Is Korea a Great Nation?
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By Andrew Salmon
Living in Korea, it is easy to be pessimistic. After all, among the natives, self-criticism is almost a fetish.
Although nobody is able to articulate exactly what they are, everybody seems to take for granted that there are still “unanswered questions” hanging over the sinking of the Sewol and the failure to rescue more passengers.
Many believe that because there was heavy law enforcement presence in central Seoul ahead of the Sewol anniversary demonstrations and general strike protests, Korea is now a “police state.”
Others assert that because the government has disbanded a minor opposition political party, and because it appoints the heads of state broadcasters, Korea cannot be considered “democratic.”
Although Korea has not suffered an actual year-on-year recession since 1999, local media and pundits constantly insist that the economy is in “crisis.”
Meanwhile, pundits will fire any ammunition they have access to ― economic, political, demographic ― to make their point that Korea is “heading for disaster.”
Of course there is a plus to this: It shows that there is free thinking and free association underway. And wherever free speech is permitted, critics, naysayers and doom merchants will be found.
However, if we take a wider perspective, overlook short termism and acknowledge that no country is perfect then ― well. Given her achievements, South Korea is a great nation.
But don’t take my word for it. Take the word of a bona fide hero.
Take the word of a man with no partisan political agenda, whose perspective extends beyond current headlines and recent economic blips.
Take the word of a man who knew Korea before the economic miracle that transformed this nation took place; before the political miracle that overthrew authoritarian rule for good was unleashed; before the social miracle that is engendering cultural dynamism and an ability to accept and assimilate change got started.
Bill Speakman came to Korea in 1951. A British private soldier stationed in divided Berlin, he volunteered to fight for this divided nation. After arriving, he deployed to the most perilous post: A frontline infantry battalion. Prior to Nov. 4, 1951, his army career had been undistinguished. On that night, on a hilltop north of Seoul, he found his moment.
After a storm of artillery, Chinese forces launched a mass assault. Speakman’s battalion was engulfed in a nightmare maelstrom of close combat. Sub-units were overrun. Wounded piled up. The situation turned desperate.
On his own initiative, Speakman launched a series of counter charges, halting only temporarily when wounded. The enemy was so close he had no time to work his rifle bolt; instead, he hurled scores of grenades. The repeated charges by the 6-foot-6 berserker stalled the Chinese, allowing Speakman’s comrades to evacuate their wounded.
For his actions, Speakman was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for courage British and Commonwealth nations can bestow. Only 1,358 have ever been awarded; since World War II, 15 have been won; and just four were awarded (two posthumously) during the Korean War.
After receiving his VC from Queen Elizabeth, Speakman returned to the battlefront. He survived the war and served around worldwide, but after leaving the army with no skills, suffered poverty and divorce. Yet he never forgot Korea.
Like every returning veteran, he is astonished by the transformation this once devastated, undeveloped and authoritarian nation has undergone. “Your country is beautiful, your people are beautiful, just wonderful,” Speakman said last week. “I can’t express myself any further.”
In their sunset years, veterans who experience today’s South Korea have the solace of knowing that the brutal war they fought in their youths was just. That realization led Speakman to make a remarkable gesture.
In a ceremony last week, the old warrior gifted his VC and other medals to the Korean people, for display at Seoul’s National War Memorial.
“You can show your children the remembrance of a man who volunteered here, who fought here,” he said. “I hope future generations of South Koreans will follow their forebears and look after this wonderful place.”
But while his heroism grants him immortality in history books, night is falling on the wheelchair-bound 87 year-old. Recognizing this, Speakman has one last object he wishes to donate to Korea: His physical remains.
At a press conference, Speakman expressed a final wish: To have his ashes scattered over the Demilitarized Zone, the “No Man’s Land” that bisects the heart of this land he loves.
These are noble tributes, but are not inappropriate to a country that wrote arguably the 20th century’s greatest national success story. As Speakman said to Korea, “You are worth it.”
That sentiment is worth recalling next time you read an article or hear a pundit deriding this nation.
Andrew Salmon is a Seoul-based reporter and author. Reach him at
andrewcsalmon@yahoo.co.uk.