Barking up the wrong tree?
In response to the hundreds of professors issuing public statements to protest against Lee Myung-bak's extremely unpopular regime, a conservative Seoul National University professor and literary critic, Kim Seong-kon1 offers this op-ed in The Korea's Herald.
Claiming that Lee Myung-bak is "stubborn and unwise maybe," but "far from a dictator," Kim laments that professors are wasting their time protesting against "their own government" instead of doing the right thing -- which, in his opinion, means one thing and one thing only: doing something about North Korea. Anything else is frivolous, really, since Korea's a thriving democracy (see evidence below).
January 20, 2009. Police fire water canons at protesters gathered, in sub-zero temperature no less, to mourn the death of 6 killed by overzealous and incompetent police acting on behalf of developers in Yongsan. Photo from here.
Wise Professor Kim also advises, "The times have changed. Today, one can freely join an anti-government protest without worrying about losing one's job or being arrested. This means that the professors who recently joined the protest are luckier than those of my generation. It also means that in such a democratized society as today's South Korea, you do not need to issue such a statement." And then he blames the Roh administration of creating the current ideological polarity.
Right. Because in a democratized society, one needs not protest.
Sure, LMB continues to crack down on the poor ("Korea highest in elderly poverty, OECD") and the displaced ("Yongsan tragedy") while exonerating crooked capitalists ("Samsung CEO found not guilty, surprise, surprise"), and lining the pockets of his construction buddies ("Four River Project folly").
Human rights film festivals are canceled without explanation, and even the basic right to public assembly is being threatened, but no. There's no need for pleas or protests.
All is swell, didn't you know?
- To give some context, I know Kim as a literary critic who bemoaned the low profile of Korean literature on world stage. You know, why Korea has never won a Nobel Prize in Literature. The way Kim saw it, Korean literature is not regarded highly because it's too hung up on "internal, psychological struggles" or "family conflicts" (perpetuated by none other than the women writers in the 1990s) or caught up in nationalism or political ideologies that simply do not appeal to a world audience. In short, Kim suggested that what Korea needs a Da Vinci Code, something apolitical, "universal" with "global appeal." ↩
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Tags: conservative, democracy, Korea/Diaspora, literature, politics, protestCategories
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June 10th, 2009 - 10:57
My goodness, I thought you were joking about the Da Vinci Code. How is this guy a literary critic?
June 10th, 2009 - 21:34
Actually,
I think Kim is partly right, about literature anyway. Korean translations have tended to be (aided by Universities and the KLTI and the translation choices they determine) very academic books/novels with very narrow focuses. Either this or fiction that focuses on Korean themes that don’t translate so well (Either pain of the post war period, like “Cain’s Descendants” or traditional themes, like “Buckwheat Season”). These books are immediately shelved in the libraries of Asian Studies programs and then gather dust.
I’m not sure a Korean Da Vinci Code is the right answer exactly – but translation of Mishima, for instance, surely helped Japan break out of the translation ghetto they had been in. Then the real trick is to get English writers to go Da Vinci Code on the topic of Korea. Remember what Clavell did “for” Japan in the 70s, and then that trickled out into TV and movies.. Shogun, for example, or Gai Jin. Heck, Speed Racer (the cartoon), even. It follows down to Tom Cruise in the hideous “Last Samurai.”
What do you have for Korea?
M*A*S*H
June 12th, 2009 - 13:43
What I object to isn’t the claim that there’s a limited audience or market for translated Korean literature. It’s the idea that writers need to consider trendy or popular themes as the only road to world renown. So many discussions in Korea about the Nobel Prize center around seeking recognition for KOREA on the world stage, and I think the clamor is misguided. Of course, the translation market hugely influences which works get introduced to an English-language audience, for instance, but it’s never just about the literature. Instead of seeking national fame, I would love to see people (anywhere) taking a more active interest in Korean literature, translated or otherwise, and encourage Korean writers and artists — and yes, even scholars and critics — to participate in international communities, engage with public debates, and help create the buzz that way.
June 12th, 2009 - 02:56
The lesson of all this? Don’t EVER read the Korea Herald.