Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
Young Koreans lash out at heavy-handed China
Korean university students and exchange students from Hong Kong protest against the enactment of the National Security Law in Hong Kong in front of China's embassy in central Seoul, May 27, 2020. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Park Han-sol
This article is the first in a three-part series to highlight growing anti-China sentiment in Korea and the current state of relations between the two countries. ― ED
Anti-China sentiment intensified during COVID-19 pandemic
By Park Han-sol
Back in November 2019, there were multiple instances of on-campus conflicts between Korean and Chinese students surrounding the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Some Koreans showed their open support for the movement through statements that they posted on the school's bulletin boards, which angered some Chinese students and led to a war of words or even physical clashes in some cases.
Similar confrontations between supporters of Hong Kong activists and mainland Chinese students have taken place in other countries as well ― in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
In “Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World” (2020), the two authors, Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg, claim that certain incidents involving the collective action of mainland Chinese students against the pro-Hong Kong rallies could be considered as state-sponsored.
“…Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CCSAs) do have ties to the (Chinese Communist) Party and the Chinese government,” the book reads. “At the University of Queensland, one pro-Hong Kong student was assaulted. The next day, the Chinese consul general (in Australia) issued a statement praising the patriotic actions of the Chinese students, drawing a rebuke from Australia's foreign minister.”
A string of heavy-handed, nationalistic actions taken by China has resulted in a growing antipathy toward the country, particularly among younger Koreans. Having witnessed the Chinese government denying its role in the production of fine dust pollution, a major environmental problem ― especially in springtime ― that often sweeps through the greater Seoul area, causing people to suffer from various respiratory disorders, and Chinese fishers working illegally in Korea's maritime territory in the West Sea, Koreans have been simmering with discontent for the past several years.
Given that the Chinese city of Wuhan is believed to be the origin of the COVID-19 outbreak, Beijing's poor handling of the virus has become the latest source of discontent among younger Koreans.
“I think that anti-China sentiment has intensified in Korea, particularly after the COVID-19 outbreak,” said a 23-year-old university student in Seoul who asked to be identified only by his surname of Jung. “From reading news articles, I personally came to believe that Wuhan is where the virus originated from. The fact that people's lives have changed completely due to the pandemic, and many are suffering the consequences, seem to be the source of the recent surge in such negative feelings.”
Human rights issues are another source of discontent among Korean Millennials and Generation Z toward China.
“China continues to oppress ethnic minorities within its borders, and tries to assert its claims on the South China Sea, not by taking diplomatic actions but by building artificial islands,” Kim Tae-il, an international studies major at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, told The Korea Times. “How can a nation with such a track record be considered a normal country in the present era?”
Lee Yun-kyu, a senior majoring in political science and diplomacy at Ajou University, referred to the country's ongoing crackdown in Hong Kong. “China has paid no regard to maintaining the universally accepted values of freedom and human rights.”
Six other interviewees, all in their mid-20s through early 30s, echoed such sentiments, each citing different sociocultural events that ended up fueling their antipathy toward China ― including the recent feud between the origins of kimchi and hanbok (traditional Korean dress) and Beijing's growing influence over the Korean entertainment scene.
According to a joint survey conducted in June by the daily newspaper Kukmin Ilbo and the polling company Global Research, 51.7 percent of 1,000 respondents between the ages of 18 and 39 put China at the top of their list of countries they view negatively. This figure is significantly higher than that of Japan (31.2 percent) ― which has long been an easy target for criticism due to its 1910-45 colonial occupation of Korea ― as well as that of North Korea (12.6 percent).
This relatively strong anti-China sentiment among younger Koreans even materialized into a widespread boycott against a drama series that had featured Chinese-style props earlier this year.
SBS drama series "Joseon Exorcist" / Courtesy of Studio Plex, Crave Works, Lotte Cultureworks
In late March, the fantasy period drama series, “Joseon Exorcist,” got off on the wrong foot with its viewers. Although the story was set during the early Joseon Kingdom era (1392-1910), featuring real royal historical figures of the period, some of the characters were adorned with unabashedly Chinese-style costumes, hairstyles and food props ― including mooncakes and century eggs.
Just a day after the second episode aired, a petition calling for the immediate cancellation of the show “for its distortion of Korean history” was posted on Cheong Wa Dae's website, gathering more than 247,000 signatures. The petition was followed by over 5,000 similar complaints filed to the Korea Communications Standards Commission. This public backlash ultimately pushed the broadcaster SBS to cancel the show altogether less than a week after its premiere.
The forced cancellation of “Joseon Exorcist” from domestic TV was an unprecedented turning point in consumer-driven actions. There had previously been no historical drama series canceled due to viewers' outrage.
The key roles behind the campaign were played by younger, digital-savvy Koreans. The screenshots taken from the fantasy thriller series' scenes featuring Chinese props spread quickly across popular online communities favored by those in their 20s and early 30s, resulting in collective action against the show, the broadcaster and even its corporate sponsors.
“There were a number of internet communities that were very active from the start in their boycott against Joseon Exorcist. And these communities are largely led by users in their 20s,” said Joo Chang-yun, a professor of communications and media at Seoul Women's University.
He said that people in their 20s can be described as the “generation of rage.” “Facing a tough labor market and high youth unemployment, they view themselves as the victims of the continued economic downturn. The feelings of frustration and deprivation have caused them to be much more sensitive to certain issues, which they deem to be threats to their identities and wellbeing,” he said.
“For example, back in 2010, a clash between feminists and misogynists flared up online when the employment rate of women narrowly exceeded that of men for the first time ever. This gender-based conflict was a kind of outlet through which young males let out their anger.”
Joo said that the current anti-China sentiment can also be another case of bubbling-over rage, this time taking the form of Korean nationalism.
As to why anti-China views are on the rise among the younger people ― in comparison to anti-Japan views, which are typically expected to be held by Koreans, due to Japan's former role as Korea's colonizer ― he explained that there is a difference in terms of how “imminent the threat feels to them.”
“In the case of Japan, the conflict is largely fixated on past ideological issues ― sex slavery, forced labor and Dokdo, for example.” Korea claims the Dokdo islets as the nation's easternmost territory, while Japan disputes the claim.
However, when it comes to China, the conflict is based on issues resulting from Beijing's currently growing influence in political, economic and cultural spheres, he noted. This situation means that the country's presence has become an inescapable force felt in the everyday life of younger Koreans.
“China's claims of ownership over kimchi and hanbok, as well as Chinese investment in the Korean entertainment scene… These elements are all closely connected to young Koreans' everyday lives, and therefore they feel more of an imminent threat to them,” Joo explained.