No, the opposition did win an election a few years ago! They performed horribly, but it is in fact a functional democracy. Just one that prefers to function within one party.
Japan oscillates between far-right politics exclusively, the working class has little organizing and struggle going on and the state is thoroughly controlled by private intetests. The Republic of Korea may be an example of a capitalist dictatorship controlled by 3 companies in a trench-coat, but has active labor struggles and a history of millitant unions, at least.
The Republic of Korea may be an example of a capitalist dictatorship controlled by 3 companies in a trench-coat
I’ve made quite a few people chuckle with that comparison, I only swap ‘companies’ with ‘chaebols’ because it rolls better in the phrase I feel, and gives me an excuse to launch an impromptu lecture to anyone who doesn’t know what that means.
Yep! I tend to do that more when talking about 재벌 IRL, as for many Statesians they don’t really know about them at all. One thing they all seem to understand immediately is that Samsung, LG, Hyundai, etc. are massive in the ROK and that the families at the top are thus the real rulers of the ROK. Also serves as a nice springboard to talk about where they came from, ie collaborators with the US and former Japanese colonialist government.
Makes a good springboard for talking about how monopolized the economy is by talking about how “the phone company Samsung? Yeah they make cars. Baby clothes too. Yeah and windmills. Also giant boats. They also run gold courses, resorts, hotels, have advertising and marketing companies, they also make steel and run powerplants. And the offer life and health insurance. If it wasn’t for the other chaebols dominating other markets in their own monopolies, you bet your bottom dollar Samsung would be also selling chips, beer, and burgers.” And bouncing from that to the u.s own megacorps and how everything is an illusion of choice dominated by a corporate oligopoly.
The biggest eye-opener seems to be telling people that Sansung sells insurance, has luxury hotels like the Silla, etc. The ROK is a bit more “naked” in that sense, contradictions are more out in the open. Watching the Samsung Lions play the Lotte Giants, instead of the Yankees against the Dodgers, for example, puts it up in your face a bit more. However, you’re absolutely right that the US’ own megacorps are the ones at the top, and it isn’t just “big tech.”
I mean it doesn’t help that the CPJ had been crushed in the Korean War in the 50s and had it’d entire leadership taken over by social-democratic intelligentsia in the 60s. Also probably doesn’t help that nearly all of japans manufacturing industry was also off-shored to cheaper labor markets and had switched to a consumer market with the majority of the workforce being employed in soul-draining service jobs and the only employers are the zaibatsus or the artificially proped up petty bourgeois small business owners. Funny enough that’s extremely similar to the situation in South Korea as well. Also the u.s but that’s spread more widely so it doesn’t seem as apparent.
Huh I could play that one Animaniacs song with Yako listing country names and the comparison probably still holds
Yep, though Japan’s own imperial history gives it a qualitatively different character to the ROK, which has largely been the history of a colonized country turned imperial vassal. The ROK still has domestic mass manufacturing, though it largely keeps it through suppressing wages. At least, that’s my present understanding. The ROK still has extreme anti-communism, but a stronger union movement, which of course isn’t sufficient but does signify a more millitant working class. The ROK in general is a pot constantly on the verge of boiling over, including in the social sphere with rising feminist movements.
I think thar can be expounded more to do with the material development into modernization of both nations with regards to the fact that Japan’s pursuit of rapid modernization was built off the back of the capitalist and monarchists crushing reactionary landlords in the boshin war and being able to industrialize more or less completely unhindered by their old feudal aristocracy. This rapid industrialization lead was paired hand in hand with the rapid proletarianization of the masses in addition to rapid increases to the general standard of living with international capital flooding their market with surplus commodities. This would further be supplemented by the imperial Japanese’ own colonial acquisition across east Asia, including Korea, where any additional colonial industrialization was conducted for enrichment of the Japanese capitalist class with the usual table scraps for the Japanese masses to complete the circuit of colonial exploitation.
