Malatang Is Good, but I Dislike China [Dot-Line-Plane] - 경향신문

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Line (contexts): Anti-China sentimentwhen did it begin?

Plane (perspectives): Is the 'anti-China' that emerged after martial law somewhat different?

A citizen holds a placard reading 'Chinese Communist Party OUT'. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo

Have you ever heard the term 'Hwa-Jjang-Jo'? This bizarre slur, made from the initial syllables of Hwagyo (ethnic Chinese), Jjanggae (a derogatory term), and Joseonjok, is said to have suddenly spread in our society after the martial-law political crisis. Going beyond mere cultural aversion, 'anti-China' has now become a social phenomenonso when did it actually begin? In today's Editor's Pick, we plan to trace the history of anti-China sentiment step by step. From here on, we introduce Kyunghyang Shinmun's New Year project "Beyond Maga and Gulgi," which reflects on what the real solution might be to stop the spread of this dangerous hatred.

When asked what comes to mind with China, office worker A (33) answered without hesitation: "crime, murder, no-answer, Xi Jinping, North Korea, 6.25." The Kyunghyang Shinmun New Year Project Team recently asked five people in their 20s and 30s living in the greater Seoul area for their candid thoughts on China. Office worker B (33) said, "The image isn't particularly good," adding, "There are more Chinese people in my neighborhood, and I often feel inconvenienced by things like noise or a lack of etiquette." Job seeker C (25) likewise said, "I like malatang, but I dislike Chinese people who don't observe public etiquette."

Recent polls show fairly high anti-China sentiment among people in their 20s and 30s. In a survey commissioned by the Kyunghyang Shinmun to Korea Gallup last month, 72% responded that they "do not have favorable feelings" toward China. In particular, the unfavorable rates were overwhelming among those aged 1829 (86%) and those in their 30s (81%). Interviewees agreed that the anti-China sentiment was an "expected result." Job seeker D (25) added, "As crimes or villain-like cases involving people from China have emerged, it seems a natural feeling developed."

This trend is similar across generations. Six to seven out of ten Koreans view China negatively. In the National Assembly Futures Institute's <Survey on Perceptions of Diplomatic and Security Issues> conducted last AugustSeptember, 59.6% answered "dislike" for China, while only 13.1% answered "like." In the East Asia Institute's <Perceptions of Neighboring Countries Survey> conducted last June, 66.3% responded that they have a negative impression of China.

As an extreme-right group supporting former President Yoon Suk Yeol held an anti-China rally near the Chinese Embassy in Myeong-dong on the afternoon of September 19 last year and began marching, police blocked the route toward Myeong-dong Street. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok that day ordered, regarding some anti-China rallies, to "take strong measures if necessary under the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Police Officers' Duties Execution Act." Yonhap News

Line (contexts): When did anti-China sentiment begin?

When did the term 'anti-China' first appear? According to a paper by Choi Yoon-kyung, professor at Incheon National University's Department of Chinese Language and Culture, titled "A Diachronic Analysis of Anti-China Phenomena in Korean Society" (2023. 12), the expression began to be used around the time of the 2004 "Northeast Project" controversy. The Northeast Project was China's historical initiative that attempted to subsume the histories of Goguryeo and Balhae into Chinese history. From then on, a negative perception took root of a neighbor that "even claims our roots as their own."

Relations with China also froze rapidly around the 2016 decision to deploy THAAD. China, suspecting that the U.S. THAAD radar would monitor China, retaliated with the so-called "Hanhanryeong," such as a blanket ban on group tours to Korea. The stigma in popular culture also played a role. As films that portrayed Joseonjok as the dedicated villainssuch as <Hwanghae>, <Cheongnyeon Gyeongchal>, and <Beomjoedosi>were successive hits, negative perceptions of China grew.

In response, 66 Chinese compatriots living in Daerim-dong even filed a lawsuit in 2020 against the production company of <Cheongnyeon Gyeongchal>. The court made an unusual decision, recommending that the production company apologize, saying that the negative depiction of Joseonjok "caused discomfort and a sense of alienation." In addition, the hardline response to the Hong Kong protests in 2019, the opaque handling during COVID-19 in 2020, the "hanbok project" at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and biased short track rulingsthese major incidents overlapped, further entrenching anti-China sentiment in our society.

A still from the film <Cheongnyeon Gyeongchal>. Provided by the production company

Plane (perspectives): Is the 'anti-China' that emerged after martial law somewhat different?

There is one more interesting point. Analysts say that anti-China sentiment changed in quality as we went through the 12/3 martial law and the impeachment crisis. Whereas previously people disliked China due to external factorsChina-related incidentsnow it is taking on the aspect of a "self-generated hatred" that grows on its own because of domestic political circumstances.

Former Presidet Yoon Suk Yeol opened the floodgates. To justify martial law, he mentioned "Chinese spies" and hinted at China as the force behind election fraud. Subsequently, at conservative rallies, the target of "OUT" shifted from North Korea to China. Cho Hyung-jin, professor at Incheon National University's Institute of Chinese Studies, analyzed this by saying, "Within a short period, a cohesive worldview that antagonizes China seems to have been completed within a particular camp."

We should also pay attention to the subtle "sense of anxiety" we feel. Underlying it is a sense of crisis that China's technological prowess is overtaking Korea. Lee Uk-yeon, professor of Chinese Cultural Studies at Sogang University, pointed out, "Discomfortand further, a sense of crisis or fearabout China moving ahead in high-tech industries is at work."

Experts believe such self-generated hatred will be hard to eliminate in the short term. The National Assembly has recently been discussing bills to regulate hate rallies. Professor Choi Yoon-kyung emphasizes, "Rather than legal sanctions that could backfire, sustained efforts across all sectors of society to reduce hate are needed."

Hatred is also a sad "danger signal" sent by a society where conflict and inequality have accumulated. If we quietly look into the roots of the emotion of hating someone, we may find an existential anxiety settled there. What our society needs most now may be "accurate understanding" instead of the easy choice of hatred.

"Even when looking at just one thing, do it three-dimensionally" is the slogan of Kyunghyang Shinmun's newsletter <Dot-Line-Plane>. We analyze issues worth readers' consideration as dots (facts), lines (contexts), and planes (perspectives) to present them in a three-dimensional way. Read <Dot-Line-Plane> for 10 minutes every weekday (MonFri) at 7 a.m. and build your "muscles of thought."