Nonkilling Korea Edited by Glenn D. Paige

Nonkilling Korea

Edited by Glenn D. Paige and Chung-Si Ahn, Nonkilling Korea is a collection of scholarly essays and material delivered at the Asia Center/Seoul National University and the Center for Global Nonkilling in Seoul during August 18-19, 2010. The material is written primarily about Korean values and culture, with the purpose of creating a shift in the discourse used to discuss modern Korean history. Whereas most Korean historiography focuses on war, and the political and militaristic aspects of 20th century conflicts surrounding Korea, the authors that contribute to Nonkilling Korea try to reframe history to include spiritual values and ethics. The book does not limit itself to a discussion of Korean history or culture per se, either. The editors cull material from sources that address other nations and cultures in relation to both South and North Korea, including the United States, China, Japan, and Russia. Nonkilling Korea includes an Introduction by Glenn D. Paige, and a Conclusion by both editors, Paige and Ahn. Individual essays that follow include, "Spiritual and Practical Assets of Korean Nonviolence" by Jang-seok Kang; "Nonkilling in North Korean Culture" by Glenn D. Paige; "From Nonkilling to Beloved Community" by Michael N. Nagler and Stephanie N. Van Hook; "Possibilities of a Peaceful Nonkilling China" by Dahua Tang; "Nonkilling in Japanese Culture" by Mitsuo Okamoto and Tamayo Okamoto; "Evolution of the Idea of Nonkilling in Russian Culture" by Tatiana Yakushkina; and "Nonkilling in Russian Culture" by William V. Smirnov.

One of the central premises of Nonkilling Korea, and of all the essays included in the tome, is that killing is not the natural state of being of any human being or human culture. By gathering evidence from multiple cultures, the authors show that the average person living within one of these societies (such as Korea or Japan) is not interested in killing other people. Paige comes from a perspective that nonviolence can be a core component of any political strategy, and should be considered a more valid framework from which to conduct international relations. Therefore, Nonkilling Korea is not a re-writing of history so much as it is a proposition for future policy change. The authors ask readers to envision a Korea that does not cultivate violence: "a Korea in which no Koreans kill other Koreans, no foreigners kill Koreans, and no Koreans are sent abroad to kill foreigners," (Paige and Ahn 15).

The Introduction to Nonkilling Korea begins with the assertion that violence has been brought onto the Korean peninsula from external sources such as Japan, America, Russia, and China. Prior to the modern era, Koreans have contended with invasions and incursions on the part of Mongols, Manchus, Han Chinese, and others. The Korean peninsula is currently divided because of the military interventions of the main modern entities: Japan, China, Russia, and the United States. Therefore, the authors expose the nonviolent ethical and religious traditions within these different cultures in order to propose a new vision for foreign relations and political policy. The bellicose policies of these nations converged during the Korean War. The authors try to distinguish the foreign policies and military strategies of these nations with the actual cultures that they harbor: which are essentially peaceable according to the authors.

In "Spiritual and Practical Assets of Korean Nonviolence," Jang-seok Kang claims that the history books tend only to focus on the violent aspects of Korean history, while ignoring the very real and important nonviolent cultural and religious trends throughout Korean history. The same can be said for other cultures, too, but it is Jang-seok Kang's goal to focus specifically on Korea for the purposes of fulfilling the main theses of Nonkilling Korea. The author traces the nonviolent spiritual movements in Korea, which are traced back to indigenous Korean religious traditions and then to Buddhism. There have also been nonviolent political protest movements in modern Korea. For example, in 1919, the Samil Independence Movement is qualified as nonviolent resistance. This was the uprising against the Japanese occupation and colonization. The Japanese regime entailed "brutal colonial rule," and the Samil Independence Movement combined from the ideals of self-determination and nonviolent protest (Jang-seok Kang 31).

In Michael Nagler and Stephanie N. Van Hook's essay "From Nonkilling to beloved Community," the authors extend the argument that nonviolence as an ethical and spiritual ideal is integral to American culture as well as Korean culture. There have been trends in many societies to shift away from the warlike tendencies that characterize brutal, greedy regimes, and shift towards a more peaceful and egalitarian social and political model. This model precludes any sort of exploitation, from economic to political.

Dahua Tang takes the argument across the border to speak about Chinese indigenous nonviolent movements in "Possibilities of a Peaceful Nonkilling China. Here, the author claims that there can be social institutions that exist for the specific purpose of discouraging violence. Chinese history reveals several cultural elements that promote peace and nonviolence as ideals of human behavior and of public policy. China need not be demonized to the extent that it has in the West, in America in particular, claims Tang. There are essential social values and ethics that prove that Chinese culture can become one that cultivates peace rather than militarism. The author provides evidence of these values and trends.

Mitsuo and Tamayo Okamoto write about "Nonkilling in Japanese Culture" to bolster the debate. Drawing from ancient Japanese culture and even its cosmology, the authors show that violence is not essential to Japanese civilization. For example, the authors mention Amaterasu and other goddess stories to provide a feminist perspective that discourages violence. Although violence has been a part of Japanese history, there are equally as powerful spiritual, moral, and cultural trends that show that peace is highly valued in the society.