The Geopolitical Perceptions of Kim Ku and Syngman Rhee: Focusing on the Period of Japanese Occupation

Abstract

This paper compares the geopolitical perceptions of Syngman Rhee (Yi Sŭngman) and Kim Ku. The major findings are as follows. First, during the period of the Taehan Empire, Rhee and Kim had cast off their old Sino-centric geopolitical perceptions and embraced the concept of sovereignty. Protestantism, which was crucial to the rise of the modern conception of sovereignty, certainly played a role in the establishment of Rhee and Kims perceptions. Second, during the period in which the Korean Provisional Government experienced internal conflicts over whether to partner with the Russian Communists, Kim and Rhee were both wary of the expansion of Soviet influence. Third, during the Asia-Pacific War, Rhee and Kim advocated a united front with China (Asia) and the U.S. (Pacific) against Japans geopolitical scheme of the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. Fourth, Rhee focused on the strength and value of the U.S., which was expanding into the Pacific, and relegated China to the role of a secondary collaborator. In contrast, Kim valued highly the symbiotic relationship with China. Fifth, Rhee had a keen understanding of the global milieu but his senses were relatively dull to the revolutionary atmosphere of the Eurasian continent including Asia. On the other hand, Kims perception of the world was relatively narrow but he was more sensitive to the revolutionary atmosphere of the Eurasian continent. Sixth, as the Cold War escalated and the two camps jockeyed to keep the Korean Peninsula within their respective spheres of influence (in traditional geopolitical terms, continental versus maritime), the differences in two mens geopolitical perceptions began to take center stage rather than their similarities. Despite these differences, the similar geopolitical perceptions shared by these two men, who contributed to the independence and founding of Korea, can provide a cornerstone for the geopolitical strategy of a 21st century Korea working to balance its continental and maritime priorities and continuing to face the problem of the North-South division.