버지니아 텍 사건에 대한 기고문

버지니아텍 사건에 대한 관심이 고국에도 높아 위싱톤 포스트, 시카고 트리분에 실린 기고문을 참고로 올립니다. 염려 덕분에 미국과 미국 한인사회는 조용히 이 참사를 이성적으로 잘 수용하고 있습니다. 이의철에게 먼저 이글을 보냈었는데, "메기"에 올릴 것을 권고해서 그대로 올립니다. 의철: 하이- 버지니아 텍 사건과 관련된 기고문 ( 워싱톤 포스트, 시카고 트리뷴) 보낸다. 요즘 이 사건으로 좀 어수선하다. 그래도 미국 사회가 이성적으로 잘 수용하고 있는 것 같다. 나 4.18 부터 KBS에 매주 수요일에 고정 출연한다. "제 1라디오 24시 유애리입니다" 프로이다. 마감 뉴스 성격인데 나는 이 프로 진행 75% 지점, 새벽 0 :30분 경에 나간다. Koreans Aren't to Blame By Adrian Hong Friday, April 20, 2007; Page A31 Monday's events at Virginia Tech were tragic. As our nation mourns, countries around the world continue to send condolences and words of encouragement to the American people. Included in the aftermath of these shootings has been the response of Koreans in the United States. Many first-generation immigrants, part of a diverse and vibrant community, have taken it upon themselves to apologize for the actions of gunman Cho Seung Hui, citing a sense of collective guilt and shame simply by virtue of a shared ethnicity. This week Washington state Sen. Paull Shin issued an emotional apology for Cho's actions to fellow lawmakers and staff, and he cited American sacrifices for South Korea during the Korean War. News reports indicate that several Koreans have approached police stations throughout the nation, apologizing. Leaders of many Korean immigrant organizations have spoken of a sense of guilt and shame, apologizing on the shooter's behalf. South Korea's ambassador to Washington, Lee Tae Shik, spoke at a candlelight vigil I attended Tuesday night in Fairfax County. Through tears, he said that the Korean American community needed to "repent," and he suggested a 32-day fast, one day for each victim, to prove that Koreans were a "worthwhile ethnic minority in America." More than 600 people attended the hastily organized vigil. Many in the audience, overwhelmingly composed of Korean immigrants, sobbed openly as they prayed for healing in America in the wake of this tragedy. Many also expressed a personal sense of guilt. Media outlets have printed and broadcast remarks from Koreans ranging from leaders of civic organizations to men on the street; many seemed to home in on a specific sentiment -- that Koreans somehow felt as though they were responsible for the terrible events in Blacksburg. Korean Americans do not need to apologize for what happened Monday. All of us, as fellow Americans, feel tremendous sorrow and grief at the carnage. Our community, as it should, has expressed solidarity with and sent condolences to the victims, and as Americans, Koreans certainly should take part in the healing process. But the actions of Cho Seung Hui are no more the fault of Korean Americans than the actions of the Washington area snipers were the fault of African Americans. Just as those crimes were committed by deranged individuals acting on their own initiative, and not because of any ethnic grievance or agenda, these were isolated acts by an individual, not a reflection of a community. Further, it is inappropriate for the Korean ambassador to the United States to apologize on behalf of Korean Americans and speak of the need to work toward being accepted as a "worthwhile minority" in this nation. While the Korean ambassador represents the interests of Korean nationals in the United States, and the interests of the Republic of Korea, he does not speak for naturalized Koreans here. Culturally, Koreans have a strong sense of collective identity -- both in happiness and in suffering. This is part of the reason Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, the most valuable player in last year's Super Bowl, was claimed as a Korean son in Seoul and celebrated as a hero, even though he had lived in the United States all but the first year of his life. Korean culture also includes the concept of han, a shared sense of injustice and pain carried through generations; this is, Koreans say, a result of much of the oppression the nation has faced in past centuries by regional powers. The Korean claim to guilt and shame on behalf of Cho Seung Hui is well-intentioned but misguided. We are Americans first. While we share an affinity with Korea and appreciate and respect Korean culture, at the end of the day we are Americans. Our president is in the White House, not in the Blue House. And our response to this crisis should be as Americans, not as Koreans. Many Koreans interviewed by the media have also expressed concerns of retaliatory attacks, and some international students voiced fears of losing their status in the United States. Thankfully, it seems that few groups have voiced hate or advocated retribution against Koreans at large for this tragedy. (Some media outlets have even stopped referring to the gunman's ethnicity, mentioning his South Korean citizenship in passing. He is now known simply as "Cho" or "the gunman.") Moreover, it is absurd to think that the United States would somehow pursue retaliatory measures on international students from Korea, or any nation, as a result of such an attack. The other 100,000 Korean nationals studying in the United States are largely model citizens and tend to be quite engaged on their campuses and in their communities. Perhaps this fear stems from our collective experience in April 1992, when Koreans became scapegoats for simmering ethnic tensions and, somehow, were seen as responsible for the Rodney King beatings, and nearly 2,000 Korean businesses were the targets of rioting and looting. But