2002년형 반미(反美): 그 정치심리학적 근원과 정치외교적 의의

Abstract

The latest wave of anti-Americanism in South Korea is remarkable not because it became any more radical than the previous ones, but because it mobilized a crowd that is unprecedented both in terms of size and demographics. Tens of thousands South Koreans including teen-agers, white collar workers in their 30s and 40s, and even older gentlemen in their 60s and 70s stormed onto the street with candle lights in their hands demanding the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement between South Korea and the United States. This article argues that this wave, if not previous ones, can better be explained in terms of the national identity dynamic, meaning the potential for mass action when there is a threat to, or an opportunity to promote the national identity. Based on the identification theory in social psychology, this article argues that historical developments in South Korea, particularly democratization since 1987, created a strong sense of national identity in the minds of South Koreans, which was prompted into mass actions by events that either threatened or provided opportunities for the identity. The death of two schoolgirls and the verdict of not guilty for the American soldiers responsible for the accident was one of such events, particularly when the national identity dynamic was in process due to the World Cup and the Presidential election.