Globalization and the Korean Peninsula: Effects of Globalization on Identities and the Relationship Between North and South Korea
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GLOBALIZATION AND THE KOREAN PENINSULA: EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION ON IDENTITIES AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA A Thesis submitted to the faculty of As San Francisco State University In partial fulfillment of 3 k the requirements for the Degree IK Master of Arts In International Relations by Jihye Gil San Francisco, California August 2015 Copyright by Jihye Gil 2015 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read Globalization and The Korean Peninsula: Effects o f Globalization on Identities and The Relationship between North and South Korea by Jihye Gil, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Arts in International Relations at San Francisco State University. Andrei TsyganKov Ph.D. Dt*/\ •fian n rvi* GLOBALIZATION AND THE KOREAN PENINSULA EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION ON IDENTITIES AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA Jihye Gil San Francisco, California 2015 In this thesis, the author explores and analyzes how globalization negatively contributes to the relationship between North and South Korea since the Korean War. She explores and analyzes cultural and national identity change in South Korea resulted in globalization since the Korean War. Combining both qualitative and quantitative method, the author attempts to demonstrate a social dilemma, resulted in multiculturalism in South Korea, and the othering process through linguistic exclusion. Particularly, she scrutinizes the structure of linguistic system in South Korea, and observes news and TV shows in three Korean main broad cast systems. The author finds that South Korean news and social media have been influenced by globalization and modernization, and they have used certain forms of discourses and languages in order to emphasize South Korean national and cultural identity, but the othering North Korea. I certify that the Abstract is a correct representation of the content of this thesis. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables................................................................... ............................................... vi List of Figures.................................................................................................................. vii List of Appendices...........................................................................................................viii Introduction........................................................................................................................1 Literature Review............................................................................................................2 The Conception of Traditional Nationalism and Identity in the Korean Peninsula..................................................3 The Influence of Globalization on Cultural and National Identity Change in South Korea...................................9 Methodology Designing..................................................................................................14 Qualitative Data Analysis................................................................................................15 The Process of Linguistic Heterogeneity and Linguistic Structure in South Korea......................................................................16 Identity Dilemma between Multiculturalism and Mono-ethnicity.............. 31 Quantitative Data Analysis............................................................................................. 48 Identification of South Koreans’ Perception Change on North Korea 36 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 55 Bibliography..................................................................................................................... 59 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Lyrics of the North Korean National Anthem.................................................... 21 2. The Use of English words in North and South Korea....................................... 30 3. The Word Frequency in the President Park’s Speech in 1967......................... 42 4. The Word Frequency in the President Kim’s Speech in 2000 ..........................44 1 Introduction Since the end of the Second World War, the Korean Peninsula has been an ideological battlefield between America and the Soviet Union. In 1950, disagreements over which of two established governments in Korea ruled the country led to the Korean War between North and South Korea, with America supporting the south and the Soviet Union supporting the north. Eventually, the Korean peninsula divided into two countries pursuing different ideologies, capitalism and communism. As a result, the two Koreas have walked different paths in terms of politics and economy. While Germany reunified and the Cold War ended, the Korean Peninsula remained as the only two that have not reunified since the Cold War. In doing so, the prolonged partition of the peninsula has had immense impacts on the two countries in terms of politics, economy, culture, and national identity. Especially, South Korea has been through rapid economic and social transformation, whereas North Korea has been at a standstill since the 1970s. In terms of social and cultural aspects, South Korea has drastically transformed its social and cultural landscape, especially as a result of the official establishment of "Segyehwa," meaning globalization policy, in the early 1990s. In addition, the policy of opening its market to the global trade and encouraging foreign investors led to the development of South Korean's economy. This promoted massive inflow of foreign culture through social media and foreign citizens, who have also 2 contributed to the social and cultural transformation. North Korea, in contrast, has pursued defensive policy toward globalization and refused external influence. North Korea, instead, has established its national survival strategy based on ‘Juche,’ meaning self-reliance and military extortion. The prolonged partition between the two countries and the rapid modernization, along with globalization in South Korea, has deepened the gap, which is not only a political and economic one, but also a cultural and national identity gap between the two countries. As a result, the South Korean political and social perception toward North Korea and unification of the peninsula has changed. Regarding the issue, this study hypothesizes on the basis of the gap between the two countries, and it argues the following: Globalization and its impact on cultural and national identity in South Korea have negatively contributed to the relationship between North and South Korea. In doing so, the paper focuses on examining how globalization contributes to South Korea in terms of cultural and national identity, and aims to illustrate correlations between globalization and the relationship between North and South Korea. In the following literature review, the paper introduces academic discourses and debates regarding national identity formation in Korea and impacts of globalization on the shaping of national identity. 4 forces that shape the new self-conceptions of nationalists in the countries. The constructivist approach offered an understanding of innovation in comprehending the power balance theory, neoliberal cooperation theory, and the security dilemma with its concentration. The identity issues in world and domestic politics created a culture in the history of international relations.2 Most theorists have paid less attention to sources that can be termed as mainly the roots of potential conflict and regional instability in East Asia. These are the downplayed variables in contemporary international relations theory: identity, memory, and nationalism. In this regard, scholars have emphasized that understanding Korean nationalism and its national identity is one of the essential grounds in studying South Korean politics and the country’s relationship with North Korea. However, scholars’ have made numerous speculations regarding the origin and development of Korean nationalism and national identity. Shin highlights that those perceptions can be classified into three categories: primordialist views, modernist or constructivist views, and other views.3 2 Sheila M. Jager, The politics of identity: history, nationalism, and the prospect for peace in post-Cold War East Asia, (ARMY WAR COLL STRATEGIC STUDIES INST CARLISLE BARRACKS PA, 2007), 15-20 3 Gi-wook Shin, Ethnic Nationalism in Korea: Genealogy, Politics, and Legacy, (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2006), 21-289. 5 The national identity of Korea is emphasized by pre-modern ethnic roots. Anthony Smith claims that ethnic roots provide a nation's pre-existing basis, one where, without it, the nation's strong appeal and durability can hardly have an explanation. In this sense, Smith emphasizes that national identity is composed of two components, civic and ethnic. Memories, pre-historic myths, and the same ancestry play an indispensable role in forming the ethnic component of national identity.4 The public, many historians, and primordialists in Korea have a tendency to believe that Korean is a single race that is connected with one bloodline from the pre-historic period. This strong belief of Koreans is based on the idea of being descendants of Dangun, a founder of Gochosun in a primordial nation-building story. Thus, their ethnic unity came naturally. Due to the previous historical experiences, Suh et al. agree