"Vengeance is Mine" Romans 12:12

     The subject of vengeance or revenge has played an important role in the make up of all of the cultures and societies in the world.  In Western societies, it is considered to be more "civilized" to be forgiving, to let bygones be bygones, etc.  Still, when an act or actions is taken by another nation or individual that is harmful to us, we seek restitution, a way to "even the score," so to speak.  We do this all of the time, as nations, as individuals.  The Christian doctrine is to "turn the other cheek," that the act of vengeance is for the higher power.  As it is stated in the Bible, "Vengeance is Mine" Romans 12:12, it is God's responsibility, not the individual's.  Yet, we seek vengeance, as nations we are constantly looking to punish those that do harm to us, like the Muslim terrorists.  Individuals, on the other hand, are supposed to let the legal system do the punishing.  Of course it doesn't always work that way, there are hundreds, indeed thousands of cases where individuals seek themselves to punish those who did harm to them.
     America is a very forgiving nation, and we as Americans are very forgiving as well, perhaps too much so, in the eyes of some!  We can afford to be, for we are by far the wealthiest and most advanced country in the world.  It is no secret that it is always easier for someone who is well off to be generous than for someone who is scrambling to survive.  So, although we do still retain the human instinct for vengeance when someone does harm to us, we are also bound to forgive others more quickly.
     One reason that we have so much trouble dealing with North Korea is that for more than a half a century, since the end of the Korean War, we have been the main focus of their hatred, their target for revenge!  Beginning with Kim Il Sung, the North Korean leaders have concentrated on creating a culture of hatred directed at us for having caused so much death and destruction during the war.  It was a good way for the North Korean leaders to distract their people from their misery, from their own mistakes.  This was how they were able to re-build from the ruins of war.  They blamed everything on the United States.  So what we have now is a nation that has produced three generations of people who think we are the cause of everything bad that has happened to them.  Just think of it, a North Korean who was born when the Panmunjom Cease Fire agreement was made in 1953 is 63 years old today!  They are told that their only chance to make it in this world is to develop a strong military defense, and nuclear power is at the head of it.  Of course we are opposed to their nuclear development, so naturally, they are all the more eager, as a nation, to develop their nuclear power!
     Revenge is the key driving force of North Korea's mind-set and attitude when it comes to the United States and, of course, South Korea, who they consider to be America's lackey.  In Korean society, revenge plays a very influential role in their lives.  It may seem strange to us that revenge plays such a prominent role, but then, that is what makes us different from Koreans.  If you watch their very popular soaps on TV, you'll see that just about all plots deal with the revenge factor!  To an outsider it may seem almost ridiculous and obsessive to be so concerned with revenge, but to Koreans, that is part of their cultural mind-set.  Whether it is real, perceived, or imagined, a slight, an affront, or an outright act against one has to be "avenged."  If one's family lost its fortunes or business because someone had cheated or undermined them, then it is up to the sons and daughters, or even grandchildren, to "avenge" the family!
     A while back I did a blog on "national character" in which I described folk tales and legends to illustrate the so-called "national character."  For Korea I used the example of Admiral Yi Soong Shin, who defeated the Japanese during the Imjin Wars.  But I also included a folk tale that illustrated Korean character which I will repeat again.  The tale of Paek Horang or White Tiger is very old and cannot really be dated.  It started as an oral tradition that was eventually recorded in various forms in writings and appears with different titles and slightly different versions from one to another.  But, basically, the tale goes as follows: 
     "There once lived a most famous hunter in all of Korea.  He lived in the woods, high in the mountains near Paek Tu San, that great mountain range that divides Korea from Manchuria up in the northeast corner.  The old widowed hunter had a beautiful young daughter who like her father, was an accomplished huntress.  One day the old hunter went out but was ambushed and killed and eaten by the great White Tiger who was a terror of the region.  It was a sad event and everyone mourned the death of the old hunter, no one more so than his beautiful young daughter.  Soon, everyone forgot about the sad death of the old hunter and went about their lives.  However, the daughter did not forget.  Although she had many suitors, some very rich, she did not marry, but instead kept refining her hunting skills.  Then one day while the great White Tiger was loafing about, he spotted someone approaching him.  It surprised him that this human was not afraid of him and kept coming nearer.  When the person came closer, the tiger was shocked to see that it was the old hunter that he had killed and eaten many years earlier.  The tiger was so shocked and surprised that he froze.  Before he could react in time to do anything, the old man plunged a spear into him and revealed himself to the surprised tiger before it died.  It was the daughter of the old hunter who had dressed like the old man and even walked like the old man, completely fooling the tiger!"
     Now this tale may seem somewhat silly, and it was indeed meant for children so the authenticity of events are not the key issue.  What is important, and what is relayed in the tale to the children is that a good child, be it a son or a daughter, must avenge the wrong that was done to its parent!  In this case it was most important for the daughter to avenge the death of her father, rather than marrying a rich man and living a life of luxury.  It may be a silly child's story but it illustrates in no uncertain terms what is important in the mind-set of Korean people.  Ironically, even today, you can see this in the numerous popular TV soaps that are shown around the world!
     If we are to deal with North Koreans successfully, we must understand that first and foremost, whether true or not, they feel that they have been terribly wronged by the United States.  This is truly a dilemma because at this stage, short of making an apology that is totally uncalled for, nothing will satisfy the North Koreans.  But, it does give us an insight into their mind, on how they see us!  We are their hated enemy, we are the cause of all and any misery that they have suffered or are suffering.  They want revenge!  They know that they are considered a pariah in the world community, and they blame us for it. We can diffuse it, lessen their desire for revenge by dealing with them directly and "elevating" their status in this world, which we don't want to do.  But the worst thing we can do is what we are continually doing, which is using our "yardstick" and our standards to try and negotiate with them.  Folks, it ain't going to work! They have been isolated and living in a bubble, their own "planet" so-to-speak, for the last sixty plus years!  We need to get into their head and try negotiating with some intelligence, not just blunder on as we have been doing!