"South Korea is the only one in the world who looks down on China, but there is no South Korea in the eyes of Chinese youth. ”
In 2015, South Korean professor Jin Lan said such controversial words in a variety show.
South Korea is well known to have repeatedly applied for various traditional cultures belonging to the mainland, and they often describe what belongs to China as their own on social platforms.
It was as if they were the most developed country in the world and didn't take China seriously at all, but Professor Kim Randu's words completely shattered their Korean illusions.
And this can't help but make many people wonder, why is South Korea so confident, and why do they look down on China?
The statements in this article are based on reliable sources of information and are detailed at the end of the article
The least favorite country for Koreans
In 2015, South Korean professor Kim Landu talked about China and South Korea in a program called "Seeing Ten Thousand Miles".
He said that many South Koreans hate China very much, but it seems that only Koreans look down on Chinese.
Koreans often have a negative view of China, and all kinds of bad words can be placed on Chinese.
But in fact, China's development speed and comprehensive national strength have far surpassed South Korea's, and this arrogance and prejudice are very anachronistic.
Professor Kim also said that during his visit to China, he found that young people in China showed great self-confidence and initiative.
They are studious, active and hopeful for the future.
Young Koreans, by contrast, appear arrogant and uncompetitive.
But in fact, in recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in various fields such as economy, science and technology.
China has become the world's second-largest economy and is leading in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, 5G communications, and high-speed rail construction.
It is a fact that China's comprehensive national strength and international influence are increasing day by day.
On the other hand, South Korea, although it has also created the "Han River Miracle" and is known as one of the "Asian Tigers" along with Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, has slowed down in recent years, and the momentum of innovation has weakened.
In the face of China's rapid rise, South Korea began to develop anxiety and insecurity, which in turn developed some prejudice and misunderstanding about China and the Chinese.
In 2021, according to the results of a survey released by a South Korean polling company, China ranked first among South Korea's least favorite countries.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics, South Korean players were also punished for fouls, and South Korean netizens not only did not reflect, but also openly questioned the rules of the game on social platforms and provoked rounds of "national wars".
In fact, South Korea looks down on the Chinese so much, in addition to the reason why China is becoming stronger and stronger than them, there are many other reasons.
The development of South Korea
South Korea and North Korea were once completely reunified, and in the years since, the Korean Peninsula has largely remained unified, despite many dynastic changes.
Until 1948, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, which fought for independence.
The Korean War broke out after the establishment of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on the Korean Peninsula.
Although the war ended in an armistice, the division of the Korean Peninsula was solidified.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of Korea, South Korea was highly dependent on the United States in terms of politics, economy, and military. In order to use South Korea to enter Asia, the United States has provided a large amount of economic aid and military support to South Korea to help South Korea quickly build a modern city.
South Korea has also become an important pawn of the United States in containing the socialist camp and pursuing hegemonism in the Asia-Pacific region.
With the support of the United States, South Korea's economy has developed rapidly, creating the "Han River Miracle" that has attracted worldwide attention.
At that time, China was in ruins, various economies and policies were just starting, and during the Korean War, China chose to resist US aggression and aid Korea.
As a result, South Korea is prejudiced against China and feels that China is backward and poor.
And after entering the 21st century, the Korean Wave has swept the land of China, and many young people blindly worship various Korean idols, coupled with the entry of Korean dramas and Korean dramas, which has made Korean pop culture popular in China for a while.
Cultural exchanges, the gathering of heroes is good, but many young people have not yet established the correct three views, many people feel that Korean artists have a very high status, and even many public figures openly promote Korean culture, and say that their idols are Korean stars on major platforms.
This makes South Koreans feel that their country is the most powerful, and the already arrogant South Koreans become even more arrogant.
"Anti-Chinese" sentiment in the South Korean government
If China and South Korea are now causing this situation, the politicians of the South Korean government can be said to have "contributed a lot".
In recent years, there has been a wave of using anti-China sentiment to seek political interests and popular support in South Korea's political circles and among the people.
Because South Korea's development has long been much worse than before, the South Korean government can only comply with the people's voice in order to inspire the people's will.
In order to win votes, some politicians even do not hesitate to incite nationalist sentiment among the people and exaggerate China's "threat" and "aggression".
This practice not only harms the friendly relations between China and South Korea, but also misleads the South Korean people about China.
