Japan and South Korea are two countries that have been deeply influenced by Chinese culture since ancient times. However, the modern international community has completely different views on the two countries.
When people look at Japan, they are accustomed to looking at it from the perspective of Western countries. In the geopolitical analysis of Japan, it is natural to analyze it as a "Western country in the East"; in economics, Japan is also a special economy and cannot be substituted into the analysis of the normal economic models of Asian countries or developed countries. .
Compared with Japan, everything in South Korea seems mediocre. After the period of rapid economic development, South Korea's use value to the West has rapidly decreased. Economically, South Korea does not have enough size to influence the world market; in terms of military On the other hand, South Korea does not have enough power to become the core force of the US military circle in East Asia like Japan.
At this NATO summit, South Korea showed a strong "motivation", hoping to get closer to the West, closer to NATO , and " leave Asia and join Europe " like Japan.
In order to please NATO countries, South Korean President Yin Xiyue stated in his speech at the NATO summit that a new framework of competition and conflict is taking shape, and there is "a trend that denies the universal values we have been protecting."
's speech directly pointed out that China and Russia have influenced South Korea's "protection of universal values" and tied South Korea to the West through "universal values". He declared that South Korea supports Western values and has been protecting Western values, with a begging attitude. , simply disgusting.
During Biden 's visit to South Korea a few days ago, Yin Xiyue also became the first South Korean president in history to pay tribute to the American flag raising ceremony. Although South Korea has always been jokingly called an American colony, South Korea is still a sovereign country in name. As the leader of a sovereign country, when he salutes the flag of another sovereign country, Yoon Seok-yue's flattery has gone beyond what a president should do, reaching Almost at the level of a domestic slave.
Although voices in South Korea continue to criticize Yin Xiyue, Yin Xiyue is still very determined to move closer to NATO, especially to the United States, constantly showing his loyalty and value to the United States, and trying to enhance South Korea's status and value in the eyes of the United States.
When analyzing Yin Xiyue's operation, we cannot just look at Yin Xiyue. We must also know that South Korea is a country where chaebols interfere in politics. Chaebol interference in politics is an important factor in why South Korea is so flattering to the West today.
After the Korean War , South Korea has always been a country that has lost part of its sovereignty. South Korea has still been unable to exercise sovereignty over some of its territory and airspace. The control of external forces determines that South Korea is destined to be a seriously comprador country. External forces need to establish strong partners and agents in South Korea.
The chaebol is such a force that fully controls South Korea, seizes South Korea's domestic interests, and helps external forces control the country.
Yin Xiyue is not a typical chaebol politician, but he has deep conflicts with the former anti-chaebol president Moon Jae-in. Militarily, he also advocates uniting Japan and the United States to strengthen military cooperation to ensure South Korea's military security. In terms of attitudes towards Europe and the United States, Yin Xiyue is highly consistent with the power of the chaebol.
The problem exposed by this year’s Russia-Ukraine conflict is the decline of US hegemony. The global hegemony of the United States is gradually weakening, and the Korean ruling class is very panicked. The U.S. military has long been an important support for the Korean ruling class in the international community, and it is also the guarantee for its absolute domestic rule.
If U.S. hegemony continues to decline, some fringe forces may be abandoned by the United States. South Korea understands that it is a small country and has a limited role in containing an economic behemoth like China. Moreover, as North Korea’s power continues to increase, its ability to contain North Korea will be limited. The ability is getting weaker and weaker.
If the United States continues to weaken, compared to its European allies and core forces such as Japan, South Korea must be the first group of abandoned U.S. allies.
Now the United States is still making its final efforts to maintain its hegemony. In response to the two-sided attack by China and Russia, South Korea must take this opportunity to show more value and get closer to the United States. Otherwise, whether South Korea will still exist in the future is a question. .
The South Korean chaebols naturally understand that if the peninsula is unified, they will be the first to be liquidated. Even if they could escape to the United States with their money, they would lose their status and wealth that now governs a country. Therefore, South Korea must spare no effort to hug the thigh of the United States and help the United States maintain its hegemony.
To the ruling class of a country that has been a slave for thousands of years, all this seems logical, but the people in South Korea have begun to resent the recent behavior of South Korean officials kneeling down and licking the United States. Since Yin Seok-yue took office, the dissatisfaction rate with the administration has been 47.7%, exceeding the satisfaction rate at 46.6%. The Korean people are opposed to Yin Seok-yue's behavior of offending neighboring countries at the expense of South Korea's economic and political sovereignty in order to embrace the thigh of the United States.
Another problem that Yin Xiyue cannot avoid is the deep discrimination against Asians in the West. As a country with core interests of the United States, Japan has been unable to get rid of its status as a "second-class citizen" for many years. Once the United States itself has problems, Japan will always be the "pressure relief valve" and "flood release pond." The Japan trade war is still the final Plaza Agreement . No matter how hard Japan works, the pressure from the United States still comes as soon as it comes.
South Korea is also an East Asian country, a country in the Chinese cultural circle, and a yellow-skinned country. No matter how loyal South Korea is to the United States, the United States will not treat it as a "white race." In history, Japan's rise was suppressed by the United States twice. It is impossible for the United States to tolerate the emergence of a country in East Asia that is comparable to the United States.
China has achieved today’s size because of its continuous efforts to withstand various difficulties and suppressions from the United States. China’s experience has fully proved that if it wants to become a powerful country on par with the United States, it can only stand on the side of the United States. On the other hand, the illusion of becoming a great power by getting closer to the United States can only be an illusion after all.
South Korea's continuous efforts to draw closer to the United States and the West will ultimately only bring American power deeper into East Asia, turning the East Asian circle into a "new colony" of the United States. Maintaining U.S. hegemony may bring short-term benefits, but as far as the country is concerned From a long-term perspective, the demise of U.S. hegemony will do more good than harm.
Just as you can't wake up a person who is pretending to sleep, no one can wake up South Korea, which is going further and further down this road. If one day the hegemony of the United States will collapse, South Korea will definitely not be the beneficiary, but will only be the beneficiary. It will be a burial object of American hegemony.