This is drawn in contrast to Korea’s own history of being a feudal monarchy that was more or less completely hamstrung by its system of governance that worked hand-in-hand with the entrenched Yangban who thrived on the decentralized system of governance they organically grew through generations in addition to the entrenched system of slavery and diplomatic isolation from the then present European powers that delayed the centralization of power and push to modernization until king Gojong and the reformist cabinet could push it into reality with the reforms that they begun in 1897, a good 30 years later than Japan’s own reform and modernization. The decades long cruel repressions waged by the Yangbans on the masses in conjunction to the slow yet steady influx of knowledge and education from beyond koreas borders disseminating western capitalist and socialist ideas into the minds of oppressed koreans seeking radical alternatives to their status quo. In a constant fight against the entrenched aristocracy and the peasant rebellions against them in addition to the intrigue of the aristocrats to undermine the state to further empower themselves, in addition to facing enormous pressure from external powers on all sides, the Korean state had barely 20 tumultuous years for capitalist construction and state modernization to occur before the Japanese Empire conquered them and allowed the more matured Japanese, and foreign, capital to flood in and build their own exploitative construction.
I think those intergenerational differences played pivotal roles - the other major event I think was the Korean War - in shaping the contemporary national character of both nations and why the class consciousness’ of both countries are so different.
Yep, excellent write-up! Korea, in general, has not had a “normal” year of development for well over a century and a half. From colinization to war to the present split, Korea’s conditions have been extremely tumultuous. Throughout all of it, though, has been a strong history of radicalism and resistance. Japan had a much more “normal” course of development, as it gained a head-start on industrialization and maintained it with colonization of the surrounding areas.
I love when I participate in free and fair elections against the unlimited superrape party fuelled by the Axis Gold-Backed Phantom Hirohito Pacific GLADIO Index and the population expresses their preferences for limited bourgeous democracy with monarchist characteristics.
I mean, this is all a matter of opinion. They promised stuff they couldn’t do - like everybody else. They gave us a revolving door of PMs - like the LDP, the party that won all the other elections, does as well. I think what broke their back was having to deal with a big earthquake, massive tsunami, and exploding nuclear reactors. The LDP can consider itself lucky they weren’t in charge then so the stink of failure to deal with an impossible crisis didn’t attach to them. They really aren’t the more capable politicians.
No, the opposition did win an election a few years ago! They performed horribly, but it is in fact a functional democracy. Just one that prefers to function within one party.
Imagine believing that having two parties is what makes a country a functional democracy
Imagine having only two parties. Wild.
Japan oscillates between far-right politics exclusively, the working class has little organizing and struggle going on and the state is thoroughly controlled by private intetests. The Republic of Korea may be an example of a capitalist dictatorship controlled by 3 companies in a trench-coat, but has active labor struggles and a history of millitant unions, at least.
I’ve made quite a few people chuckle with that comparison, I only swap ‘companies’ with ‘chaebols’ because it rolls better in the phrase I feel, and gives me an excuse to launch an impromptu lecture to anyone who doesn’t know what that means.
I simple refer to it as the Republic of Samsung
I’ll now be borrowing chaebol for the purpose of referring to the Bolloré group and other notavle members of the french oligarchy. Cheers
Yep! I tend to do that more when talking about 재벌 IRL, as for many Statesians they don’t really know about them at all. One thing they all seem to understand immediately is that Samsung, LG, Hyundai, etc. are massive in the ROK and that the families at the top are thus the real rulers of the ROK. Also serves as a nice springboard to talk about where they came from, ie collaborators with the US and former Japanese colonialist government.
Makes a good springboard for talking about how monopolized the economy is by talking about how “the phone company Samsung? Yeah they make cars. Baby clothes too. Yeah and windmills. Also giant boats. They also run gold courses, resorts, hotels, have advertising and marketing companies, they also make steel and run powerplants. And the offer life and health insurance. If it wasn’t for the other chaebols dominating other markets in their own monopolies, you bet your bottom dollar Samsung would be also selling chips, beer, and burgers.” And bouncing from that to the u.s own megacorps and how everything is an illusion of choice dominated by a corporate oligopoly.
The biggest eye-opener seems to be telling people that Sansung sells insurance, has luxury hotels like the Silla, etc. The ROK is a bit more “naked” in that sense, contradictions are more out in the open. Watching the Samsung Lions play the Lotte Giants, instead of the Yankees against the Dodgers, for example, puts it up in your face a bit more. However, you’re absolutely right that the US’ own megacorps are the ones at the top, and it isn’t just “big tech.”
Ah fuck I forgot about the sports teams that one cracks me up the most every time it’s brought up!
Yep! Lots of quirky bits like that that make sense when analyzing the development of the ROK.
