economic inequality, dissatisfaction, and fear of unstable social status. These two
origins have many similar points, which are increasing through interactions.
1) Hate as a Method of Power
The hatred that has been rampant longest in our society has its origins in the
red complex of the anticommunist system of the state. This type of hate towards
those who were labelled as “Reds” did not stop at judgments toward particular
political beliefs or ideologies. It led the authoritative powers to classify those who
should be politically and socially excluded.
The root of this hate is in Japan’s colonization method, which considered
Koreans who resisted he Japanese as “Non-Citizens” who could be eliminated.
Hate was also the result of the ideological conflict between the right and left after
liberation, and was used to define and stigmatize those who were aligned against
or refused to follow the system as social deviants and enemies of the system.
As a result, such people were severely punished and isolated from society. By
establishing this national fear through classification and stigma, the authoritative
powers were able to control the public’s sentiments and awareness.
In addition, the authoritarian ruling of the military regime structured the
awareness of hate by rallying regionalism. The regime took advantage of the
nepotistic culture evidenced through school ties and regionalism to discriminate
against people from particular regions by distributing prejudice and fake
information to gather supporters. The powers of the nation were constructed and
distributed according to regionalism, and the general public naturally incorporated
these ideas about exclusion as part of their beliefs and everyday life.
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