong-un’s threats prompt reflection on Korean identity

In December of 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced that North and South Koreans are no longer the same people.

To fully grasp the significance of this statement will require careful consideration over time, but the announcement holds special resonance for generations of Koreans, as we have always identified ourselves as Korean, a distinct people among many.

North Korea’s first leader started a war in the name of freeing the Southern people from the tyranny of the United States and ever since then, the North has justified its existence by explaining its mission to liberate South Koreans from the evils of the Americans and their South Korean lackeys.

Confusion and questions arise regarding the intent behind this statement.

Has North Korea abandoned the pursuit of unification, or is this another calculated move to manipulate South Korean public opinion?

The initial step in addressing this question is: what defines a Korean?

To address this question, one must delve into the earliest writings about

Koreans, which can be traced back to China’s Shang dynasty.

The Shang dynasty, also known as the Yin dynasty, reigned in the Yellow River valley from the 16th to the 11th centuries BC. Classic accounts of the Shang dynasty mention a people residing in the northern borders who were skilled archers and had a fondness for singing and dancing.

One might draw parallels between this description and contemporary aspects of Korean culture, such as K-pop.

Defining a Korean solely based on looks or DNA is no longer acceptable.

Using DNA as a standard would constitute raw racism, which history has shown can lead to disastrous consequences.

In North Korea, a caste system called Songbun categorizes individuals into various classes, such as the Kim family and elites, the core class/bureaucrats, the basic class/ workers, complex, and the hostile class, with a total of 51 subcategories.

This system dictates where individuals live and how their lives are valued.

In North Korean society, interracial marriage is unthinkable, as it is believed to protect the purity of the Korean people. This sheds light on the North Korean standard for defining a “Korean.”

For thousands of years, Koreans have believed in the folklore of Dangun or the Myth of Dangun.

It is the story of a god sending his son to the world and the son ruling the world with grain, life, sickness, good/evil and punishment.

One day, a bear and a tiger come to the son of god and plead to be turned into humans.

The son of god tells them if they can survive on twenty pieces of garlic and a bushel of sagebrush for 100 days, their wish would be granted.

The tiger failed the test, but the bear endured and became a beautiful woman.

The girl fervently wished for a child and prayed with all her heart.

Moved by her sincerity, the son of god took pity on her.

He disguised himself as a man and married the girl. Their union resulted in the birth of the first Korean son.

This story can be found in its written form in The Heritage of the Three States, which was compiled in 1281 during the Goryeo dynasty.

This children’s story encompasses a central value for Koreans, which is the Hongik Ingan.

The Hongik Ingan (person) is one who makes the world better by good deeds and is often translated into “benefiting mankind.”

This core value was supplemented by loyalty, filial piety, and good manners.

Until the birth of the North Korean Kim regime, all of Korea and Koreans believed in these values.

During the cruelest times under the Japanese, Koreans united and identified with these values.

When Kim Il-sung and his Soviet and Chinese communist overlords came to Korea, they destroyed these values and replaced them with the Kim family as demigods.

Now the grandson of Kim Il-sung has declared that his people are no longer identified with South Koreans.

This is probably true because South Koreans value freedom and prosperity for all and the right of anyone to be happy, none of which is enjoyed by the majority of North Koreans.

A recent poll showed that nearly half of the South Korean people are no longer interested in unification and are not concerned about Kim’s announcement of segregating the Korean people.

This is a very serious situation because it will solidify not only the geographical division of the Korean peninsula but the very soul of the Korean people.

It will also make North Korean soldiers easier to kill South Koreans.

South Koreans must now, more than ever, remind themselves of the values that define us as Korean and ensure we can protect these values from the truly evil threat from Kim.

“This is a very serious situation because it will solidify not only the geographical division of the Korean peninsula but the very soul of the Korean people. ”

Chun In-bum (truechun@naver.com) served as a lieutenant general of the ROK Army and commander of Special Forces Korea.