By Choi Yearn-hong
Korean-American power is now emerging to correct the name of the sea between Japan and Korea and the sovereignty of Dokdo islets. Power is measured by influence.
Korean-American power is influencing local school boards, local councils and the state legislatures to accept the joint use of the terms East Sea and Sea of Japan and Korea's undisputed sovereignty of the Dokdo islets.
Local and state politicians are enlightened by Korean-American influence on the issues of the unknown sea and islets. American people are the least educated on international affairs, especially on East Asian affairs.
They need education on these. Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin did not know how to distinguish Africa as a continent and a nation. This is just one good example.
The U.S. Library of Congress's map of Korea has been corrected. However, many American people, including so-called intellectuals, think Dokdo is a disputed islet between Korea and Japan. Korean-Americans are now approaching American politicians with their voting power.
Power in democracy is dependent on the strength of voting power. Korean-American power is small but growing and increasingly influencing American politics. This is one very fortunate story in Korea's competition with Japan.
Japanese-American power exists, but it is not comparable to Korean-American power. The Korean-American community is a new Korea frontier.
The first visible result was the congressional resolution on sympathy and compassion for ``comfort women,'' demanding a more profound apology from the Japanese government than the one it issued a couple of years ago. Japanese-American congressman Mike Honda led the campaign.
National Geographic printed the dual names of Sea of Japan/East Sea and Dokdo/Takeshima on the sea between Korea and Japan and the islets. Many American mapmakers and geographers are in favor of a single name, the Sea of Japan.
But when they learn more about the history of East Asian nations, they will use the dual name over the sea and a single name for Dokdo over the dual names. The present situation has nothing to do with the failure of the Korean government's diplomacy or PR efforts.
Japan's wealth and its image are far superior to those of Korea. The international community does not see Japan and Korea equally. Mapmakers and teachers do not see the things with human compassion and sympathy as the Korean people wish. They are not kind to Korean people's claims about the East Sea and Dokdo.
Frankly speaking, I am pessimistic about the correction of the sea name and the sovereignty of Dokdo in the near future. Blaming and accusing American imperialism on these issues are neither valid nor helpful.
Now, I see a new hope from the growing power of the Korean-American community. They can herald good news to the Korean people. The Korean-American community is aware of its voting power.
I met and briefed newly elected congressman Jerry Connolly, from my district, who was chairman of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, on the sea name and Dokdo. I said, ``You will receive Korean-American voters' support as long as you have a firm commitment to defending the dual sea name and the sovereignty of Dokdo.
``International free trade and mutual defense between the U.S. and Korea will be your next choice. But the name of the sea and the islet are imminent concerns of all Korean-American people.''
I e-mailed my articles on those issues to him upon his request. I also asked my friend, Norman Cherkis, a retired U.S. naval researcher and consultant, to send his article on Dokdo to Connolly.
Many Korea Times readers may remember Yoko Kawashima Watkins' story, ``So Far From the Bamboo Grove,'' a non-fiction memoir of one young Japanese girl based on her sad and tragic experiences in returning to Japan from Korea after Japan's surrender to the Allied forces in August 1945.
Many Korean-American parents protested the listing of the book for American high school reading. The book could be fair to many readers, but might offer, unnecessarily, the cruelty of Koreans to the evacuating Japanese. Korean-American children and their parents made a big movement in the U.S. couple of years ago.
Korean-Americans are a visible minority people in Fairfax County, an affluent suburban county in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, where I currently reside. In my judgment, they are now seeing their influence in close local and state elections.
They are organized into the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. They elected one school board member and they may elect one county supervisor in the forthcoming special election, a sign of political strength and power. No one can ignore increasing Korean-American voting power in the seesaw elections between the two major party candidates.
The Korean National Assembly has passed the voting rights act of Korean citizens with Green Cards in the U.S. onto the Korean presidential and general elections. This act has been controversial for politicizing overseas Koreans, including those in the U.S., but will bring them closer to their mother country.
Korean people should recognize the presence and role of Korean-Americans, who have long been neglected or ignored by the two nations.
One unexpected Korean-American power is voting power in the United States and Korea. The power of voting rights will be explosive when it is well equipped with sense of justice and fairness on international affairs.
I am looking forward to seeing more Korean-American power and influence in American politics and Korean politics. Second and third generation overseas Koreans will wield more power in all walks of American life. I hope it's positive for both nations and builds a better bridge between the two.
Dr. Choi is a retired college professor after his long teaching career in the United States and Korea. He can be reached at janechoi@cox.net