The Fletcher School

“It is a well-known fact that anti-Americanism runs deep and wide in virtually every corner of the world,” said Seong-Ho Lim, an expert on U.S.-South Korean relations, “and South Korea is no exception”.

Lim spoke at the Fletcher School on April 23rd. On leave from Kyung Hee University in Seoul, he is currently a Visiting Fulbright Scholar to Simmons College and Yale University.

According to a 2002-2003 Gallup Poll, 60% of South Koreans dislike the United States and 70% think that U.S. foreign policy has a negative impact on Korean Society. Only 15% consider U.S. influence to be positive. “In fact, the anti-American position in South Korea was used as a vote-getter in the 2002 presidential elections,” said Lim.

In South Korea, noted Lim, anti-American sentiment runs higher among the more enfranchised sectors of society such as college graduates, city residents, and higher income people.

Fifty years ago, the situation was different. The US was perceived as a savior, rescuing Koreans from Japanese colonialism in 1945 and then coming to Korea’s aid against Communist aggression during the Korean War. Since the early 1950s, South Korea has benefited from the U.S. security umbrella.

So why is there so much resentment today?

37,000 U.S. troops have been stationed throughout the country since the early 1950s, ostensibly to ward off potential North Korean aggression. As a result of the continuing U.S. military presence, as well as its political leverage, Americanization has filtered extensively into South Korea’s educational, political and economic system as well as its socio-cultural life.

Many point out that there is a time-honored tradition of anti-foreign sentiment in Korea and view anti-Americanism as a part of this. “That is convincing to some extent,” said Lim, “but what about fluctuations over time? Why is there so much hostility today and not 10 years ago? ….We need to go beyond history and explore current situations.”

Lim cited two incompatible explanations for the current level of anti-Americanism. Some place the blame on the U.S. side, arguing that anti-U.S. sentiment is a natural result of what is perceived as a “unilateralist, self-righteous, moralistic approach to international relations”. Lim continued, “American hegemonic ambitions feed global antipathy towards the United States. Basically, according to [this view], the United States had it coming.”

By contrast, others argue that “economic malaise, social alienation, identity crisis, political unrest, demagogic manipulation, and pure jealously of American privilege” are explanations for surges in anti-Americanism. In this case, the United States is an easy target for general dissatisfaction with society.

The most prominent trigger of anti-American sentiment in South Korea is U.S. President Bush’s foreign policy.

“It’s not the substance but the manner in which Bush conducts foreign policy that is considered offensive,” Lim explained. “It reminds Koreans of the inequality in their relationship with the United States, and the Bush administration needs to take these outcries seriously.”

Despite their ardent criticism of the U.S. however, 87% of South Koreans feel that the stationing of the U.S. military in Seoul is important for their security and 83% want the U.S. presence maintained at least until re-unification with the North. According to Lim, younger generations of South Koreans share this sentiment.

Though the United States could help improve its image by rethinking its foreign policy approach, anti-Americanism will remain as long as the United States is a convenient target for venting frustrations, said Lim. He added that South Korean political leaders should stop playing with politics by toying with anti-American sentiment.

“We need simultaneous efforts by both the United States and other countries to address this problem,” Lim concluded. “The dilemma, unfortunately, is that simultaneous efforts do not seem very probable.”

Article by Claire Topal MALD '05