Thoughts on the day of Chuseok

Waves of the East Sea and the East China Sea are high due to aggravating disputes on territorial sovereignty over the Dokdo Islands and the Senkaku/Diaoyudao Islands. China, Japan and Korea are involved in these disputes. Nonetheless, these three nations share the same tradition of observing Aug. 15, Full Moon’s Day of the lunar calendar.

Koreans call the day Chuseok, literally meaning Autumn Night, or Hangawi, the great middle of autumn. The Chinese refer to the day as the Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Cake Festival, while Japan’s Otsukimi refers to the tradition of holding parties to view the harvest moon.

Chuseok, often compared to the American Thanksgiving, normally falls around the Autumn Equinox. However, this year due to the addition of the leap month on the lunar calendar it will fall on Sept. 30, a week after the Autumn Equinox.

For centuries, Chuseok has been the most anticipated festive day for Koreans. It is a holiday for family get-togethers. Paying tribute to ancestors and visiting ancestral graves or memorial parks are common practices during this holiday period. In the last few decades, the site of the endless throngs of cars filling expressways to take tens of millions of Koreans to their hometowns has been quite normal.

A similar scene is observed in China. During the National Day holiday period, which follows right after the Mid-Autumn Festival, most Chinese take trains and buses to return to their hometowns, a journey for some people which can take more than a full day.

In addition to the celebration of the full moon, the three nations ― China, Japan and Korea ― share many cultural origins. Perhaps this is why Korean music and drama, as part of the Korean wave, Chinese movies and traditional literature, as well as Japanese contemporary music are all well accepted by the people of all three nations. The common grassroots of these nations is what makes the full moon celebration more enjoyable.

However, the recent developments over the sovereignty issues of a few islands in the East Sea and the East China Sea are frightening and saddening. The equilibrium of Northeast Asia has been shaken and the status quo is threatened. The situation is indeed highly volatile. Ultra conservative segments of all three nations are uttering out extreme statements. Protesters took the streets in China to smash Japanese cars and attack sushi restaurants. Each government involved in these conflicts seems to be tolerating the aggravation. Diplomatic fiascos are committed repeatedly.

In the meantime, Chinese and Japanese naval forces are closing in on the Senkaku/Diaoyudao Islands. Earlier in July, China’s East Sea Fleet conducted an exercise simulating an amphibious assault on the islands. The Global Times of China warned Japan would pay a price for its actions, and the result would be far worse than they ever anticipated.

The Sino-Japanese Naval War of 2012 is unlikely for several reasons. It should not happen. Who would benefit? The First Sino-Japanese War of 1894 was primarily over control of the Korean Peninsula. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904 took place out of territorial ambitions of imperial Russia and imperial Japan. Again Korean waters were the theater for their military conflict. Korea’s land and its people were the main sacrifices of the surrounding powers’ conflicts. We cannot allow the painful history to be repeated.

Military action cannot be the solution. Too much is at stake. Both sides would certainly lose enormously, economically and diplomatically. Confidence of the two titans in Asia would be lost. Korea would also be seriously affected security-wise, and her economic performance would be compromised. Governments and leaders of all three nations should exert utmost effort to ease the tension surrounding the islands.

The Full Moon’s Day is a good occasion for China, Japan and Korea to brush aside dangerous and damaging political schemes. Returning fresh after spending a festive holiday with families and relatives, leaders and policy planners of the three nations should exert every effort to map out diplomatic roads which would benefit not only the people of the three nations but also the people around the world heavily dependent on the economic success of the three nations.

Chinese leadership has been obsessed with their national slogans, He Xie and He Ping, literally meaning, Harmony and Peace. This is a good time for China to demonstrate genuine policies. The Japanese government is also expected to refrain from aggressive and excessive diplomatic measures. Both sides are urged to live up to their economic might and decent historical legacies. <The Korea Times/Shin Hyun-gook>

*The writer is a chair professor of the Catholic University of Daegu. He previously headed the Foreign News Division of the Korea Overseas Information Service. His email address is shinhyungook@hotmail.com.

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