At the same time, the South Korean government, in an effort to boost public confidence, has repeatedly claimed that South Korea is still one of the most developed countries in Asia.
They emphasized South Korea's achievements in the fields of economy, science and technology, culture, etc., in an attempt to create an image of a strong and superior country.
However, this self-aggrandizing approach has exacerbated the arrogance and narrow nationalism of some people.
They believe that South Korea is superior to China, and even despise and hostile China, and this mentality not only hinders mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, but also does not correspond to the facts.
From an objective point of view, China and the ROK are both important countries in East Asia, and both have their own advantages and characteristics in the economic, cultural, and other fields.
For China, our goal is to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and reach and surpass the level of developed countries.
This is a long and arduous process, which requires us to work hard and accumulate steadily.
Compared with South Korea, China's comprehensive national strength and international influence are obviously stronger.
But the South Korean people have long been brainwashed by their government to not see clearly the situation in the world.
The attitude of young Koreans
Most of the people in South Korea who are not friendly to China are young people, who have always felt that Chinese pop culture is copied from South Korea.
Even when many Korean celebrities say that the pattern or hairpin representing China is Korean, they can support it without brains.
South Korea has been called a "stealing country" in recent years, and in the field of culture, some Koreans claim that Chinese culture is copied from South Korea.
From Chinese characters to tea ceremonies to China's intangible cultural heritage, many elements of Chinese culture are believed to have originated in Korea.
This made many people in other countries ridicule South Korea, making them directly say that even the world belongs to South Korea.
In fact, China and South Korea have had close cultural exchanges and mutual learning throughout history, but this does not become a reason for their theft.
And now some young people in South Korea have set their sights on the stock market, hoping to get rich quick through speculation.
However, not all of them have the relevant experience and knowledge, and they can easily get caught up in the volatility of the stock market, or even lose all their money.
Others are caught up in the spiral of hedonism.
Although the mentality of pursuing fashion, entertainment and consumption in a timely manner has relieved the stress and anxiety of young people to a certain extent, it has also led to some undesirable consequences, such as an increase in credit card debts and a rise in personal debt.
It is worth noting that many young Koreans have to rely on loans to survive in order to maintain their consumption. They get loans through various channels that they use to pay rent, buy luxury goods, travel and vacation, etc.
However, this loan-dependent lifestyle has undoubtedly increased the financial risks of young people and laid hidden dangers for the future.
Compared with Chinese youth, as Professor Jin Landu said, he has seen the progress and independence of Chinese youth.
There are many young entrepreneurs in China, on the contrary, many young people in South Korea like to speculate in stocks or invest.
All kinds of reasons are enough to explain why Koreans don't like China, but in the eyes of the Chinese people, as the professor said, there is no South Korea for a long time.
At the end of the 90s of the 20th century, a financial turmoil that swept through Asia hit the South Korean economy hard.
The crisis has plunged South Korea's economy into a trough, with a marked slowdown in economic growth.
The South Korean won has depreciated sharply, a large number of businesses have gone bankrupt, unemployment has soared, and the economy has fallen into recession.
What is even more confusing for South Korea is that the United States, a former ally, has not reached out this time, making South Korea feel more isolated and helpless than ever.
Their economy is stagnant and is overtaken by China, Samsung mobile phones are now rarely seen in China, and our domestic OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, Huawei and other electronic devices are not bad in performance, and the price is more appropriate.
Mobile communications, Alipay, high-speed rail, etc., all kinds of amenities are flooded around us, full of science and technology.
Our goal now in China is to become a great power, to be on a par with the United States, and many young people have been working hard to achieve this goal.
In today's world, no country should rest on its laurels, but should maintain an open and inclusive mind, respect differences, and learn from each other.
Only in this way can we achieve common development in competition and cooperation and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
For South Korea, it may be a top priority to objectively understand China, solve its own problems, and find a development path that suits its national conditions.
Resources
"Seeing Ten Thousand Miles" https://haokan.baidu.com/v?pd=wisenatural&vid=11042190791476220487
Guangming Network - "The Chao Xiaoye is big, and the difficulty of Yin Xiyue's governance increases" https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1796431724025160840&wfr=spider&for=pc
Xinhua News Agency New Media - "Survey: Eighty percent of young people in their twenties and thirties in South Korea invest in financial management" https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1714298878528197028&wfr=spider&for=pc