FlaviaGarcia_RP_05
The contents of this Special lecture held by Dr. Hyun-Kyung Kim revolved around the
Tourism exchange between North- and South Korea, particularly during the 1990s,
when she was among the 2 million fortunate South Koreans who got to visit their
neighbour before inter-korean mobility was heavily restricted.
She began her presentation by displaying the first road connecting North- and South
Korea, which opened in 2003 and later became a railway. This shows an interesting
contrast to Germany, a country whose Wall (Wall of Berlin) and subsequent fall of
said wall affected the history and sparked interest in many Koreans.
When the CEO of Hyundae met Kim Jong-Il in 1984 to begin talks about the
Geumgangsan (금강산)- or the Geumgang mountain tourism- project, it opened a
new path for interkorean relations and contact zones.
The concept of contact zones, coined by Mary L. Pratt, describes spaces where
people from different ideological backgrounds come together and communicate. This
results in boundaries being redefined in surprising and dynamic ways, as well as
tensions caused by cultural differences.
During the 90s, when South Korea was undergoing the Sunshine Politics (modelled
after Germany’s East-German politics), tourism to North Korea was at its peak.
This tourism brought some problems, such as the high amount of Christians,
especially Protestants, who travelled to the North in hopes of converting local
residents to their religion, a practice that was banned.
Dr. Kim recounted the story of the official from Pyeongyang, who had been on a
plane to Jeju and heard the South Korean crew apologise for a one-hour delay. After
the delay was met with negative reactions from South Koreans aboard, the North
Koreans concluded that such complaints reflected South Koreans flagging interest in
reunification, since waiting an hour longer for such a crucial meeting should not have
resulted in as many complaints as it did.
He was also irritated by the pluralistic society, as South Korean government
representatives mentioned needing approval from other organs of state to act. It
made the official wonder, whether negotiation with such a weak government was
truly worth it.
According to Dr. Kim, friendly North- and South Korean relations reached their peak
in 2002, when the North Korean government was planning to undergo major
economic reforms, resulting in heightened exchange between the neighbours.
After numerous suspensions and reinstallations, the Geumgangsan project was
finally shut down in 2008, marking a turning point in relations between the two
nations.
An interesting aspect mentioned by the lecturer was North Korea’s patriarchal view
on women. During the visits, many North Korean men were surprised at South
Korean women’s attitude, as they seemed passionate and different from what they
knew.
Dr. Kim recalled the issue of women wearing trousers instead of skirts, which was a
leading clashing point between North Korean police and South Korean tourists. In
recent years, however, North Korea has become less set on their traditional view on
women. Kim Jong-Il, a self-proclaimed patriarch, prohibited women from wearing
trousers. Meanwhile, the current head of state, Kim Jong-Un, has numerous
prominent female figures by his side, such as his sister or certain politicians.
Wearing skirts is no longer mandatory for North Korean women, this change could
signify a new path in North Korean politics and gender equality.
Dr. Kim concluded her presentation with the statement, that these close inter-korean
relations now seem distant, like a mirage, as North Korea declared it would shut
down contact to the South in 2020 and relations have not improved since.
I was moved by this phrase- after all the fore-mentioned cooperation, we now have a
new generation which does not just reject exchange with North Korea- it simply sees
no greater value in it.
My question to Dr. Kim was whether this cooperation, which blossomed during the
turn of the century, is also seen as a distant mirage to South Koreans, especially the
younger generation. Based on my own research and conversations with same-aged
peers from Korea, it has become evident to me that the young generation in South
Korean is uninterested in North Korea, much less in reunification. Dr. Kim and Mr.
Kang confirmed this, stating that South Korean school textbooks contain optional
readings about their neighbours, however none of the mandatory curriculums carry
information about the state or past relations.
This has especially intrigued me, since it seems like Korea is currently farther away
from a reunification than they have ever been. It is reflected in the indifference
towards their neighbours and the aggressive Anti-North Korea policy enforced by the
current government of South Korea (aggressive when compared to past
governments such as that of Kim Dae-Jung).
I wonder whether now, almost 80 years after splitting, the time to give up on
reunification efforts has come. Will the next generation of South Koreans even
identify with North Korea at all? Since the generation of Koreans who remember a
joint Korea is getting older and not passing down this feeling, I believe there may be
a chance that soon, language might be the only thing connecting both countries. I
also wonder whether the passage of time will result in more cultural changes that
further separate the countries. For example, will South Korea ever change their
name internationally, as to no longer be associated with their neighbour? This seems
like a plausible theory when you remember that South Korea does not call itself
“South Korea” in their own language, rather having a historical term for their country.
To them, North Korea, is the North (“북한).