뉴스레터

On my first Christmas in the U.S., where I started my study in 1987, everyone in my class gathered together for a party that included a barbecue (roasting hamburger patties on a charcoal grill, not barbecuing a whole hog) and potluck dinner (with corn chips on the side) and playing 'games' that Korean men would think they were too grown-up to play. (People are supposed to be grown-up once they graduate from university, or so I thought.) At the party, I noticed a $1 bill scribbled with "Martha, termites are eating my teeth” in a speech bubble coming out George Washington's mouth. I became curious. 'Martha' is the name of Washington's wife, and termites feed on wood. That much I knew. But terminates are eating Washington's teeth? What does that mean? I didn't get the joke, until one of my American classmates explained to me that children made fun of Washington's dentures made of wood.

International conference in session in Washington D.C.

Political Leadership is the Key

Recently, I visited Washington D.C. to attend the international conference on "The 70th Anniversary of the Korean Liberation: Achievements, Challenges and the Future,” held at the George Washington University and hosted by the Northeast Asian History Foundation. In this program, the NAHF had originally planned to address the legacy of the period of Japanese occupation, among other topics, until it had changed the plan and decided, instead, to limit the discussion to the period after the liberation and focus on delivering a message of hope for the future, at the request of the Commemoration Committee at the Prime Minister's Office in charge of coordinating all related conferences across Korea and keeping a balance of discussion topics.

Accordingly, the program had been revised to consist of the following panels: 1) Liberation and Foundation; 2) Achievements and Challenges; and 3) Future and Unification. Overall, the focus of the discussion was on the inception of the ROK-Alliance and pending issues. One common theme addressed in many presentations was that the future of Korea, whether it would either move into the direction of becoming a power or remain as a weak country, would be determined by the decision it would make regarding its position between the U.S. and China. As it was pointed out, making this decision is, as we all know, not a simple matter, and will require decisive political leadership. .

As for the inception of the ROK-US Alliance, the focus of the discussion was on Syngman Rhee's diplomatic skills and how the U.S. had little say in its policy. In his presentation on Syngman Rhee, Professor Gregg Brazinsky at the George Washington University highlighted Syngman Rhee's decisive role in forming and stabilizing the South Korean government between the foundation of the country in 1948 and 1955. He argued that Syngman Rhee's vision and ideas had been incorporated into the foundation of the Republic of Korea, although not entirely but at least much more than the views of Washington despite the enormous amount of funding that had been put into Korea. He added that even though Syngman Rhee's rise to power would prove to be detrimental to democracy and human rights, Rhee's rule based on his "One People Principle" contributed greatly to the stabilization of the South Korean government.

My Thoughts after a Tour of George Washington's Mount Vernon

The day after the conference, I visited George Washington's Mount Vernon, the home of the first President of the United States, located near the Washington D.C. area. After a tour of the interesting and well-documented collection of items related to George Washington and his achievements, I was left with the impression that the U.S. was a blessed country very proud of its president. Preserved in the collection were artifacts depicting detailed accounts of the stories of George Washington, including anecdotes in which George Washington has a chance to rise to power as leader twice after the Revolutionary War but declines both times for the future of the U.S., he invents a threshing barn around which horses are driven treading the wheat, and he sets his plantation slaves free before his death.

Walking along the trail enjoying autumn colors, I thought that my ticket to Mount Vernon was worth every penny. At the same time, I wondered why there were few leaders of whom Korea could be proud. Is Korea cursed? Has it failed to produce great leaders? As I thought about these questions, I remembered the ongoing debate over the state textbook back in Seoul.

One of the most memorable items in the Mount Vernon collection was the set of Washington's dentures, complete with detailed information, including a description of the denture-making technique at that time. I was particularly struck by the following caption: "Contrary to popular myth, George Washington's dentures were not made of wood. As you can see below, he wore multiple sets of dentures, dentures that were made of ivory or hippopotamus teeth, or false teeth that were held together by gold metal wire or brass screws." I read that next to the Cherry Tree legend, the story of wooden dentures was the most widespread and enduring myth about Washington's personal life. This information accidently reminded me again that what we think we know about our leaders is not always consistent with reality.

The Elliot School of International Affairs
at the George Washington University

The Washington Monument as viewed
from the conference room at the Elliot School

George Washington's dentures