From: ntetsuya@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Nishimura)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: What do most of Japanese think of Korean (Re: An open letter..)
Date: 23 Aug 92 04:24:15 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

In article <1992Aug22.203238.3239@ducvax.auburn.edu> kim@magneto.physics.auburn.edu (Han-jung Kim) writes:

[stuff deleted]
>
>However I stongly believe that 'JOSENJIN' has some secondary meaning in
>Japanese society, because lots of old korean elders have referred that 
>word.  I do not want to ask Japanese society not to use that word, even thogh
>that word has such a secondary meaning. If necessary all the words can us
>spoken to represent the image in our mind. 

[stuff deleted]
>
>I WANT TO ASK AGAIN IF THE WORD 'JOSENJIN' HAS ANY OTHER  NEGATIVE 
>MEANING EXCEPT JUST PURE MEANIG OF 'PERSON'.
>IF THERE IS NEVER SUCH A SECONDARY, NEGATIVE MEANING, I WILL WASH OUT
>THE QUESTION OF THIS WORD AND WILL TELL MY FELLOW KOREANS THIS FACT.
>
> 
	Again, there IS no secondary meaning except "person from Korea" in 
	"Chosenjin (in your language JOSENJIN?)."
	The Korean Peninsula is called "Chosen Hantou" in Japanese and it's 
	quite natural for us to call anyone from there "Chosenjin."
	Some Japanese, if not some more than some, who do not know history and
	geography well tend to call people from both North and South Koreas
	"chosenjin."  Those people just regard ALL people from the Peninsula
	are "chosenjin," I believe.

	BUT, I don't deny some people use the word with humiliation.  Some high
	school students who had a quarrel or two may use it with humiliation, 
	however, if they want, they have dirtier and insulting words to refer
	to their opponents.

	Older people you mentioned in your previous posting might have heard 
	some military personnel used the word.  They, I mean Japanese personnel,	did not speak the Korean language (I believe a few did) nor they did not	know the name of each Korean national they were addressing to.  At that 	time, military officers could actually ORDER civilians anything and in 
	so doing they used coersive way of speaking.  Since they didn't know
	the names of the people, what they most likely said when they first 
	addressed to the Korean was "oi, soko no chosenjin (hey, you Korean
	there)."  This attitude was also the case to Japanese civilians and to 
	lower ranking Japanese soldiers.  ("oi, kisama" = you *!@?, "oi" = hey,
	"oi, sokono" = hey, there  etc.)

	I seldom use "chosenjin" unless I am talking about a North Korean 
	national, "Kita-chosenjin (North Korean)."  I use "Chosen Hantou" to 
	refer to the Korean Peninsula, and "Chosen Senso" to the Korean War.
	To refer to the South Korean nationals, I use "Kankokujin."  "Kankoku"
	is a contruction of "Dai Kan Min Koku," which is the official name of 
	the Republic of Korea in kanji (Chinese characters) in Japanese reading.
	Even the school buses of Korean schools use this word in kanji on them-
	selves.  "(city or province name) Chosenjin Gakko."


	Anyway, "Chosenjin" in Japanese has NO secondary meaning unless a 
	person wants to use with humiliation and insulting tone of voice.


	This is what I have now.  Just for a reference.

	
	And Mr. Kim, thank you for your opinion and information about the word.
	I haven't ever think about how the Korean people may think when they 
	are called "Chosenjin."  I learned a lot.  Thank you once again.

					Tetsuya Nishimura
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan