[KS] O^ Chae-yo^n and Sugi

[Eugene Y. Park]

Dear Mr. Duvernay and other concerned parties,

I would like to help out to the extent I'm capable.  Let me share some
thoughts on this...  

At least judging from the way the French government maintains (at least as
a nominal excuse) that what Korean cultural objects their 1866 expedition
to Kanghwa Island took are now deeply cherished national treasure items to
the French public, it is imperative that any serious effort to return O^
Chae-yo^n's flag to Korea must convince (or give the impression) that the
initiative is coming from the concerned members of the AMERICAN PUBLIC,
not the Koreans.  This is not to suggest that the wishes of the Korean
public are secondary, but any moral concern for the Korean wishes would
have to be articulated by the American public to improve the chance for
the cause's success.  This to me makes more political sense.  The fact
that Mr. Duvernay, a blood relative of the 1871 U.S. expedition commander,
is leading the cause adds much legitimacy and symbolic power to the
effort.

My suggestion: in the same way the _Chosun Daily_'s ideological criticism
of a South Korean professor a couple of years generated a powerful
petition drive among the Koreanists, I think the cause we're discussing
here could use a well-articulated petition and a ton of signatures from
the concerned Koreanists in America.  Such petition should carry more
weight in the eyes of the U.S. policy makers if most of the signatories
bear more "American-sounding" names rather than all these Kims, Lees,
Chois, Chungs, etc.  My own Korean last name, "Park," may or may not work
in this regard, but I'm definitely willing to sign a well-drafted
petition.

Sincerely,

Gene Park  


On Mon, 26 Jun 2000, Thomas Duvernay wrote:

> I've tried to do this on a personal level, but it looks like I will have to
> bring it up a notch.  For the past few years, I have tried to get the flag
> of the Korean commander of Kanghwa Island (1871), General Uh Je-yeon,
> returned to Korea.  It was captured by US forces in 1871.  Residents of
> Kanghwa Island, the Kanghwa County Office and even the grandson of Gen. Uh
> have asked for help in getting the flag returned.  I have sent letters to my
> state rep, senator and also to the DoD and even to President Clinton.  The
> reply was always about the same-- "We appreciate your concern, but no."
> Today, I received another such letter; unless others show an interest in its
> being returned, no effort will be made by the US gov't to return the flag.
> An excerpt from the letter I sent to the president is as follows:
> 
> <<To be sure, Korea should thank the US for inadvertantly saving the flag
> (http://www.ncmc.cc.mi.us/esl/1871/kwg46.jpg) from
> almost certain destruction; all other such flags perished over the years
> from age, neglect and war. Now, however, there is no reason to retain the
> flag of a friendly nation. Currently, it resides, rolled up on a bottom
> shelf, at the United States Naval Academy Museum (see
> http://www.ncmc.cc.mi.us/esl/1871/usnasugi.jpg), where nobody can appreciate
> it.
> I understand the technical points involved, such as it can only be released
> back to Korea by an Act of Congress and that the US is reluctant to do such
> a thing, as other countries would ask for their items back, too. I think
> both points can be worked around. First, with your influence, a bill could
> be introduced into Congress for such an act. Second, the flag doesn't
> necessarily need to be given back to Korea outright; it could be "loaned on
> a permanent basis." In this way, it technically still would belong to the
> United States, but could be appreciated by the country from which it came.
> 
> Of course, history is history and we cannot rewrite it. By today's
> standards, the US should never have been in Korea; the way the US went up
> the Salt River in 1871 could be likened to a foreign warship going up the
> Mississippi-- would the US have allowed it? What would the US position be
> today if the British had captured something irreplaceable from our country
> back in the 18th or 19th C? It is true that US forces risked their lives to
> capture that flag, but it is also true that Korean forces risked and lost
> their lives to keep it.>>
> 
> This flag would be considered a national treasure in Korea.  Please contact
> me if you would like to help get it returned.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Thomas
> goongdo at hotmail.com
> 
> http://www.ncmc.cc.mi.us/esl/1871/index.html
> 
> 
> 



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