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The Academic Conference : The Causes of Cultural Conflict between Korea and China, and its Solutions

NAHF held an academic conference on September 24 to explore the causes and solutions of cultural conflicts between Korea and China. Huntington predicted in 《The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order》. “In the meantime, the conflict between civilizations has not appeared on the surface of the historical flow because of the confrontation of ideology. Now it will burst out on the surface. The stronger the force to suppress, the longer the period to suppress, the greater the force to erupt.”

This conference saw the cause of cultural conflict as a global phenomenon in the consumption structure of the global system. So we looked at the cultural conflicts between Korea and China in relation to China's nationalism and Chinese government's policies and tried to find alternatives through examples. The presenters and thesis titles at the conference are as shown in the table. The discussion was attended by Professor Kim Il-kwon(The Academy of Korean Studies), Director Park Jang-bae(Institute on Eurasian History at NAHF), Professor Shim Seung-koo(Korea National Sport University), and Director Yoo Sang-cheol( JoongAng Ilbo China Institute).

What is the cause of the cultural conflict between Korea and China?

First, the unique cultural view of China is the cause. Kim In-hee said: “In ancient China, culture meant high-end, advanced, and civilization. Ancient Chinese people thought that only 'China' had the ability to create culture. And they thought that other peoples were out of barbarism due to the influence of Chinese culture. And they thought that other peoples were out of barbarism due to the influence of Chinese culture.”

Second, the intentional intervention of the Chinese government is the cause. Park Young-hwan said that the cause of the Dispute on Danojeol is the Confucian revival movement in China. Yoon Kyung-woo said that whenever Korean cultural contents are hot in China, China has introduced new regulations because of protection of Chinese cultural industry. And they have been braking the entry of Korean content in that way, he pointed out. The two presenters said that the start of Dispute on Danojeol or anti-Korean Wave in China is related to the political purpose of the Chinese government to prevent the influx of Western values ​​and to prevent the dilution of young socialist ideology. Kim In-hee said that the 'Cultural Confidence' and 'Cultural Powers' claimed by the Xi Jinping government are policies for the revival of traditional culture. And she said that China's cultural superiority was directed to Korea with the THAAD issue, which is the cause of cultural conflicts between the two countries.

Third, China's extreme nationalism is the cause. Almost all presenters and debaters agreed on this. Park Jeong-su said: “Chinese nationalism is ethno-nationalism centered on the Han Chinese, which has been strengthened through patriotism education. Its defensive nature is a factor that deepens cultural conflicts with neighboring countries and makes it difficult to resolve the issue.” Yoon Kyung-woo said: “The reason for the extreme nationalism is the superiority that originated from the traditional Chinese idea, the Victim mentality, and the nervousness that occurred in the process of reviving the Chinese nation in the 21st century.”

Fourth, nationalism such as Red Guard is the cause. Park Jung-soo said that Chinese nationalism is extreme in small and minor issues because it has nationalism such as red guard. He said that this tendency has been strengthened by the development of information and communication technology such as the Internet and SNS. Kim In-hee pointed out the red guard characteristic of patriotic netizens. The Chinese have been engaged in political struggles with culture. The application of the method to Korea is the cause of the increase in cultural attacks.

Fifth, the competition between countries related to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage System is the cause. Kwon Hyuk-hee said that competition between Korea and China, which had shared culture before the modern nation-state, was inevitable due to the competition between countries on the cultural heritage system.

Sixth, competition for traditional cultural resources is the cause. Modern cultural industry is developed with traditional cultural resources as its material, so ownership issues concerning traditional culture arise. Lim Dong-wook said that China tries to strengthen nationalism and patriotism by sanctioning cultural products against ideology by directly intervening in the cultural market, but this shrinks the entry of Chinese cultural products into overseas markets.

The Solution to the Cultural Conflict between Korea and China

The first four are factors in China, and the second two are cultural ownership issues of both countries. China's cultural superiority, the intentional intervention of the Chinese government, extreme nationalism, and red guard nationalism are factors in China and can not be solved by external forces. Kim Il-kwon said that we should not pursue the unrealistic goal of 'solution' but seek realistic countermeasures.

At this conference, two papers were published pointing out the problems of China's claim on cultural invention. Shin Jong-won said that the Chinese Mid-Autumn Day began in Northern Song Dynasty and Chuseok started in the Silla period. China's claim that all cultures were invented and spread from China was wrong. Koo Do-young mentioned the study of Folding Fans, which started in Goryeo and went through China and became popular all over the world. He said that Korea, China and Japan created a culture called Folding Fan through exchanges. In other words, culture is not something someone can create independently. It is completed through interchange.

Yoo Sang-chul pointed out the intentional intervention of the Chinese government and emphasized that two efforts are needed. One is that when responding to Chinese cultural attacks, the public must rely on academic achievements, so research should be activated. The other should be to gain international support by widely informing the research achievements of Korean academia.

Shim Seung-gu said that the UNESCO Cultural Heritage System needs to be restructured for competition between countries. Kwon Hyuk-hee said that the cultural heritage system as a national achievement should gradually be transformed into various cultures of small communities. To compensate for the shortcomings, we are going to publish a book.