[KS] question on Yushin

[Vladimir Tikhonov]

Dear all,

In fact, I guess it is a fact of common knowledge - "Yusin" and its 
Japanese Meiji prototype are taken from the classical phraseology of 
Shujing, the Canon of History. It pops up their repeatedly, and the most 
famous stoke frase with this character component is, of course - 
"Although Zhou is an ancient land, its mandate can be renewed" 
(Chusukubang kimyOngyusin, if my memory works right). Japanese certainly 
used this archaic expression in order to enhance the credibility of 
"tenno-system" ideology, pointing out to its Confucian background. If we 
are to believe Cho Kapche, Park Chong Hee was aware about the classical 
meaning of "Yusin" ("moral renewal of the ruler and the political system 
in orde to ensure the continuation of the Heavenly Mandate"). Even if he 
did not learn Shujing by heart in his childhood, his educational advisor 
Prof. Park Chonghong was certainly in position to tell him. The use of 
the word embedded in the Chinese Imperial ideology is hardly accidental 
in the context of the campaigns for "disseminating loyalty and filial 
piety" the regime was condacting in the 1970s with almost grotesque zeal.

Vladimir Tikhonov (Pak Noja)


On 20.01.2006 09:33, Ruediger Frank wrote:
> Dear Mr. Levkowitz and all,
> 
> on a side note, I was always struck by the similarities
> between the Saemaeul Undong (New Village Movement), evolving
> around the same time as the Yushin Constitution, and  Mao's
> Cultural Revolution. If you read some of Park Chung-hee's
> speeches from that time, he stops short of talking about
> "the most beautiful characters" that could only be written
> "on a blank sheet of paper", to paraphrase the Great
> Helmsman who wanted to erase all traces of old thought to
> make room for new thinking in the minds of his Chinese
> subjects. Park, too, emphasizes the alleged "backwardness"
> of Koreans and their attitudes and calls for a thorough
> ideological modernization. Institutionalists such as
> Clarence E. Ayres would say that he tried to fight
> ceremonialism and supported technlogical dynamism. On a
> smaller scale, this is a process that repeats itself quite
> frequently in Korean politics until present time. The
> renaming of political parties, for example, is one
> expression of this continuous desire to "renew" or
> "revitalize". The official slogan "Dynamic Korea" fits
> perfectly into this way of looking at the issue.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Ruediger Frank
> 
> William Brown wrote:
> 
>>
>> For some reason I seem to remember they translated yushin into 
>> "revitalizing reforms" in English.
>>
>> Bill Brown
>>
>> From: "Alon Levkowitz" <levko at smile.net.il>
>> Reply-To: Korean Studies Discussion List <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
>> To: <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
>> Subject: [KS] question
>> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 22:24:21 +0200
>>
>> Dear group.
>> I would like to consult the group about a word - Yushin (Yusin). Was 
>> the term Yushin for the yushin constitution under Park's regime was 
>> chosen for a specific goal. Does the word, without the problematic 
>> applications of the constitution by Park, means positive or negative?
>> Thanks
>> Alon
>> Dr. Alon Levkowitz
>> Email: levko at smile.net.il
>> Tel/Fax: 972-3-6133045
>>
>>
>>
>>
> 
> 


-- 
Vladimir Tikhonov,
Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages,
Faculty of Humanities,
University of Oslo,
P.b. 1010, Blindern, 0315, Oslo, Norway.
Fax: 47-22854828; Tel: 47-22857118
Personal web page: http://folk.uio.no/vladimit/
 
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