[Opinion] Private Jeon and National Rituals

Jeon Yong-il, a prisoner of war (POW), has been placed in custody in China since being arrested on the charge of carrying a fake passport when he tried to enter his country after escaping from North Korea. Despite the government all-out effort task of rescuing Jeon, little progress has been made because the Ministry of Defense did not confirm his identity in time. The government has often been criticized for its lack of effort in searching for missing soldiers in the Vietnam War and in repatriating POWs of the Korean War. If the value of sacrificed nations is disregarded, who would be willing to fight for our fatherland in emergency situations?

Violence and bloody conflicts prevailed when modern nation-states started to emerge. Kings waged wars frequently to enlarge their territory. For this, the kings burdened people with exorbitant taxes to procure expenditure for wars, as well as asked people to fight for them. Throughout such violent processes, paradoxically, integration and group identity strengthened, and people were remade as “nations.” However, the people of today do not remember such violent processes and just regard the nation as a virtuous entity to devote themselves to unconditionally. Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist, calls it “collective amnesia about origins.”

We can find answers to such a puzzle by looking at the process of recreating traditions and creating national rituals, which have developed continuously since the advent of nation-states. Through this process, absolute monarchy was transformed as a symbol of nation-states and the center of governance. Also, the army, which once was a symbol of violence, became supported as the guardian of national security. National rituals, as we are exposed to in daily life, also play a role in helping people forget negative memories and strengthening national integration and group identity.

It is known that the United States has a Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii (CILHI), with the goal to search for POWs, the missing and to collect bodies -- which are dispersed throughout the world. Once the remains of the dead are found, the U.S. government holds grand ceremonies where all Americans and their president pay respect to coffins decorated with the Stars and Stripes. In doing so, the U.S. government helps its people realize that “your fatherland will never forget you.” Consequently, such rituals inspire national loyalty and national identity. This way, Americans can forget past national violence and move on to a national identity. This is by no means a bad thing. It is the primary duty of a nation-state. The Korean government, however, failed to carry out even its primary duty. I cannot but cast doubt on whether or not my country is a nation-state.

Kim Young-il, Editorial Writer, Professor of Sungkyunkwan University

iykim@skku.edu