The Roh and Bush administrations were an odd couple with fundamental differences because of their respective left-wing and right-wing inclinations. Nevertheless, the two administrations exhibited a host of similarities such as “either/or” mentalities, fundamentalist political ideologies, and hostility toward their political enemies.

The same thing is happening again in both countries. For example, South Korea is divided into radicals and conservatives, leftists and rightists, and the haves and have-nots. Just like Korea, America is sharply divided into liberals and conservatives, the blue states and the red states, and the rich and the poor. In Korea, Hyundai Motor Co. has been faltering lately due to its strong labor union that frequently goes on strikes despite high wages and excellent fringe benefits. Newspaper reports say that the bankruptcy of the Motor City, Detroit, was caused by the ever strong, constantly demanding labor unions of Ford, GM and Daimler-Chrysler.

In Korea, the press is polarized as well. Conservative right-wing newspapers and radical left-wing newspapers are hostile toward each other. They carry opposing opinions and interpretations of the same news, thus dividing their readerships into factions. Likewise, the press is divided in America too. The conservative Fox News recently wrote, “A Hilary Clinton victory would have meant a third consecutive administration dedicated to dismantling the institutions that have kept America free, and imposing instead the social vision of the smug elites. That could have been the ultimate catastrophe -- not just for our time, but for generations yet unborn.” This is quite the opposite of the opinions and editorials appearing in liberal media outlets such as the New York Times or the Washington Post.

In Korea, unemployed workers blame immigrants for stealing their jobs. In America, working class people in the Rust Belt blame immigrants for taking their jobs away. Racial prejudice still lingers in Korean society. In American society, too, racial prejudice is sneaking back and becoming more conspicuous. Recently, an American university department chair posted the following: “I have heard a few reports of our undergraduate students having hateful speech (or spitting) directed at them during the past week, and have just been notified of a group protesting ‘anti-white propaganda in college.’” I hear that after the recent election, some white Americans exhibited hostility toward minorities by using racial slurs. Newspapers reported that these white people yelled at African-Americans, “Go back to your country!” and to Asians and Asian-Americans, they hollered, “You’ll be deported soon!” Now Asian students, visitors and Asian-Americans in the States might have to wear T-shirts that say, “I’m not an illegal alien!” just as Westerners wore a T-shirt that said, “I’m not an American!” during the Roh administration in Korea when anti-American sentiment was rampant.

Clearly, this is a tragic joke that signals hurt. Another joke is that finally Korea and America have become equal in ranks. Someone in the States parodied the situation, using a scene from the famous TV show, “Seinfeld.” In the parody, Jerry Seinfeld, wearing a T-shirt imprinted with the Korean flag, discusses with George Costanza who is wearing a T-shirt with the British flag about the three idiots in the world, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, because of what happened to the three nations recently. According to the parody, Korea indeed equals the UK and the US.

Aside from those similarities, there are many fundamental differences among the three nations, especially between Korea and America. For example, in Korea ordinary people and the working class support radical, leftwing parties, whereas the elites support the conservative, rightwing party. In the States, it is the opposite. A large amount of angry ordinary people and the Rust Belt working class supported Trump and the Republican Party in the recent election, whereas the elites supported Hilary Clinton and the Democratic Party. The reason is that in America, intellectuals and professors in the humanities, who are labeled as “smug elites” by conservatives, are mostly liberals and thus support the Democratic Party.

Another difference is that Korea is in a much worse and more precarious situation than the US or the UK. In fact, Korea is now caught in the crossfire between China and Japan once again, and yet Trump does not seem to be interested in Asia. If Trump decided to pull back American troops from Korea, what would happen to the Korean Peninsula is quite obvious and unnerving. Only when Trump believes that strengthening the alliance with South Korea is good for America’s national interest, will he defend the Korean Peninsula. If that is the case, we must urgently persuade him that defending South Korea is imperative for America’s prosperity. Perhaps that is the only way to overcome the imminent crisis we are now facing.

Watching what is happening in Korea and America lately, we are worried about the future of the two countries that have been good friends and faithful allies. We hope our friendship is everlasting.

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. He can be reached at sukim@snu.ac.kr. -- Ed.