Recent changes in the relationship between North and South Korea and dialogue between the United States and the Kim Jong-un regime earlier this year lead to uncharted territory. Directly affected by this is a generation of individuals in the South whose attitudes, politics, and experiences differ from their war-weary predecessors.
Born after the Korean War, these individuals are now in power positions, and their life experiences continue to impact their decision-making as the dialogue process continues. Known as the “386 Generation,” this group represents an ideological shift for the country, perhaps in a way the Baby Boom generation impacted politics and attitudes in the United States.
Paramount in this ideological shift is that members of the 386 Generation are generally not as enthusiastic about U.S.-Korean relationships as their parents’ generation, and some have gone so far as to support the removal of U.S. troops from the Korean peninsula altogether. Some of them are also sympathetic to the North Korean regime and advocate a peace agreement with North Korea at all costs. This attitude could impact the peace process between the two Koreas.
Coined in the 1990s, “386 Generation” comes from the fact that the post-Korean war generation was in their 30s at that time, attended college in the 1980s, and were born in the 1960s.
The differences between the 386 Generation’s politics and that of their parents stems from the different environments in which both demographics grew up, Kongdan “Katy” Oh, an Asian specialist at the Institute for Defense Analyses, told Homeland411. Oh is also the author of several books on North Korea, including North Korea: Through the Looking Glass and The Hidden People of North Korea.
The previous generation, born directly after the Korean War, grew up in a poor country still recovering from the devastation of World War II. They “felt deeply grateful to the U.S.,” for intervening in the Korean War against North Korean and Chinese aggression, Oh said.
“South Korea was a close American ally after the Korean War,” she added, noting that South Koreans admired the U.S. economic system. The current South Korean economy, based on the U.S. model, began to develop. To the post-World War II generation, the United States was an “adored and respected country,” Oh said.
“In the 1960s, although Korea was not as rich as today … the economy was gradually shaping up,” she said. “They [the 386 generation] understood the importance of science and technology and education. They were not born in a rich Korea, but definitely in a more affluent society.”
Class Impact
Bruce Bechtol, author of The Last Days of Kim Jong-il: The North Korean Threat in a Changing Era, and the forthcoming North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa, told Homeland411 that complex social and political issues at work as well.
“They [the 386 Generation] were the first generation in South Korea that was actually middle-class,” Bechtol said. “[Their parents] helped build South Korea into a modern state, but they still weren’t living under a democracy.”
He added that the 386 Generation had activist and anti-government tendencies in the 1980s as well.
“Not the whole generation … but many of the people who were in college during the ‘80s, pushed hard for democracy,” Bechtol said. “Another factor of that was, they were vehemently—and still are—anti-American. They are not open to policies that are pro-American.”
Oh added that they are “much more independent-spirited, nationalist.” South Korean politics were “chaotic and bloody” prior to the 1988 Olympics,” she added. “Basically, the top leader was a military-funded civilian, sort of like a benign dictator.”
The South Korean government’s main goal was economic development, Oh said. Political disagreement and democracy were stifled. The 386 Generation rebelled against this political climate and fought for a more open society.
“The first they … came to power was in 2003, when Roh Moo-hyun was elected president,” Bechtol said. “By the time that happened, South Korea was a truly transparent democracy, arguably the most transparent democracy in East Asia, but they continued to have a lack of trust.”
According to Bechtol, members of the 386 Generation dislike big business, known as “chaebol” in Korean. They are also anti-Japanese. The current South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, although not a member of that generation himself, is in favor of the same kinds of policies as they are. Moon was Roh’s chief of staff, Bechtol added.
Sympathy for the North
Despite the divide between north and south, some 386 Generation members have developed a fondness for the dictatorship ruling North Korea as well.
“They think that the founder of the North Korean republic, Kim Il-sung, who is the grandfather of the current young Kim, was a great charismatic, nationalistic leader, and they worship him,” Oh said. “Not all of them, but some important figures and activists [are] very much interested in respecting North Korean political leaders more than South Korean leaders, and the North Korean national ethos.”
While admiring North Korea, many ignore the regime’s incredible human rights violations, including against the South during the Korean War, she added.
“The previous generation experienced the Korean War, a bloody war that North Korea triggered and killed tons of people,” Oh said. “More than 11 million Koreans [were] dispersed.”
While older generations strongly favor continued U.S. military protection against North Korea and other potential aggressors, Oh said the younger generation is not as enthusiastic. Some privately favor the removal of U.S. troops from the region, but don’t dare to say so publicly because their position is very unpopular among the wider Korean population. Not only do the 386 Generation’s parents disagree with their political positions, but also their children; the South Korean generation that followed the 386 is more conservative than they are.
“They are very pro-China, they are very pro-North Korea,” Oh said of the 386 Generation, adding that some radicals are active in the Korean government and make up 40 percent of Moon’s government.
They have a lot of influence with Moon, who is more favorable to North Korea than past leaders and enthusiastically supports the current peace talks.
“In principle, [it’s] all good,” Oh said. “But we are talking about a … thug, nuclear proliferator, military provocateur.”
Bechtol also noted the generation’s strong influence on Moon.
“The 386 Generation people, who are now in their 50s, by the way, [are] running the Moon Jae-in cabinet, although they are much more nuanced about it, their attitudes toward government and economics … and Americans are basically still the same,” he said.
Bechtol and Oh both agreed that one of the main aims of 386 Generation activists is a permanent peace between the two Koreas and reunification at any cost. North Korea is trying to wheedle as many concessions as possible from South Korea through the negotiations while giving up as little power as possible. Therefore, it is crucial that South Korea, as well as its allies, keep its eyes open and not develop a false sense of security.
Comparisons between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s negotiations with President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s are not valid, according to Oh. “Gorbachev was a person who understood … that Communism is not sustainable,” she said, adding that North Korea’s version of communism is unique, and Kim has not acknowledged his regime’s failure and still hopes to dominate South Korea.
“They are only interested in perpetuating the Kim regime,” she said, “from grandfather to father and grandson. Have you seen any other Communist country that has this kind of three-generational leadership? No. It’s the first time in history. It’s like a combination of Stalin’s Russia, Mao’s China, and … [a] Banana Republic.”
However, North Korea cannot keep its citizens in the dark forever, Oh said. Once they figure out that the Kims are not supernatural leaders but dictators that have inflicted extreme damage on their country, she added, they will force change in North Korea from the inside out.
Rachel Schultz is a staff writer for Homeland411.
© 2018 Homeland411.
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