We have already seen the farther left side of Korean society pick up on this led by the Hanky.

And I think anyone who knows South Korean society would have to admit that the general, strong tendency of the society as a whole is to follow that segment’s lead.

Examples: The Great Water Dump of 2000, The Host, and the “USFK destroys our environment” phenomenon that has been a big player in US-SK relations since the late 1990s and certainly since the end of 2000. South Koreans do blame Korean companies. They do know the chaebol are at fault. But, that does not stop them from having a 2 track mind on the environment with one of those tracks being a highly hypocritical and gross exaggeration of the amount of damage South Korea’s environmental situation is due to the US in Korea.

There are plenty of other examples to find to show how Korean society has a national habit of shifting blame to the US for things that it does not feel comfortable with.

The Kwangju/Gwangju Massacre for one. Even the assassination of Park Chung Hee. Park Chung Hee’s authoritarian style – and so on. Whatever Korean adults might do and say about those people and those events in relation to their being Korean and responsible for this or that, there is tied to it a need to shift attention to how the US in Korea at the time has a lion’s share of the blame.

This hostage situation in Afghanistan will be no different.

At minimum it will end up like the I’m-F (IMF) fiasco of the late 1990s. There is a whole cottage industry in Korean academics dedicated to defining the economic collapse as both American-made and an example of US imperialism — whether the less-leftist members of academia use the term “imperialism” in talking about how the US “threw open” the doors to Korea’s markets by taking advantage of Korea during the IMF period or not….

Good comment. My Korean friends I have talked to have also been very angered by the Taliban’s actions as well. It seems like it is just the Korean government and media trying set conditions to blame “others” if the hostages are killed instead of the Korean government.

However, if this gets protracted to long the Korean public may get angered enough to where they will demand some kind action from their government. It will be interesting to see how this turns out but we should all hope for the best.

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/07/26/2007072600530.html

At the bottom is a message board link. Below I’ve roughly translated the messages with the most recommendations:

The US came and saved us after our counry was attacked and fed the poor and war orphans. Hoewver, the Left at present has painted the US as evil in order to settle grudges and get power. As I read this article, I am reminded of the special nature of the Left and the Taliban, who cozy up when they need something and kill heartlessly when they don’t need.

김성호 (lifetimelong) 27 9
우리나라가 북괴침략에 의해 위기에 빠졌을때 미국이 와서 구해주었고 또한 많은 가난한 사람들이나 전쟁고아들을 그들이 먹여주었다. 그러나 현 좌빨 정권은 오로지 자신들의 한풀이와 권력을 위해 그런 고마운 미국을 오히려 악의 대명사로 몰아서 내버렸다. 이 기사를 읽으면서, 필요할땐 들러붙고 필요없을땐 매몰차게 죽이는 탈레반과 좌빨들의 특성이 연상된다. (07/26/2007 13:35:34)

A gap in the Korea-US alliance? It’s like a noise that punches through a paper window and disturbs one’s sleep. Still singing a song about the alliance after it’s been invalidated? Seems somebody realizes the sad and severe situation of being an international traitor and outcast. The ROK is just a bowl of rice for terrorist organizations in North Korea, the Taliban, and the world.

이상웅 (simonpeterlee) 26 3
한미동맹 틈 생길라!? 자다가 봉창 두드리는 소리하고 자빠졌네. 한미동맹이 무효화된지가 언제인데 아직까지 한미동맹 타령인가? 국제 배신자로서의 왕따의 신세가 얼마나 서럽고 매서운 것인지 이제 좀 깨달았을 것이다. 대한민국은 이제 북한 테러집단과 탈레반 테러집단 뿐만 아니라 세계의 모든 테러집단의 밥이요 봉일 뿐이다. (07/26/2007 12:54:38)

We can consult with Israel on how to deal with cases like this. There was a movie, wasn’t there? In the 1972 Munich Olympics, the criminals who carried out the massacre were hunted down and killed. We ought to participate actively in the war against terrorism and support the US. Rather than a force of barely 210 soldiers, we ought to send money or something like Japan . Even poor Mongolia manages to send more than 210 soldiers.

이성규 (sklee1959) 23 2
이 경우 이스라엘의 대처 방식을 참조할 수 있겠다. 영화도 있지 않은가 ? 1972년 뮌헨 올림픽 대학살의 범죄자들을 끝까지 추적해서 모두 사살했다. 단 이를 100% 따라할 수는 없어도 적어도 우리도 테러와의 전쟁에 더 적극적으로 참여하고 미국을 지지해야할 것이다. 겨우 군대 210명 말고 하다못해 일본처럼 돈이라도 보내자. 몽골같은 빈국 조차도 210명보다는 많이보내겠다. (07/26/2007 10:37:59)

Now, granted it’s the Chosun, but its readership doesn’t seem to buying into this blatant attempt to shift responsibility for securing the hostages’ release onto the US.