Newsletter

Editor's Note: Northeast Asian History Foundation News, the newsletter of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, has reached its 100th issue. In celebration, President of the Northeast Asian History Foundation Kim Hakjoon gave an interview to Director of the Department of Public Relations Kim Minkyu.

Q. Kim Minkyu As the publisher of Northeast Asian History Foundation News, do you have anything you'd like to say to the readers?

A. Kim Hakjoon Reaching the 100th issue is no easy task. I'd like to say "Thank you" to everyone. And I will work together to make Northeast Asian History Foundation News a better newsletter, one that the general public will also want to subscribe to.

Q. Kim Minkyu As you have read the past issues of the newsletter, what was the article or feature that left a particular impression on you?

A. Kim Hakjoon What I was particularly happy to read has been the news about the discovery of new materials in connection with the NAHF, or the publication of papers related to topics addressed by the NAHF, or the publication of related books. There are quite many foreign guests visiting the NAHF. Articles introducing them are the ones that I always read and reread.

Q. Kim Minkyu What do you suggest that Northeast Asian History Foundation News should keep in mind as the medium representing the NAHF?

A. Kim Hakjoon Every media must be accurate in anything they report. as must general newspapers. Inaccurate information or articles mislead the readers. Given that the newsletter is part of the NAHF's archive, it is all the more important to ensure accuracy.

Q. Kim Minkyu In your New Year's message this year, you said that the NAHF promised to communicate with the people and you would make the year 2015 a year for reaching out to the people. It sounded like you were admitting that the NAHF had not been as good as it should have been in communication.

A. Kim Hakjoon Correct. Our Foundation is a sophisticated academic and research institute. It tends to deal only with highly academic people. But that's wrong. The Korean people watched the establishment of our Foundation with great anticipation and hope. We need to get even closer to them. And Northeast Asian History Foundation News should serve as a bridge that connects the NAHF and the people.

Q. Kim Minkyu In your inaugural address in 2012, you said “Our Foundation's first and foremost mission is to defend the history and territory of our people."

A. Kim Hakjoon The purpose of the NAHF is to defend our history and territory. In this regard, we need to examine what we have done so far to see if there's been anything that needs to be fixed, and we must be determined to make efforts to fix it. There should be absolutely no mistake, especially when it comes to dealing with the Dokdo issue. Dokdo is clearly the territory of the Republic of Korea historically, geographically, and under international law, and it must be defended. The same goes for the northern region. We must continue to devote our attention to our old territory and conduct academic studies on the subject.

Q. Kim Minkyu This year marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. I'm sure that you have a lot of thoughts to share about it.

A. Kim Hakjoon I was born in Manchuria near the end of Japanese colonial rule over Korea. I came to Korea once it was liberated, but I have no memory at all of that time. My memory begins around 1948, when Korean was in extreme poverty, the kind that people these days couldn't even begin to imagine. Because of the Korean War that broke out when I was in second grade of primary school. I grew up experiencing evacuating our home, returning home, and the January 4th Retreat, and also living in extreme poverty after the war receiving aid from the U.S. I also received intensive anti-Japanese education, and watched the April 19 Revolution and the May 16 coup unfold. Later, when I worked as a political reporter for The Chosun Ilbo, my eyes opened to the political situation of the time. Spending my younger years in war and poverty, I never imagined then that my country could develop and prosper as much as it did. An amazing change has been made to Korea.

There are a number of problems still remaining in Korea, of course. The gap between the rich and the poor, polarization, ideological conflict in society are among the important issues that demand our attention. At the same time, however, we should remember to give credit to those who contributed to the industrialization and economic development of our country for helping it get out of absolute poverty. We should also express our respect to those who sacrificed and struggled for the country's democracy which was suppressed while its economic development and industrialization were in progress.

Anyway, the Republic of Korea is one of the few countries that achieved both industrialization and democracy. Therefore, we should take pride in such an achievement, and create a community with a narrowing gap between the rich and the poor by making our democracy stronger and our economic development more efficient.

The challenge that remains for us is to achieve the unification of our country. Currently, the inter-Korean relations are unstable. This makes our Foundation's roles all the more important. After all, the purpose of our Foundation is to 'move beyond conflict and toward reconciliation.' There are a number of historical and territorial issues that remain unresolved between Korea and China, between Korea and Japan, and between China and Japan. Only after these issues are resolved and reconciliation achieved can peace be established in Northeast Asia and inter-Korean relations become much more stable within that framework. Conversely, peace in the Korean Peninsula, if achieved by stabilizing inter-Korean relations, could boost peace in the Northeast Asian region.

Q. Kim Minkyu This June marks the 50th anniversary of the Korea-Japan Agreement. But currently, Korea-Japan relations are very sour.

