5　「加害者の政治学」と国内政治による規範の制度化　ベトナム戦争時の民間人虐殺と韓国の対越政策

抄録

In world politics, South Korea is generally perceived as a victim. Due to its experiences during the colonial era, one of the identities that Korea claims is as a victim of Japan. However, a massacre committed by Korean soldiers during the Vietnam War calls this position of victimhood into question.

This paper illustrates and analyzes the process of Korean foreign policy-making with regard to Vietnam, following the revelation of the massacre in a magazine story in 1999. It is of importance that the government administration that had to deal with this issue was that Kim Dae Jung. Prior to becoming president of the Republic of Korea in 1998, Kim was a politician who fought for democracy and human rights, and his was the first peaceful power shift after a long era of dictatorship.

The slogan of the Kim administration was ‘Human rights and peace’. At a 2001 Korea-Vietnam summit, Kim admitted to and apologized for atrocities committed against Vietnamese civilians by Korean soldiers. He promised to promote economic cooperation, including overseas development aid. This repentant attitude, accompanied by a focus on economic cooperation, continued with the next administration, despite its different political position.

Kim’s successor, Roh Moo Hyun, improved his predecessor’s foreign policies, by paying respect to Ho Chi Minh and reforming economic policies. The next two (conservative) administrations, led by Lee Myung Bak and Park Geun Hye, also followed Kim’s policies toward Vietnam. Such actions do not reflect fundamental changes in views on the Vietnam War, but emerge from a concern for Korea’s economic interests and its relationship with Vietnam. This pattern has grown more significant since Moon Jae In was elected president, resulting in Korea now perceiving itself as a perpetrator.