뉴스레터

In Northeast Asia today, it seems as though an unexpected competition for supremacy is going on, in the form of historical conflicts between China and Japan over the Nanjing Massacre and the Senkaku Islands, between Korea and China over the Northeast Project and Ieodo, and between Korea and Japan over Dokdo and Japan's claim that its colonial rule led to the modernization of Korea.

To determine the right direction that Korea should take, it is essential to know where Korea stands. To do so, we need to understand how Northeast Asia has developed in the course of history. What have been Korea's historical relations with China and Japan?

Korea's Historical Relations with China and Japan

First of all, China and Korea have followed similar patterns of history. Broadly speaking, when China was divided or unified, so was Korea. When China had a new dynasty, so did Korea, except that if Korea refused to accept it, the new dynasty of China invaded Korea. The Western invasion of China in the late 19th century also coincided with the Japanese invasion of Korea. In my opinion, this parallel between Korea and China in the timeline of their history is a result of the China-centered tributary system. Here is a fact that, as uncomfortable as it may be, cannot be overlooked: no forces that stood against China have ever unified Korea before.

On the other hand, the history of relations between Japan and Korea is riddled with Japan's invasion of Korea, not the other way around. Examples include Wa's activities in southern Korea during the Three Kingdoms period, the Imjin War, and Japan's forced annexation of Korea. The one thing common among all of Japan's invasions of Korea is that they took place at a time when Japan was on the brink of unification, because, in all these cases. Korea was simply an outlet for discontent chosen by the integration forces within Japan. In other words, Japan's invasions of Korea occurred in order to meet their internal needs, irrespective of Korea's intentions.

What about the situation of Northeast Asia now? Today, China is divided into two, and so is Korea. But China's unification is only a matter of time. This may suggest that the unification of Korea, a country sharing patterns of history with China, is also a matter of time. Since no forces that stood up against China have ever unified Korea before, we need to maintain and develop our relations with China well if we are to lead the unification of Korea.

It was a long time ago in history that Japan, after World War II, started expanding its influence over Korea. The only difference from the past is that they are using economy instead. Once the bilateral diplomatic relations were normalized in 1965, Japan ensured that Korea couldn't produce goods to export without importing parts and raw materials from Japan and brought Korea under its economic control Therefore, we need to stay alert against Japan.

Wisdom Gained from History

How do China and Japan think of Korea today? Their thoughts about Korea are well illustrated in China's Northeast Project, and Japan's claim of its ancient rule of southern Korea, respectively. Japan's journey of imperialism continued for many years after the Meiji Restoration. And it started with that claim that Japan used to rule southern Korea for about 200 years in ancient times. And the recent revival of that claim is a clear indication that Japan will argue that Korea has been subjugated by Japan throughout history.

China, on the other hand, started the Northeast Project designed to redefine the history of its Northeast region, essentially arguing that Koguryo was a local regime of China. This is an attempt to project history onto the present. After all, Japan's claim about its ancient rule of southern Korea and China's Northeast Project are all part of the competition for supremacy going on in Northeast Asia surrounding Korea.

Both countries are extremely important to Korea. China and Japan are Korea's first and second largest trade partners, respectively, each accounting for about 21 percent and 14 percent of Korea's trade, which accounts for about 83 percent of its GDP as of 2010. To China or Japan, the other two countries are also very important because they are among its top 3 trade partners.

Throughout history, mankind has been in dispute over issues of region, race, economy, religion, or ideology. But the EU is moving toward a community that overcomes it and shares universal values. This means that sooner or later, Northeast Asia will also have to move toward a regional partnership or community that shares universal values. A good sign of it is the increasingly close trade relationships among the three Northeast Asian countries. But China and Japan are still competing with each other in regions around the Korean peninsula. How should Korea cope with this? The answer can also be found in history.

History has seen three wars that involved Korea, China, and Japan all together. The first one is the Backchon River battle in 663, where Korea (Baekje) involved Japan in fending off China (Tang) trying to take possession of the Korean Peninsula. The second one is the Imjin War in 1592, where Korea (Joseon) involved China (Ming) this time in fending off Japan trying to take possession of the Korean Peninsula. And the third one is the Sino-Japanese War in 1894. where China (Qing) and Japan, taking advantage of the absence of power in the Korean Peninsula, fought each other to take possession of the region.

When China was an enemy, Korea joined forces with Japan to stop its invasion. When Japan was an enemy, Korea joined forces with China to stop its invasion. But when Korea didn't have strong enough power, it was reduced to a prey for China and Japan to fight over. The lesson learned from this pattern of history is that Korea needs to have power and flexibility in its relations with China and Japan. This requires a good understanding of China and Japan more than anything else, and this is also where, I believe, the Northeast Asian History Foundation should come in and do its job.