[KS] Korean attitudes towards "German" Shepherd Dogs

Aaron Herald Skabelund ahs39 at columbia.edu
Thu Apr 14 02:00:06 EDT 2005


In relation to a larger project on human-canine relations, I have a
question about Korean attitudes towards "German" Shepherd Dogs. I
have heard from a number of Korean specialists that an older
generation of Koreans dislikes these dogs because of their
extensive deployment by Japanese colonial authorities. Similar
attitudes exist among older people in Manchuria and Taiwan, where I
have been able to find textual and visual evidence of such
historical memories. I have so far been unable to find any material
for Korea, except for some anecdotal evidence. In addition, I
recently heard that some Koreans refer to the breed as "Yankee
Dogs," presumably because of their use by the Americans after 1945.
It would seem that negative attitudes toward the dogs translated
smoothly across eras of colonial oppression and American occupation
and a large U.S. military presence. Any ideas, references, leads, or
suggestions, and even additional anecdotes, are greatly appreciated.

Aaron Skabelund
Research Fellow
Hokkaido University




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