1.5. Summary
To sum up I have analysed the historical background of Ham's lifetime. As I have shown, from the Choson dynasty, Korea inherited the legacy of Confucianism, especially its hardy authoritarianism. Also Korea's position as a small country between three big powers was important in making her vulnerable and incapable of facing the era of imperialism.
Pre-Second World War Korean history was a kind of intermingling battle between Communism (left-wing nationalist camp), Christianity (moderate and democratic nationalist camp) and Japanese militarism. Thus modern Korean nationalism was articulated between the ideologies of both Communism and Christianity.
An enthusiastic Christian, President Syngman Rhee in the First Republic suppressed not only Communist North Korea but also his own political opponents in South Korea. Worst of all, the Rhee regime was corrupt and inefficient as a result of the collaboration of pro-Japanese Koreans. After the brief rule of the fragile Chang Myon government, three decades of military dictatorship followed under Generals Park and Chun.
It is also clear that throughout the Park and Chun regimes, the expansion of the Korean economy was an immense accomplishment of modern national economic development. However, this economic fulfilment was not due solely to military policy and the support of the United States and Japan, but was rather a result of Korea being endowed with a well-educated population. For centuries, the Korean people had placed a high value on learning, as a reflection of Confucianism. In the early 1960s, the adult literacy rate in Korea was already almost 80%. By 1996 that had risen to 99%. This legacy of admiration for education has made Korea one of the most educated nations in the world, contributing to the creation of a strong work ethic.
Politically, there are similarities between the coups of Park and Chun. In order to consolidate their illegitimate regimes, both relied on outside political support - Japan and the United States. They also applied harsh rules to their own fellow people. What is more, Park and Chun branded opposition politicians and civilian leaders as Communists, and oppressed not only political opponents but also ordinary civilians ruthlessly in the guise of 'national security'. Finally they used 'violent persuasion', riot police power, and militaristic secret agencies, as a way of taming opposition political forces. There were also differences between Park and Chun. While Park aimed to make South Korea "wealthy and strong" regardless of the method, Chun concentrated on pursuing his own and his family's personal gain. Despite their differences, neither gave priority to Korean human rights nor the democratisation of South Korea.
In any democratic system each elector should at least preserve an "unalienable right" to choose his leader. What is more, without democratic "consent" and a legalised "check" from the ruled, rulers can and do, go astray as history has shown in this century with leaders such as Joseph Stalin and Kim Ilsung. Most of all, human beings must not be used as a means to an end as Park and Chun used the populace of South Korea. The various historical influences outlined above all contributed to the formation of Ham's views and outlook and led him to search for a way of truth and escape from a climate of socio-political oppression and economic materialism, as will be examined in the following chapters
Chapter Two: The Early Life of Ham Sokhon (1901-1923) Table of Contents Home Page