An Old Man's Ruminations (II)

by Yun Chi-ho

An Old-man's Ruminations(Ⅱ)

Oct, 20th, 1945.

1. There are hundreds of able and useful men who are denounced and ostracized as pro-Japanese. But who are the self-righteous denouncers? Most of them are the very fellows who, up to the "Noon of the 15th August, 1945", bowed to the East, repeated the Japanese National Oath, and shouted banzai for the Denno, on every public occasion in schools, in churches, in factories, in government and great business offices, in department stores and in wedding and funeral gatherings. Most of them Japanized their names. Why did they do these pro-Japanese things? Simply they had toㆍor go to jail. Who they, then, throw first stones at others? For two reason: (1) to throw dust into the eyes of people to cover up their unsavory past, and (2) to extort money from the fears and worries of certain persons for party and personal pockets.

Indeed it is absurd to stigmatize any body for having been pro-Japanese. During the 34 years of Japanese annexation (from 1911 to 1945), what was the status of Korea? Was she an independent Kingdom? No, she was a part of Japan, and so recognized by other Powers including America. If so, the Koreans were Japanese, willy nilly. Then, as the subject of Japan, what alternative could we, who had to live in Korea, have but to obey the orders and demands, however arbitrary, of the Japanese regime? If we had to send our sons to battle fields and our daughters to factories, could we refuse to do anything that the militarists commander? Therefore, it is a nonsense to denounce anybody for what he did under the status of a Japanese subject. As a stroke of statemanship and an act of common justice, a general amnesty―if this is a proper word―should be promulgated to enable so called pro-Japanese live in peace and to save them from the blackmailing "patriots" who believe (and act) that liberty is lawlessness and communism, brigandage. Many of these ostracized Koreans have learned efficiency and discipline from their former task-masters in various capacities. Their talents and knowledge of the rural conditions and needs of Korean masses will be highly useful to the leaders of the new Korean government to be.

2. By the way, it is really amusing to see some of the self-appointed saviors of Korea and their satellites swagger about everywhere talking big as if, by their own might and valor, they had saved Korea from the Japanese militarism. They are too stupid or too shameless―likely both―to realize that they had no more to do with the liberation of Korea than the man in the moon. It―the Liberation―just happened to come to us as one of the side issues of the allied victory. If Japan didn't capitulate, these swaggering, bragging "Patriots" would have kept on bowing to the East and reciting the national oath until―nobody knows how long―somebody with a big stick kick Japan out. Certainly not by these bragging and swaggering "Patriots"! Again if, by some miracle, were Japan to recapture Korea, will or can these swaggering and bragging "Patriots" drive her out? These braggarts talk very much like the silly fly, in a fable, which perched on a running cart and exclaimed that it, by its own power, made the wheels move.

Let us frankly admit and thank the stars that the liberation was a Gift. With gratitude and humility let us accept the Gift like a lost jewel re-found, and try our best not to lose it again. Let us sink all petty personal ambitions, factional intrigues and sectional hatred and pull together for the common good of our suffering country. Korea, from her geographical situation, popular ignorance and factional discords, faces no roseate future. Let us hang together lest we be hanged separately.