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CounterPunch
December
31, 2002
Pop Quiz on the History of Korean-American
Relations
by GARY LEUPP
(Choose the best answer. 3 points each.
Answers at the end.)
1. In 1866 the U.S. merchant ship General
Sherman defied the laws of Korea (then pursuing a policy
of strict isolation) by entering Korean waters, and sailing up
the Taedong River towards Pyongyang to demand trade. What happened
to the ship?
a. It was attacked by local people and
soldiers, burned, and sunk, with the loss of its entire crew.
b. Its crew was politely told that since
Korea was a satrapy of China all negotiations concerning commerce
had to take place via Beijing.
c. It was welcomed, and Korean officials
began discussing with the Americans a Treaty of Amity and Commerce.
2. In 1882 the Korean government signed
a treaty with the U.S. It is usually considered an "unequal
treaty" like those signed with China and Japan. Its provisions
included:
a. extraterritoriality (exempting U.S.
citizens from Korean law and courts); U.S. rights to export opium
to Korea; and the establishment of a U.S. legation
b. leasing of land for a legation; a
most favored nation clause (assuring that no other foreign country
would receive better treaty conditions than the U.S.); and the
Korean renunciation of Chinese suzerainty
c. extraterritoriality; relatively low
tariffs on imported U.S. goods; and a most favored nation clause
3. After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5,
Japan acquired control over Korea, annexing it formally in 1910.
In 1905 Japanese Prime Minister Katsura Tarô met secretly
with U.S. Secretary of War William Howard Taft, producing the
Taft-Katsura Agreement in which the U.S. recognized Japan's interests
in Korea. What did the U.S. receive in return?
a. Japanese agreement to limit emigration
to the U.S.
b. Japanese recognition of U.S. colonial
rule over the Philippines.
c. Japan's renunciation to all claims
to the Hawai'ian Islands.
4. At the Yalta Conference in February
1945, U.S. President Roosevelt and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
discussed the postwar future of Korea. Stalin advocated independence
as soon as possible. Roosevelt
a. agreed to immediate independence
b. advocated a trusteeship of 20-30 years,
citing the positive example of U.S. rule in the Philippines
c. suggested Korea remain a part of the
Japanese Empire, to be occupied by Allied forces
5. In accordance with a wartime agreement
that the USSR would enter the war with Japan following the German
surrender, Soviet forces invaded Korea in August, advancing to
the 38th parallel by August 10. They could easily have occupied
the whole peninsula. What did they do?
a. They accepted the Japanese surrender,
provided arms to local communist forces led by Kim Il-sung, and
withdrew within the year.
b. They consulted with their American
allies, who requested that they stop their advance at the 38th
parallel, so that U.S. forces could in the next month occupy
the rest of Korea. The Soviets agreed to the U.S. proposal.
c. They proclaimed the Korean Soviet
Republic and made plans for permanent incorporation into the
USSR.
6. In August 1945 defeated Japanese forces
formally turned over authority in Korea to the broad-based Committee
for the Preparation of Korean Independence, led by Lyuh Woon-hyung,
which in September proclaimed the Korean People's Republic (KPR).
When U.S. forces under Gen. Reed Hodge arrived in Inchon to accept
the Japanese surrender, they
a. ordered all Japanese officials to
remain in their posts, refused to recognize Lyuh as national
leader, and soon banned all public reference to the KPR
b. recognized Lyuh as the legitimate
head of state
c. negotiated with Lyuh to facilitate
swift attainment of independence of a united Korea
7. As of 1945, most Koreans associated
the majority of Korean big landowners and businessmen with the
Japanese colonial regime. How did U.S. occupation forces deal
with this stratum?
a. They subjected it to a thoroughgoing
purge.
b. They relied upon it for support.
c. They remained neutral as the numerous
"people's committees" loyal to the PRK organized against
it.
