Jason Lim is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture.
Citizenship as a commodity
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By Jason Lim
Viktor Ahn’s gold medal winning performance in the men’s 1,000-meter short track competition triggered a cascade of self-recrimination over how a corrupt and nepotistic sports authority drove Ahn away and forced him to defect to Russia to continue competing. When President Park also wondered out loud in public whether some ingrained problems with how sports are managed resulted in Korea losing one of its best skaters, self-recrimination became a full-fledged Salem Witch Trial, with bureaucrats and national assemblymen outdoing one another to jump into the fray.
But almost lost in this trial by media is the fact that Ahn chose to renounce his Korean citizenship to adopt a Russian one. It’s not as if Ahn had some historical or cultural connection to Russia. He himself admits that it was a purely business decision because he wanted to continue skating and competing under the best conditions possible, which he couldn’t get in Korea. He had also probed the U.S. for opportunities but decided on Russia because it offered the best deal.
In short, this was nothing but a free agent sports star shopping for the best team to play for next year, one that would give him the most money and best chance to win a championship. In this case, the best team happened to be a country, and the championship was the Winter Olympics.
As such, Ahn brings home that fact that the Olympics, while it still may pay lip service to the noble spirit of sports and honor of representing your country, is barely more than a commercial vehicle for individual athletes to showcase their talents and make a successful living from the exposure that they attain. The Olympics is big business, and athletes are free agents who are out to maximize their value in the marketplace. Which is hardly news.
But this poses an interesting question as to what nationality means in this age when it’s a commodity that can be traded. Then how can Koreans be so supportive of Viktor Ahn when he clearly traded away his birth nationality with another one? Viktor is clearly not a “Korean” anymore, yet Koreans cheer for him like he’s still one of their own.
Or is nationality something different than citizenship, with the latter being a legal definition while the former describes more of ethnic affinity? In this case, is Viktor Ahn still a Korean national who only happens to be a Russian citizen? Does this mean that nationality trumps citizenship in determining the primary identity of a person?
Naturalized U.S. citizens, when going through the final interview process, all have to answer a question that goes something like this: If a war breaks out between the U.S. and your birth nation, are you willing to fight on behalf of the U.S. against your birth nation? I am not sure whether Russia has a similar interview question during its naturalization process, but if it does, and Viktor Ahn answered, “Yes,” would Koreans feel the same way about him? In other words, if you swear that you are willing to kill Koreans on behalf of Russia if a war breaks out between the two countries, are you still a Korean national who only happens to be a Russian citizen?
I am just thinking out loud. However, one thing is clear: the way that Koreans are treating Viktor Ahn really does provide an insight to how Koreans view the concept of nationality versus citizenship. It’s apparent that they view citizenship as a feature of convenience that can be traded like a commodity depending on the individual’s business needs. No wonder that the practice of traveling to the U.S. to give birth to sons so that they can become American citizens and avoid mandatory military duty is so widely accepted.
On the other hand, nationality is more based on ethnicity. In other words, no matter what citizenship you hold, you are a Korean if you are ethnically Korean. No wonder that Koreans treat ethnic Korean who made good in other countries, especially U.S. and Europe, as returning heroes. Just look at all the accolades and cheers they shower on Michelle Wie’s and Fleur Pellerin’s of the world. They didn’t do anything for Korea to deserve such outpouring of love except for being ethnically Korean. It’s pretty obvious Koreans consider nationality based on ethnicity far more important and permanent than citizenship based on legality.
This poses an interesting dilemma in today’s global age. If your tribe is primarily defined by how you look, then what happens when talented white American or future Steve Jobs from Kenya wants to become Korean citizens? Would they ever be welcomed and accepted as a member of the tribe? More importantly, what happens when Korean children don’t look ethnically Korean anymore, as is increasingly happening with the prevalence of interracial marriages, want seats at the table and demand to be recognized as full-fledged Korean nationals, not just citizens?
This is a critical question that Korea will have to deal with as it evolves into a increasingly diverse society. I hope she picks the right answer.
Jason Lim is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture. He has been writing for The Korea Times since 2006. He can be reached at jasonlim@msn.com, facebook.com/jasonlimkoreatimes and @jasonlim2012.