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Article1: Should foreign athletes get special naturalization? 2012-06-04 20:32

With Korea’s sports stars becoming more diverse ...
Should foreign athletes get special naturalization?

Never has it been more difficult to define what it means to be Korean. Unprecedented immigration to the country in recent years, and the demographic and cultural change brought with it, has challenged the assumption that Korean citizenship and ethnicity are synonymous. Inevitably, this blurring of identity has crossed into the realm of sport.

The Korean Olympic Committee last month rejected a bid by Brazilian footballer Eninho for special naturalization that would have allowed the K-League star to play for the national side. Despite the Korea Football Association and national side coach Choi Kang-Hee supporting his naturalization, the KOC ruled against the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder on the grounds that the player failed to demonstrate a basic understanding of Korean language and culture. The Ministry for Justice, which has the final say on cases of naturalization, is expected to follow the KOC’s recommendation.

Since the introduction of dual nationality in certain cases in January 2011, the KOC has made recommendations for special naturalization on behalf of four athletes, three in basketball and one in speed skating, all of which were successful.

Despite its brief as a sporting organization, the KOC takes into account cultural familiarity when making recommendations on naturalization. When asked why by The Korea Herald, considering that the decision ultimately rests with the Justice Ministry, a spokesman for the KOC referred to the current law.

“According to the Nationality Act article 7, one must have good conduct, have Korean language abilities and an understanding of Korea customs as basic requirements even in the case of naturalization, as written in the Nationality Act article 5,” said the spokesman who did not wish to be named.

“The opinions of the Korea Football Association and national team coach are taken into account in regard to sporting ability, but as this is a question of double nationality, other factors have been considered also.”

A spokesman at the KFA said the football association fully respected the KOC’s decision, saying it “was the end of the story” as far as appealing the decision.

The spokesman, who did not wish to be named, went on to say that the benefits of naturalization made it a sensitive issue.

“If you acquire Korean citizenship it means you can play in Asian Football Confederation countries as a non-foreign player so a huge benefit can be given by acquiring Korean citizenship,” he said.

Regardless of legal decisions made at the governmental level, there remains the question of how accepting the general public is of visible minorities representing the nation.

“It seems that Koreans do not mind having ― or even like to have ― foreign athletes in certain professional sports such as baseball, basketball, etc. as long as they play well. I think that the demands for good foreign players in professional/commercial sports will continue and foreign athletes can play an important role there,” said Park Jung-sun, a professor of Asian Pacific Studies at California State University with an interest in South Korean identity and citizenship.

Park believes, however, that the Korean notion of “one blood” may mean the general public is not yet ready to embrace athletes with an outwardly foreign appearance. The public might be more welcoming toward athletes of Korean ancestry seen as “returning home” and “representing the homeland,” however.

Article2: Extending the Length of the Great Wall of China  Write: 2012-06-08

Chinese cultural authorities announced that the Great Wall is longer than previously thought. The new measurement, which is more than twice the previous length, has the wall reaching as far east as Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces, the former territory of Goguryeo and Balhae, Korea’s ancient kingdoms. China’s archeological claim is likely to cause an uproar and rebuttal from Korea.

Is the Great Wall Longer?

China’s Central Committee newsletter reported that the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) released a new measurement of the Great Wall on Wednesday, which allegedly spans 21,196.18 kilometers. Akin to Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration, the SACH announced that the new length was determined during an archeological study, which has been in progress since 2007. The SACH claims that the Great Wall stretches across 15 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions, from Xinjiang Uyghur, the most western part of China, through Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shanxi, Hunan, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jilin, and to Heilongjiang Province to the east. According to this official statement, segments of the Great Wall can be found in just about all areas of northern China. The SACH added that a total of 43,721 new Great Wall relic sites had been discovered during the study.

Extension of the Great Wall

The SACH’s latest announcement is considered a part of China’s recent attempt to distort the history of surrounding nations. China has been claiming that the histories of Korea’s ancient Goguryeo and Balhae kingdoms, as well as those of other ethnic minorities in China, are all part of Chinese history. The widely accepted theory had the Great Wall ending in the east in Hebei Province near Beijing, but that assessment started changing as China launched an ordinance to protect the Great Wall in 2006. It is assumed that the Chinese authorities began a Great Wall preservation and research project to give basis for “lengthening” the wall measurement. China’s covert intention can be deduced from its claim that Goguryeo’s Bakjak Fortress, located in Liaoning Province, was a part of the Great Wall. The rule of Goguryeo had reached Manchuria and a large part of what is now China’s eastern provinces. China’s alleged finding extended the length of the Great Wall to 8,851.8 kilometers, 2,500 kilometers longer than previously claimed. China has even removed a sign indicating Bakjak Fortress as a historical site of Goguryeo, and replaced it with a sign that said it was the eastern end of the Great Wall instead. A similar claim was lodged for the western end of the Great Wall. Formerly, the world’s largest manmade structure was known to end in Gansu Province in the west, but the latest announcement said that the western end is located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. As a result, the Great Wall has more than doubled in length.

Meaning of the Great Wall Extension

It is generally perceived that China attempts to play up the symbolism of the Great Wall to unite different ethnic groups and promote internal stability. The Chinese government sees ethnic minorities’ resistance as a threat to national unity and is trying to nip it in the bud. The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has long been a contentious area prone to demonstrations and terrorist acts by its Islamic population demanding independence. The three eastern provinces have very large ethnic Korean communities, dating back to the times when the region was ruled by the ancient Korean kingdoms Goguryeo and Balhae. Once the two Koreas reunite, these provinces may demand secession and cause trouble for the Chinese government. The potential cultural tension could have compelled China to initiate a preventive measure and claim the histories of Goguryeo and Balhae as its own. Extending the Great Wall lends historical justification to China’s assertion that ethnic minorities have always been under Chinese rule. The Great Wall is apparently being built even today by the SACH.

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