Tochak Waegu

Tochak Waegu (Korean: 토착왜구; Hanja: 土着倭寇; lit. indigenous Japanese pirates") or To-wae (Korean: 토왜; Hanja: 土倭; lit. native Japanese)[1] is a South Korean political slang term used mainly by (mainly South Korean liberals or progressives to) attack South Korean "pro-Japanese conservatives". In South Korea, there is a controversy that South Korean conservatives are relatively "pro-Japanese" than South Korean liberals.[2] Tochak Waegu have the same meaning as Maegukno (Korean: 매국노; Hanja: 賣國奴; lit. bastard who sold the country) or Minjokbanyeokja (Korean: 민족반역자; Hanja: 民族反逆者; lit. traitor to nationality).[1]

The reason why conservatives in South Korea are relatively "pro-Japanese" than liberals is because of hardline anti-communism, especially against North Korea caused by the Korean War. In addition, post-war Japan is an ally of the United States.

Political position

The term is commonly used to criticize South Korean conservatives' foreign policy toward Japan. It is also used as a derogatory expression of those who show a de-nationalist view of Japan that deviates from the existing Korean nationalist view, or even partially sympathize with Japanese historical revisionism.[3] However, the term is also used as a political hate speech to slander Japaense people and all South Korean conservatives.[4][5]

Some South Korean scholars argue that among South Koreans, Empire of Japan should be defended or Japanese historical revisionist supporters should be legally regulated,[6] which, according to them, has the same legitimacy as many European countries regulate Neo-Nazism or Holocaust denial.[7] However, such legally regulations do not exist in South Korea for the reason of freedom of speech.[6]

In South Korean politics, liberals or progressives and conservatives tend to criticize each other as "pro-Japan" and "Pro-Pyongyang" (or "Jongbuk").[2] South Korea has historically experienced Japanese colonial rule and the Korean War, so the "pro-Japan" is regarded as the "fascist" (Korean: 파시스트)[8] or "far-right"[9][6] and the "Pro-Pyongyang" as the "ppalgaengi" (Korean: 빨갱이; lit. communist cubs)[10] or "far-left".[11] Thus, South Korean politicians (mainly liberal politicians) equate "Tochak Waegu" with "far-right".[3]

Sin-chinilpa

"Sin-chinilpa" (Korean: 신친일파; Hanja: 新親日派; lit. new pro-Japan faction") is used in a similar sense to "Tochak Waegu". The term "Sin-chinilpa" was first proposed by non-Korean Japanese-born naturalized South Korean and South Korean liberal historian Yuji Hosaka, and is frequently used by South Korean media and netizens.[12][13][14]

Linkage with Japanese nationalists
See also: New Right (South Korea) and Unification Church

Some far-right anti-communists/anti-North Koreanists conservatives, and Japan-friendly people[lower-alpha 1] in South Korea, are linked to Japanese nationalist Liberal Democratic Party and ultranationalist groups in Japan. They are accused by South Korean liberals, progressives and Korean nationalists of being "sin-chinil", "sin-chinilpa" and "Tochak Waegu".[15][16]

Criticism

A column in the JoongAng Ilbo, a moderate conservative media, criticized the expression Tochak Waegu as similar to (liberal version) McCarthyism.[17] In an article written in the centre-left liberal media Hankyoreh, left-wing socialist Hong Se-hwa criticized it as "government-led nationalism" (Korean: 관제 민족주의) that has nothing to do with left-wing nationalism and criticized right-wing Japanese nationalism and hostile symbiosis.[18] Some Koreans see the term "Waegu" as a racist rhetoric against Japanese people, but others argue that it is not racist.[19]

See also

Notes
  1. In South Korean politics, excessive friendly with Japanese politics or culture is regarded as a political far right. It is intertwined with various issues such as historical issues and traditional-oriented Japanese culture.

References
  1. "노태우 때도 친일파가 공직에? 잘 먹고 잘 살았던 토왜들". OhmyNews. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  2. "Pro-Pyongyang or pro-Japan? Korea's enduring war over history". The Hankyoreh. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2023. When Japan imposed controls on exports to South Korea in 2019, this led to an increase in the number of people using the phrase "tochak waegu" — roughly meaning "Korea's indigenous Japanese" — in digital environments. It was the most inflammatory term used in attacks against conservatives for being "pro-Japan". Conservatives shuddered at the "tochak waegu" name.
  3. "김태년 "극우세력 마크 램지어 지지 참담…매국노에 토착왜구"". MBC 뉴스. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2023. 더불어민주당 김태년 원내대표는 "국내 극우 인사들이 위안부 피해자를 매춘부로 규정한 마크 램지어 하버드대 교수에 대한 지지 서한을 해당 학술지에 보냈다"는 MBC 보도와 관련해 "참담하다"고 밝혔습니다.
  4. ‘혐일’에 이어 ‘혐중’의 문화를 우려한다.
  5. ""혐오 정치는 상대 절멸시키겠단 심리… 민주주의 심각한 위협"". 한국일보. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  6. "김상수 "친일찬양금지법 입법하라..언제까지 시민들이 나서서 거리에서 싸우게 만드는가?"". 뉴스프리존. 11 October 2022.
  7. Shin Dong-kyu ed. (2016). The logic of Holocaust Negationism and Comport Women of the Empire of PARK Yuha: Challenge against Collective memory and emotion through unhistorical narratives. Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information.
  8. "대한민국 100년, 청산 없는 역사 / 김누리". 한겨레. 10 February 2019.
  9. "정진석 "일본, 조선과 전쟁한 적 없다"… '극우적 친일 DNA' 발언". 굿모닝충청. 11 October 2022.
  10. "윤 대통령의 '정치 포기' 선언…극우 보수로 퇴화하다". 한겨레. 24 October 2022.
  11. "與 김상훈, 이태원 시민대책회의 출범에 "참사 영업인가"". 시사저널. 19 December 2022.
  12. "일본에게 장학금 받으면서 친일파 활동하는 '토착 왜구', 그알이 찾아낸다". 인사이트. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2023. 신친일파는 일본계 한국인 정치학자 호사카 유지 세종대학교 교수가 주장하며 대두됐다.
  13. "나경원 "토착왜구는 모욕…친일파 후손은 민주당이 더 많다"". 동아일보. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2023. 나경원 자유한국당 원내대표는 25일 여권의 '신친일파', '토착 왜구' 표현에 대해 "모욕적인 얘기"라며 "너무 어이가 없다"고 불만을 표출했다.
  14. "일제의 간도대학살은 어떻게 준비되었나". 에큐메니안. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2023. "NO 아베" 물결이 한반도를 휩쓸 때, '엄마부대'를 자칭하는 사람들이 거리에서 "아베님, 용서해주십시오."라는 망언을 서슴지 않고 외치는 모습에 모골이 송연해졌다. 뼛속까지 일본인인 '토착왜구'라는 말이 실감이 났다. 우리의 역사 교육의 심각성과 동시에 한국인의 정체성이 의심스러운 '신 친일파'들이 주장하는 '식민지 근대화론'이 떠올랐다.
  15. "'新친일' 통일교와 日자민당 정권 40년 유착.."자민당 의원 180명과 관계"". 노컷뉴스. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  16. 유지, 호사카. 신친일파 - 교보문고 (in Korean).
  17. "반지성주의 표본 조국·유시민…'비이성적 열광' 뿌리는 이것". 중앙일보. 31 May 2022.
  18. "[홍세화 칼럼] 관제 민족주의의 함정". 8 August 2019.
  19. "'토착왜구'라는 말, 쓰면 안 되나요?". 서울경제. 20 February 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.