[KS] Choi Jang-jip / Choson Ilbo (2)

[Frank Hoffmann]

======= f o r w a r d e d  (from Henry H. Em) =========================>>>

Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998
From: "Henry H. Em" <em at HUMnet.UCLA.EDU>


Dear friends,

I've received a number of messages, sent to me
privately, asking me to clarify a number of points.

First, how exactly did Choson Ilbo distort
Choi Jang-jip's work?  Secondly, what _are_
Choi's views on the Korean War, etc.?  Rather
than responding to individually, I've taken the
liberty to respond to the entire list.

I've posted three separate messages.  In this
posting: English language versions of Choson
Ilbo's articles from late October.  In the second
posting:  my review of Choi's article in _State
and Society in Contemporary Korea_, a review
which gives some idea of Choi's scholarship and
politics.  Finally, a number of people have asked
me to include their signatures on the Statement I've
circulated.  But, the Statement is only a rough
draft.  I have also received a number of suggestions
and comments - and based on those the third
posting contains the "second draft" for further
comments - and wider distribution.

with appreciation,

Henry H. Em
----------------BEGIN-------------------
Chosun Ilbo ("CRITICISM ON PROFESSOR
CHOI'S VIEW," Seoul, 10/30/98)
reported that Professor Choi Jang-jip of Korea
University, concurrently head of the
Presidential Commission on Policy Planning,
was criticized harshly for his controversial
views on the Korean War at a seminar of the
Sungwoo-Hoe, a veterans' organization of
former generals.  Retired Brigadier General
Park Kyung-suk, president of the military
commentators' association, stated that
Professor Choi had gone overboard when he
wrote that the Korean War was a war of
national liberation, that Kim Il-sung's decision
regarding the War was a "historic" one, and
that Kim Il-sung was a nationalist dedicated to
national unification.  He also criticized
Professor Choi for his remark that "the crossing
of the 38th parallel by the US and South
Korean forces during the war could not be
understood except as a manifestation of
aggressive expansionism.  Lieutenant
General (retired) Chang Joon-ik, former dean
of the Korean Military Academy, commented
that "Professor Choi's writings shake the
foundations of the Republic.  It is
incomprehensible that such a person was
appointed to a key advisory position to the
President.  The government has to make its
position clear on this issue."  The seminar,
held on October 29, was attended by some
300 retired and active generals.

Chosun Ilbo ("THE CONTROVERSIAL
VIEWS OF PROFESSOR CHOI," 10/25/98)
noted that in Professor Choi Jang-jip's books
"An Understanding of the Korean War"
(Tae-am, 1990), and "The Conditions and the
Prospects of Korean Democracy" (1993), he
made the following controversial arguments.
Choi cites US Professor Bruce Cumings'
"Child of Conflict" as evidence that Kim Il-sung
was "a fervent nationalist, rather than a
communist" who sought to unify the two Koreas.
Choi also said that the traditional view of the
Korean War is "a justification for U.S.
hegemony and the raison d'etat of South Korea,"
and that it failed to take into account the
national liberation movement.  He attributed
the deluge of refugees from the DPRK during
the war to the US Navy's siege of Wonsan.
He argued that the Korean War began as a fight
for national liberation, "but ceased to be a civil
war between revolutionary nationalistic forces
and separatists with the explosion of internal
contradiction within the country."  He
maintained that Kim Il-sung likely expected a
limited war, and argued that the DPRK forces
were welcomed by many in the ROK during the
early stages of the war.  He also said that the
swiftness of the US decision to intervene
suggested that "they had been waiting for the
North to give them an excuse to act."  Choi
argued that the US "crossing of the 38th
parallel together with the South Korean army
and subsequent advance deep into the North
can only be interpreted as aggressive
expansionism."  He questioned whether the
source of the US bombing campaign was "the
result of the advance of western science and
civilization or from U.S. imperialism?"  He
also argued that while then-ROK President
Syngman Rhee may be described as a
nationalist, "he must also be branded as a
fascist."


Joongang Ilbo ("FIRST COURT HEARING
ON PROFESSOR CHOI JANG-JIP'S LAW
SUIT," 10/31/98) reported that the first hearing
on Professor Choi Jang-jip's defamation lawsuit
against the Chosun Ilbo was held at the Seoul
District Court on October 30.  Choi had filed
a suit for an article published in the November
issue of the "Monthly Chosun," which he
claimed distorted his writings and demanded
the immediate suspension of circulation of the
magazine.  Choi's attorney, Ahn Sang-woon,
asserted that the "Monthly Chosun" article
wrongly attributed Choi as saying the Korean
War was one of "national liberation," when in
fact this was merely an introduction to a DPRK
claim.  An attorney for the Chosun Ilbo
countered that since Professor Choi holds a
position that can shape the philosophical and
policy direction of the government's "Second
Nation-Building" campaign and therefore is a
"public person," the media has the right and
responsibility to examine his ideology.  The
judge granted the request of Choi's lawyers to
call as a witness Professor Kim Hak-joon,
President of Inchon University.


_______________________
Henry H. Em
Assistant Professor,
UCLA - Dept. of East Asian Lang. & Cultures

mailing address until Dec. 31, 1998:
c/o Asiatic Research Center, Room 303
Korea University,
Anam-dong, Sungbuk-gu,
Seoul 136-701,  Korea

Tel:  82(country code)-2-780-6185 (ho)
Fax:  82-2-780-7014
Tel:  82-2-923-8702,  Ext. #126  (of)
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frank Hoffmann * 1961 Columbia Pike #42 * Arlington, VA 22204 * USA
E-MAIL:  hoffmann at fas.harvard.edu
W W W :  http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hoffmann/




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