Insane to talk about preferences deciding this like they haven’t been stabbing dudes to the right of Bernie SSanders
Yep, Japan has no working class movement and is thus entirely controlled by the far-right.
I mean it doesn’t help that the CPJ had been crushed in the Korean War in the 50s and had it’d entire leadership taken over by social-democratic intelligentsia in the 60s. Also probably doesn’t help that nearly all of japans manufacturing industry was also off-shored to cheaper labor markets and had switched to a consumer market with the majority of the workforce being employed in soul-draining service jobs and the only employers are the zaibatsus or the artificially proped up petty bourgeois small business owners. Funny enough that’s extremely similar to the situation in South Korea as well. Also the u.s but that’s spread more widely so it doesn’t seem as apparent.
Huh I could play that one Animaniacs song with Yako listing country names and the comparison probably still holds
Yep, though Japan’s own imperial history gives it a qualitatively different character to the ROK, which has largely been the history of a colonized country turned imperial vassal. The ROK still has domestic mass manufacturing, though it largely keeps it through suppressing wages. At least, that’s my present understanding. The ROK still has extreme anti-communism, but a stronger union movement, which of course isn’t sufficient but does signify a more millitant working class. The ROK in general is a pot constantly on the verge of boiling over, including in the social sphere with rising feminist movements.
I think thar can be expounded more to do with the material development into modernization of both nations with regards to the fact that Japan’s pursuit of rapid modernization was built off the back of the capitalist and monarchists crushing reactionary landlords in the boshin war and being able to industrialize more or less completely unhindered by their old feudal aristocracy. This rapid industrialization lead was paired hand in hand with the rapid proletarianization of the masses in addition to rapid increases to the general standard of living with international capital flooding their market with surplus commodities. This would further be supplemented by the imperial Japanese’ own colonial acquisition across east Asia, including Korea, where any additional colonial industrialization was conducted for enrichment of the Japanese capitalist class with the usual table scraps for the Japanese masses to complete the circuit of colonial exploitation.
This is drawn in contrast to Korea’s own history of being a feudal monarchy that was more or less completely hamstrung by its system of governance that worked hand-in-hand with the entrenched Yangban who thrived on the decentralized system of governance they organically grew through generations in addition to the entrenched system of slavery and diplomatic isolation from the then present European powers that delayed the centralization of power and push to modernization until king Gojong and the reformist cabinet could push it into reality with the reforms that they begun in 1897, a good 30 years later than Japan’s own reform and modernization. The decades long cruel repressions waged by the Yangbans on the masses in conjunction to the slow yet steady influx of knowledge and education from beyond koreas borders disseminating western capitalist and socialist ideas into the minds of oppressed koreans seeking radical alternatives to their status quo. In a constant fight against the entrenched aristocracy and the peasant rebellions against them in addition to the intrigue of the aristocrats to undermine the state to further empower themselves, in addition to facing enormous pressure from external powers on all sides, the Korean state had barely 20 tumultuous years for capitalist construction and state modernization to occur before the Japanese Empire conquered them and allowed the more matured Japanese, and foreign, capital to flood in and build their own exploitative construction.
I think those intergenerational differences played pivotal roles - the other major event I think was the Korean War - in shaping the contemporary national character of both nations and why the class consciousness’ of both countries are so different.
Yep, excellent write-up! Korea, in general, has not had a “normal” year of development for well over a century and a half. From colinization to war to the present split, Korea’s conditions have been extremely tumultuous. Throughout all of it, though, has been a strong history of radicalism and resistance. Japan had a much more “normal” course of development, as it gained a head-start on industrialization and maintained it with colonization of the surrounding areas.
I love when I participate in free and fair elections against the unlimited superrape party fuelled by the Axis Gold-Backed Phantom Hirohito Pacific GLADIO Index and the population expresses their preferences for limited bourgeous democracy with monarchist characteristics.
Like 15+ years ago.
I mean, this is all a matter of opinion. They promised stuff they couldn’t do - like everybody else. They gave us a revolving door of PMs - like the LDP, the party that won all the other elections, does as well. I think what broke their back was having to deal with a big earthquake, massive tsunami, and exploding nuclear reactors. The LDP can consider itself lucky they weren’t in charge then so the stink of failure to deal with an impossible crisis didn’t attach to them. They really aren’t the more capable politicians.