Anti-Korean sentiment spreads through China

Posted on : 2008-08-27 13:18 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The charm of the Korean wave has given way to a country whose need for Korea has diminished

Some 10 Korean businessmen in China met in a Beijing restaurant on August 23, the day before the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. The topic was the “anti-Korean sentiment” shown by Chinese fans during the Olympics. One Samsung employee said it would not surprise him if the Chinese were to launch a boycott of Korean goods soon.

Chinese fans expressed varying degrees of anti-Korean sentiment throughout the Olympics. They booed Korean athletes, and cheered opposing teams, regardless of whether the opposing team was the United States, Europe or even Japan. The Maginot Line of Chinese nationalism -- in sporting events, you root for the underdog unless it is Japan -- has fallen.

On the Internet, things are even more serious. Major Chinese portal sites like Sina.com and Sohu.com are full of comments ridiculing or belittling Korea. It has become such a frequent occurrence that in the online encyclopedia of the search engine Baidu, the entry word “anti-Korean sentiment” is openly listed. According to the entry, anti-Korean sentiment is defined as “an emotion or attitude of distrust, dislike, wariness, anger and hostility towards Korea.”

The stage for the Chinese fans rooting against Korea had been set before the Olympics. The Korean government’s judicial handling of violence by pro-Chinese demonstrators during the Olympic torch relay in Seoul sparked anger, and a fire was lit by comments from Korean Internet users that the Sichuan earthquake was a punishment from God. Finally, when Korean broadcaster SBS released video footage of a rehearsal of the Olympic opening ceremony, it all came back to Korea as a “round robin” of booing Korea.

The explosion in anti-Korean sentiment could easily be construed as a convulsion of nature if one recalls the past spread of the “Korean Wave.” The Korean Wave, which began with the establishment of Sino-Korean diplomatic ties in 1992, reached a peak with the 2005 television drama “Dae Jang Geum” attaining sensational popularity in China. The fervor for things Korean was such that a new term was even coined in China to refer to people who liked Korean drams, movies, music and fashion.

The reversal began with Korea registering the Gangneung Danoje Festival with UNESCO. Claims spread that Dano was originally a Chinese festival, but Korea had stolen it. This continued into complaints that Korea did not respect Chinese culture and was stealing Chinese history.

Later, the Chinese launched indiscriminate attacks on Korean claims of origination. Groundless or highly doubtful claims that Chinese characters, acupuncture and even the historic Chinese beauty Xi Shi were Korean were depicted as established theory in Korea and spread through the Internet. A psychological framework similar to that shown by Koreans protesting China’s Northeast Project took root on the Internet in China.

This online anti-Korean sentiment spread thanks to young Chinese Internet users born in the 1980s and 1990s. These youngsters, who grew up enjoying the sweet fruits of Chinese reform and openness, have been brought together by a bottomless pride in their homeland. For them, Korea is no longer a subject of admiration as it was in the past. Anti-Korean sentiment is the path through which their patriotism and nationalism is directed at Korea’s negative side.

On the other hand, the way Korea looks at China is not keeping up with these changes in China. The refusal to recognize China’s growth into a major economic power, or psychological insecurity fearing such growth, is making difficult a balanced view of China. An official from the local Koreans’ association said it seems neither the view that China is still a backwards country nor the view that it’s a great power can explain what is going on.

That China’s need for Korea is dropping is counted as a factor in the failure to block the spread of anti-Korean sentiment. China, which developed on the Korean model of labor intensive industries, now wants higher-stage industries, but Korean know-how is not satisfying this desire. The view that Korea is a competitor, not a model, is dominating Chinese magnanimity towards Korea.

Anti-Korean sentiment is now showing signs of impacting even Korean corporate activity. There is considerable concern that the example of French supermarket firm Carrefour, which was forced to eat scorn in the form of a Chinese boycott in the wake of demonstrations against the Olympic torch relay in Paris, could happen to Korean companies, too. One corporate employee said the Chinese Internet and Internet users were holding multinational firms who had entered China hostage. He said it would be hard for anybody to endure if they chose to attack a certain firm.

Korea and China have rapidly developed their relationship since establishing ties in 1992. They have established friendly ties in all sectors, including politics, economy and culture. China is a major Korean export market, and Korea is a major investor in China. Their official diplomatic relationship has been upgraded from that of partner to strategic partner.

Anti-Korean sentiment appears to be ending this honeymoon. As points of contact increase, previously unseen sides are coming into view, with the buds of conflict growing. Looking at the big picture, one could also say that the Sino-Korean relationship is moving beyond its youthful prime and into becoming more realistic. We are at the crossroads in which the Chinese view of Korea, which has moved from Korean-friendly to anti-Korean, will develop into a hatred of Korea or deepen into pro-Koreaness.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

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