8. In August 1948 the U.S.-occupied zone
of Korea became the Republic of Korea. The next month, the KPR
operating in the north became the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea (North Korea). Around this time there were many revolts
against the U.S.-backed authorities in the south led by supporters
of the original KPR. Where was the biggest one?
a. on Cheju Island, off the south coast
of South Korea, where there was minimal Soviet or North Korean
influence
b. along the North Korean border, organized
by communist operatives
c. in Seoul, led by communist agitators
9. In June 1950 North Korean forces attacked
the South and by September controlled all but the southeastern
region around Pusan. What was the reaction of South Koreans?
a. stiff resistance, in support of the
popular U.S.-backed Syngman Rhee regime
b. little resistance, and initially much
cooperation
c. general apathy
10. The United Nations Security Council
approved a U.S. proposal for war on North Korea. Why, when both
the USSR and China were on the UNSC, was the proposal passed?
a. At the time, both China and the USSR
continued to maintain their World War II-era alliances with the
U.S.
b. UN rules did not require UNSC unanimity
but only a majority vote to commit the body to war.
c. China's seat was held by the pro-U.S.
Guomindang regime headquartered on Taiwan, and the Soviet delegate
was absent when the vote was taken.
11. How many people, military plus civilians,
died in the Korean War?
a. 500,000-1 million
b. 1 million-2 million
c. about 4 million
12. How many American soldiers died (officially)
in the Korean War?
a. 25,513
b. 54,246
c. 41,739
13. Between 1954 and 1960, how much of
South Korea's government budget came from foreign, especially
U.S., aid?
a. about half
b. about one-third
c. 20%
14. Park Chung-hee, who had served in
the Japanese army during the Second World War, participated in
a coup in 1961, and then became president in 1963. His rule,
to 1979, was characterized by
a. economic growth and political liberalization
b. a "sunshine policy" towards
North Korea
c. economic growth, martial law, censorship,
political repression, and torture of political prisoners
15. The KCIA abducted dissident Kim Dae-jung
from a Tokyo hotel in August 1973, intending to drown him. Following
a conversation between U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Philip Habib
and Park Chung-hee the U.S. CIA sent a helicopter to the Korean
spy ship on which he was confined. The CIA
a. demanded his immediate release
b. demanded that he not be killed
c. requested an explanation
16. Park's political career ended in
1979 when
a. the head of the Korean Central Intelligence
Agency (KCIA) assassinated him
b. student protests toppled him
c. his constitutional term as president
expired
17. In May 1980, after the the proclamation
of martial law, there was a massive uprising in the South Korean
city of Kwangju involving tens of thousands. By official estimate,
about 200 civilian pro-democracy protestors were killed by military
forces; Kwangju residents claim about 2000. Which of the following
best describes U.S. behavior during this incident?
a. The Carter administration gave prior
approval to South Korean contingency plans to use military units
against the protesters.
b. The U.S. cautioned against violence
against peaceful demonstrators.
c. The U.S. remained scrupulously neutral
during the event.
18. Which of the following South Korean
presidents have been convicted of the crimes of corruption, participation
in the 1979 coup, and involvement in the Kwangju Massacre?
a. Roh Tae-woo (1987-93)
b. Chun Doo-hwan (1980-87)
c. both of the above
19. Early in his presidency, Jimmy Carter
announced plans to withdraw all U.S. troops from South Korea.
What happened to this plan?
a. After meeting Park Chung-hee in Seoul
in June 1979, Carter announced that U.S. troops would remain,
and that the U.S. would expand its security relationship with
South Korea.
b. It was abandoned when Carter left
office.
c. It was implemented, but troops were
returned during Reagan's presidency.
