Industrialization in Korea: Result of Nationalism and Anticommunism

Industrialization in Korea: Result of Nationalism and Anticommunism

        After Japan’s flee in 1945 from a crushing defeat of the World War II, remaining Japanese sold off their military goods and formed a small street market which now officially became “International Market” in Busan. In 1950, the Korean War out broke between “left-wing” and “right-wing” – now as North and South Korea. The market slowly transformed into a place where refugees sold American military supplies and smuggled goods from the nearby port. The film “Ode to My Father” (2014) used the background location to this market as a representation of intervention from multiple countries during the war time, such as the United States, Soviet Union, China, and other participating countries to the Korean War.

When the main character, Duk-Soo, settles in his aunt’s market in Busan with the rest of his family after the Hungnam Evacuation in which he lost little sister and father, the film wonderfully describes how Duk-Soo’s life gets dedicated to his entire family and furthermore, his own nation. The dramatic industrialization and growth in Korean economy resulted from hard working individuals like Duk-Soo and there are several concepts and values which the government promoted to be deeply rooted for better association of the civilians to the country. Every little efforts of these hard workers revived the economy of South Korea with harmonization of two concepts: Nationalism and Anticommunism along with base concept of Confucianism since 1953 when the ceasefire agreement was signed.

        While the Japanese government colonized the peninsula, the majority of economy was dependent on resources of Japan. So when Japan evacuated Korea, left with almost none of resources, the country was in a serious economic crisis with unstable government and threatened protection. To worsen the case, “many Koreans felt uneasy about industrial labor, resisting industrial work precisely because they feared that their work might contribute to the strength of Japanese economy.” (Kim and Park, 39) Following the war, population increased as refugees travelled down to south and the U.S. had to import large amount of food supplies in order to feed such number of people. Uncontrollable money supply expansion also resulted hyper-inflation, the economy in South Korea seemed to be sinking into a very deep hole. From the film, Duk-Soo and his mother diligently works and pours great amount of time and effort to feed the family but still in poverty.

        When Duk-Soo gets accepted to a college he wished to attend, he soon realized his younger brother also was accepted to a top college. Duk-Soo suffered from having to give up on his dream and finally decided to go over to Germany as a mine worker. At the time in Germany, mine workers were considered as “3D” – Dirty, Dangerous, and Difficult – and South Korean government decided on making an agreement with Germany to send cheap-waged workers. This was in 1960s when the United States stopped supporting goods and Korea needed to rebuild the economy with nothing left financially. Like Duk-Soo, many individuals gave up on their dreams for the better living for their family and left to Germany. Nurses were also sent to Germany as at the time Germany expanded its health care and was in short of helping hands. According to Goethe Institut of Migration and Integration, 8,000 mine workers were sent to Germany who were mostly students and highly skilled men not accustomed to heavy working environment like 10,000 feet underground, and the group was soon followed with 10,000 young women sent as nurses.