Post-truth Korea grapples with Cold War

By Kwon Hee-jong

Clearly, modern South Korea had its start in the Korean War. The national life is deeply rooted in the Korean people's encounter with the terrible theater that roiled on the peninsula nearly seven decades ago. It was a glocal conflict, with a local corrosive struggle backed with a globally reverberating multi-national engagement.

Demographically, it should be noted, the youngest of the South Koreans who consciously had their variegated brushes with the horrible ravages of the war are now close to 80. Hence, it is no wonder that the so-called South Korean Right appears upstaged by the Left at least in size, if not in the intensity of its zeal. Furthermore, it is understandable that elderly people who are out there on the streets protesting a rushed impeachment of President Park Geun-hye have been goaded by their leadership that estimates the crowd size at 5 million.

Many on the Korean Right feel they have been betrayed by the old-guard style of government operation in this age of the internet, in which openness and transparency are more stressed than ever before. In this sense, despite adamant and categorical denials from the President and her close aides, "Choi Gate" has allowed the public to pry into the inner workings of her public governance in tandem with private intricacy. It has dealt a lethal blow to the sense of pride that the wartime generation of Koreans has harbored in doing their homework and accomplishing their tough mission for their country and family, as sketched in the tearjerker movie, "Gukjesijang" (Ode to My Father).

In the midst of this shocking domestic drama, America, South Korea's closest ally, ended up handpicking Donald J. Trump as its president. Apparently, most people in South Korea fail to perceive the significance of his election. In fact, many Americans appear as confused as most South Koreans at the surprising outcome of the US presidential race.

Like most people in the other parts of the world, Koreans have long viewed "the System of Natural Liberty" by Adam Smith and the theory of comparative advantage by David Ricardo as cornerstones of free trade and global capitalism. And as American business leaders with a theoretical backing from American economists have chased the grail of international trade for a while, most people in this country have been kept in the dark about the historical advocacy and implementation of "the American System", which puts top priority on national sufficiency.

Korea-U.S. FTA may become the ultimate victim to America First, which is not just loudly espoused but also being speedily executed by the intended author of "The Art of the Deal." Without some wonderful magic, South Korean exporters stand to lose not a little of their erstwhile business with the US market. And a Korean home electronics maker just signed off on a washing machine plant in Tennessee. Yet, it is no wonder that many Korean businesses are scratching their heads and shuffling their feet, still at a loss how to figure out the recent development.

With this pendulum swinging back in North America in the wake of the old version of the Cold War, South Korea may be faced with its new version in the form of the THAAD-triggered economic retaliation from mainland China. A slew of vengeful actions have been under way since the South Korean government purchased a golf course from Lotte Group as a site where the US military has started to install the missile defense system called THAAD.

Maintaining its "unofficial" makeup for all the disappeared business deals with South Korean companies, the Chinese government and media have focused public attention on a flurry of steps openly targeting the Korean conglomerate which Beijing faults for supplying the site for the missile defense system. In partnership with the US government, the South Korean government has consistently maintained its position that THAAD is exclusively for defending the country from the North Korean nukes.

Witnessing its largest military ally taking a protectionist stance for economic reasons and its major neighboring trade partner following suit from a military perspective, South Koreans are doubtless flummoxed. And in search of a way out of this double bind, some Koreans futilely try to view THAAD as not precisely designed to protect the country against North Korean missiles; they prefer to regard it as primarily meant to protect the US military forces and installations. But this characterization may not be entirely true. Geopolitics presents a far more complicated picture.

Because of "Choi Ggate," elderly South Koreans have lost their innocence as to their domestic political leadership, which is confounded by the receding of Cold-War-driven global capitalism. Younger South Koreans have in turn begun to open their eyes to another version of the Cold War now unfolding in a no less dramatic way, with Chinese tourists vanishing from major tourist destinations across the country, among others. Perhaps, the Cold War has served us as our Garden of Eden. And some people may feel tempted to view what is happening as their fall from grace. However, if we manage to carry out a major political, social and economic reform, this on-going move could turn out a happy fall. A totally different world is before us.

Kwon Hee-jong is a Facebook commentator.