A. Kim Hakjoon Korea-Japan relations must be improved. Such a stalemate that Korea-Japan relations are currently in is not desirable. Foreign ministers talks or summit talks need to be held as soon as possible to seek a breakthrough. But before that can happen, the Abe administration should change first. As long as they deny the Kono Statement, the Murayama Statement, and the like, it will be difficult to find the common ground for improving Korea-Japan relations. Diplomacy basically needs support from the people's opinion or sentiment. If the Abe administration continues to make remarks that provoke the Korean people as it has done, it will be difficult to take even one step toward improving Korea-Japan relations even if it is the most important task to be done. The Abe administration should look at the big picture and realize the path to be taken for peace, stability, and co-prosperity in Northeast Asia, and abstain from words and actions that set the clock of history backward.

Q. Kim Minkyu You have such in-depth knowledge of the Dokdo issue, and it is reflected in your published book A Study on Dokdo. This may not be a fresh question to ask, but I wonder how it started.

A. Kim Hakjoon In 1996, when the Dokdo issue was raised again during the Hashimoto administration of Japan, a friend of mine from the nationalist movement back in college came to me and suggested that a booklet about Dokdo should be published. He asked me to write a short book of about 100 pages that was easy and not too academic or technical enough for the general public to read. And so I did. People who knew me said that the task wasn't befitting me, but I didn't care whether it was 'befitting' me or not as long as it helped the Korean people understand that Dokdo was Korean territory. But feeling that the book was not complete, I published about three revised and expanded editions since the first edition of 1996, until I started over with the intention of making it more technical and wrote what would become A Study on Dokdo. Voicing my opinion about the important national issue has been in itself a fulfilling experience for me.

Q. Kim Minkyu This is the 10th year since the Shimane Prefecture of Japan designated what they call 'Takeshima Day.' Japan's provocative claims to Dokdo are feared to get worse and worse.

A. Kim Hakjoon There is a saying, "Fake it until you make it." I'm sure that at least well-educated people in Japan are aware that Dokdo is not Japanese territory. But it seems to me that other Japanese are trying to fake it to really make it their territory. Therefore, we should not let our guard down, not even for a moment.

Q. Kim Minkyu With China, on the other hand, the Korean government is on friendly terms with its Chinese counterpart recently. The NAHF is also engaged in active exchange and cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, having restored their relationship.

A. Kim Hakjoon It is very desirable and encouraging that friendly relations between Korea and China are developing. However, it is unacceptable that China distorts history claiming that Koguryo or Balhae was the local government of a Chinese minority. China should refrain from making such a claim because it is an insult to us Korean people. If China continues to make such claims along the same line as the Northeast Project, the Korean people's view of China may also change.

Q. Kim Minkyu What do you think of the future of the tripartite relations and East Asia? And what do you think the relationship with North Korea should be going forward?

A. Kim Hakjoon I can never be optimistic about that. China is past the phase of "Concealing its Strengths and Biding its Time" and in an ebullient mood proclaiming 'the Rise of the Great Powers' and 'China Dream.' Japan, on its part, is talking about amending its pacifist constitution and exercising the right of collective self-defense, and North Korea is developing nuclear weapons. Therefore, the situation of Northeast Asia is unstable. That is why our good diplomacy is more required than ever. It is my belief that if economy was top priority in developing our country in the 1960s and the 1970s, it needs to be replaced now by diplomacy. Korea is a small but strong country. However, being surrounded by the powers, Korea needs to be good at diplomacy. There is a figure from the Joseon Dyansty named Lee Ye (李藝, 1373-1445). Being a petty official in the Pohang region, he was of relatively low status. Nevertheless, he proved himself to be competent by successfully having those Korean people who were taken away to Tsushima Island and other parts of Japan repatriated. Making several trips to Japan, he achieved many other diplomatic successes. We will have to make special efforts to produce diplomats like him. Even though the NAHF is not in direct charge of diplomacy, it is an organization supporting and helping the Ministry of Foreign Affairs do its job well. That said, I ask that researchers at the NAHF will also do their job with a sense of pride and duty.

Inter-Korean academic exchange is important in connection with the NAHF's mission. Only through vigorous exchange between North and South Korean scholars could we expect to see Koguryo and Balhae studies produce better results. Given inter-Korean collaboration, the study of ancient Korean history could also produce better results. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, I hope to see vigorous inter-Korean academic exchange again, and the academic exchange help improve the strained inter-Korean relations.

Q. Kim Minkyu The mission of defending our history and territory is not restricted to the NAHF alone. What's the message you'd like to give the people?

A. Kim Hakjoon Historical research and territorial research need to be very scientific and academic. If they become much too emotional, they can cause unnecessary conflict with neighboring countries without researching the correct perception of history. I ask the Korean people to have trust in scholars' research results on historical and territorial issues. As an additional note, to meet the desires and expectations of the people, the NAHF is being run on taxpayers' money. The staff of the NAHF will always keep that in mind and make special efforts to ensure that not a single penny will be wasted. At the same time, let me say that we will do our best to produce research results that will meet the people's expectations.