20. After meeting with Chun Doo-hwan
in 1985, President Ronald Reagan
a. praised Chun for his government's
"considerable progress" in "promot[ing] freedom
and democracy"
b. mistakenly referred to him publicly
as "President Marcos"
c. doubled U.S. aid to South Korea
21. Like many nations, the DPRK has sought
in the past to acquire nuclear weapons. It may have produced
two as of 1992, during the first Bush administration. The Clinton
administration negotiated a deal in 1994 whereby Pyongyang suspended
its nuclear program in exchange for oil and the foreign-sponsored
construction of two cool-water reactors. What happened to the
agreement?
a. It was scrupulously followed by both
sides until recently.
b. Construction of the reactors did not
take place; the Bush administration rejected
the Clinton policy and South Korean president Kim Dae-jung's
"sunshine policy" towards the North; and at some point
North Korea resumed its nuclear weapons program.
c. Bush explicitly repudiated the agreement
in his 2002 "State of the Union" speech.
22. In 1997 Kim Dae-jung was elected
South Korean president and initiated the "sunshine policy"
of rapprochement with North Korea. This led to his meeting in
Pyongyang in June 2000 with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il,
in which both leaders agreed to seek reunification without foreign
interference. When Kim met with President Bush the following
year in Washington, Bush
a. declined to support the "sunshine
policy" and demanded that North Korea provide more verification
of the suspension of its missile program, and withdraw conventional
artillery and armor from the border with South Korea
b. enthusiastically supported Kim's policy
and the 1994 Agreed Framework
c. offered proof to journalists that
North Korea was not complying with the 1994 agreement
23. South Korea has been counted among
the "Four Tigers" because of its strong economic growth
since the 1970s. But in 1997 the won lost half its value and
the economy collapsed. Unemployment rose from 2 to 7 percent.
Thereafter, the economy has rebounded due to:
a. an IMF agreement raising the percentage
of a Korean company's stock that could be owned by foreigners
from 26 to 50 percent, insuring greater foreign control over
the economy
b. a $ 55 billion loan package
c. both of the above
24. In his State of the Union address
(January 29, 2002) President Bush referred to North Korea as
a. a "rogue state"
b. part of an "axis of evil"
c. an "evil empire"
25. What percentage of South Koreans
polled after Bush's speech disagreed with his characterization
of North Korea?
a. 60%
b. 50%
c. 35%
26. Which, among the following, has most
benefited from the acquisition of North Korean missile technology?
a. Iraq
b. Iran
c. Pakistan
27. Currently deployed North Korean missiles
night possibly reach what part of U.S. territory?
a. California
b. Texas
c. The Aleutian Islands
28. How many U.S. troops are currently
stationed in South Korea?
a. about 16,000
b. about 22,000
c. about 37,000
29. How many foreign troops are stationed
in North Korea?
a. none
b. 5-10,000
c. 10-20,000
30. According to official South Korean
government figures, how many U.S. soldiers in South Korea between
1967 and 1998 committed "overt criminal offenses"?
a. over 40,000
b. over 20,000
c. over 10,000
31. How many "registered" prostitutes
service U.S. GIs in South Korea?
a. about 12,000
b. about 18,000
c. none; there is no registration process
32. U.S. arms sales to South Korea during
the Clinton administration were in excess of
a. $ 10 billion
b. $ 6 billion
c. $ 2 billion
33. There is some evidence that North
Korea may possess one or two nuclear weapons. What nation is
known to have deployed about 100 tactical nuclear weapons on
the Korean peninsula between 1958 and 1991?
a. South Korea
b. Russia
c. U.S.
(BONUS QUESTION)
Current South Korean public opinion polls
indicate that the foreign country people most fear is
a. the U.S.
b. North Korea
c. China
Answers: 1 (a); 2 (c); 3 (b); 4 (b); 5 (b); 6 (a); 7
(b); 8 (a); 9 (b); 10 (c); 11 (c); 12 (b); 13 (a): 14 (c); 15
(b); 16 (a); 17 (a); 18 (c); 19 (a); 20 (a); 21 (b); 22 (a);
23 (a); 24 (b); 25 (a); 26 (c); 27 (c); 28 (c); 29 (a); 30 (a);
31 (b); 32 (a); 33 (c); bonus (a)
Gary Leupp
is an an associate professor, Department of History, Tufts University
and coordinator, Asian Studies Program.
He can be reached at: gleupp@tufts.edu
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