I believe America has moved beyond that. Today, no Koreans should be afraid to leave their homes or to attend school. I have great faith in the American people. We have come a long way as a nation and understand today that the actions of an individual do not reflect on a community. I believe we have moved beyond the days when we would assign guilt and penance to an entire race based on isolated incidents. While the past two days have brought random acts of juvenile hate and immature racial slurs and acts, the vast majority of Americans understand that Korean Americans were victims along with the rest of America -- that we all took part in the tragedy at Virginia Tech, regardless of race or ethnicity. So I ask the Koreans of America to please continue expressing your heartfelt condolences. They are helping the healing process. But please do not apologize. The actions of Cho Seung Hui were not your fault. If our heads are hung low, they should be in grief, not in apology and shame. This tragedy is something for all of us to bear, examine and try to prevent as Americans, together. The writer is a director of the Mirae Foundation, which provides mentorship and empowerment of Korean American college students. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMENTARY Don't politicize massacre By Katharine H.S. Moon Published April 20, 2007 The massacre at Virginia Tech is eliciting a profusion of confusing and off-the-mark public reactions on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Americans seem not to know where to lay the blame, and Koreans in South Korea seem all too eager to bear collective responsibility -- and shame -- for the outrageous acts of a total stranger. Labeling and classifying may be ways for people to make sense of irrational things, but playing with identity politics and cultural differences is not the way to clarify a chaotic situation. In the immediate aftermath of the violence, the gunman's identity shifted and mutated in a matter of hours: a Chinese foreign student who had come to the United States a year ago, an Asian-looking male, an Asian male, a male in a Boy Scout uniform, a student from South Korea, a legal resident alien named Cho Seung Hui. These descriptions shape the way we view the events and individuals involved. For anti-immigration advocates, yet another foreigner is messing up our country and stealing the lives of American youth. As one blogger writes: "Here's a proposal. All Koreans in America, get out and go back to Korea, the crappy little country where you belong. If we'd thrown all you corrupt ingrates out a year ago, 32 of us would be alive today." But there were immigrants among the 32 victims -- from South Asia, China, Romania, Peru and elsewhere. According to Salon.com, conservative commentator Debbie Schlussel declared that a "Paki" was probably responsible, upon hearing that an "Asian" might have been the shooter. Such remarks should make the public demand information and clarity, not misinformation and incendiary bigotry. Just as all Koreans and Korean-Americans were not responsible for this crime and destruction, all Pakistanis -- or Romanians or Canadians for that matter -- would not be responsible if the gunman been one of "theirs." Despite their good intentions, some Koreans and Korean-Americans who have readily offered public sentiments of remorse and contrition are adding to the confusion. One elderly Korean in Seoul lamented to The New York Times, "I and all of South Korea want to apologize to all Americans about what happened." Lee Tae Sik, the Korean ambassador to the United States, expressed deep sorrow and sympathy with Americans and called upon Korean immigrants in this country to express regret and apology to the suffering American nation. He also urged Koreans in America to unite and cooperate with the mainstream of the society. On the other side of the country, state Sen. Paull Shin of Washington (who was born in Korea) uttered, "It hurts me deeply, knowing what happened to Korea and how much the U.S. helped" in the Korean War. There is room in Korean culture for collective remorse, guilt, grief and responsibility. It can be a good thing at times, especially when it can help a wayward soul reconnect with the family or larger community or deter an individual from pursuing selfish acts that hurt the larger group. And it certainly is appropriate when as human beings we want to embrace victims and survivors of a tragedy and let them know that "your pain is my pain." But these gestures and expressions can lift us up only in a cultural context that is familiar to all. What may work in Korea does not necessarily work in America. The tragedy unfolding minute by minute began as an outrageous criminal act by a mentally disturbed individual. This is not about Korea's relationship to America or Korean-Americans' or other immigrants' collective role in U.S. society. One sick young man's rampage should not invite us to lash out against bilateral relations and differing cultural communities. We should seek to protect and heal -- not politicize -- those who have been struck with horror and pain -- first and foremost, the victims, their families and friends, the gunman's family, his Centreville, Va., neighbors, and his college campus. ----------- Katharine H.S. Moon is an associate professor of political science at Wellesley College and an associate fellow at the Asia Society in New York City.