This is the third installment of a series.
Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, a complex of public schools in Los Angeles, has been embroiled in a controversy over a mural on its premises.
The mural was painted on an exterior wall of a school gym by New York-based artist Beau Stanton in May 2016 as part of a school activity. The mural shows a profile of actress Ava Gardner with blue and red rays radiating in the background. In November 2018, a local group of residents of Korean heritage began demanding its removal and an apology from the Los Angeles Unified School District, branding the mural as a reminder of the Rising Sun flag symbolizing Japanese imperialism during World War II. The community schools stand in the central area of Koreatown.
In an about 100-page letter jointly submitted by 33 groups and individuals of Korean heritage from across the United States, assertions were made that issues over the Rising Sun flag as well as so-called comfort women are associated with war crimes committed by Japan. Demonstrations were also held to protest the mural.
Although the school district at one time agreed in the following month to remove the mural, the action was put on hold after receiving criticism from artists' organizations calling the removal an infringement on freedom of expression. While the groups led by those of Korean heritage continued to demand the mural's removal, a compromise was reached in September this year in which Stanton will redraw the background next spring to settle the dispute. An alternative image is currently under consideration, and a group of artists of Korean heritage plans to join the effort.
However, Stanton can't hide his confusion, saying he didn't know anything about the Rising Sun flag and couldn't believe the dispute emerged after the mural had been on display for 2-1/2 years.
Jake Jeong, the representative of the Korean heritage group, explained his positions in an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun, saying the group did not force Stanton to redraw the mural.
Nonetheless, Stanton cast some doubt about their activities, saying the protest was created for the sake of protest. The group continued to insist the problem was with the mural's design, Stanton added, though he said it does not bear the slightest resemblance to the Rising Sun flag.
Multiple methods
Residents of Korean descent in the U.S. have resorted to a wide range of activities through various methods, not only targeting the Rising Sun flag, apparently to defame Japan's reputation. These include efforts to set up a statue of a girl and a monument symbolizing the so-called comfort women, and a demand to use "East Sea" together with "Sea of Japan" to describe the body of water between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula.
Statues of comfort women and monuments of the kind have been placed mainly by civic groups of Korean heritage since around 2010 in more than 10 locations in the U.S., including in New Jersey and California. This has contributed to the spreading in the U.S., a nation highly sensitive to human rights issues, the image that the comfort women issue is a grave violation of human rights.
In Virginia, where the ratio of residents of Korean heritage is relatively high, a state law was passed in 2014 that makes it mandatory to use both East Sea and Sea of Japan in public school textbooks.
In August this year, the state education authority of New York issued a notice that recommends using East Sea along with Sea of Japan in public school classrooms. The decision was made in response to a request made by two New York State Assembly members. Although the two legislators, both Democrats, do not have Korean heritage, they were elected from districts in the New York City borough of Queens with many residents of Korean descent.
The two assembly members met with a senior official of the education department in May to express the concerns of their local South Korean communities and called for using historically accurate descriptions. The outcome explains how residents of Korean descent are managing to have their demands reflected in administrative decisions via legislators.
Strong solidarity
For U.S. residents of Korean heritage, their source of influence over local governments and assemblies comes from their strong bond of solidarity.
According to a survey of the Pew Research Center, the number of Koreans in the U.S. as of 2015 was about 1.82 million, showing a sharp increase of 590,000 from 2000. In contrast to Japanese Americans, who are mostly born in the U.S. as the third or fourth generation, 60% of residents of Korean descent are first-generation immigrants.
Alex Kim, a Korean American political consultant, explains that the large proportion of first-generation immigrants enables them to have a strong sense of belonging and camaraderie.
The presence of residents of Korean heritage backed by their solidarity is becoming a part of U.S. politics.
While the Japanese government has tried to explain its positions on every issue involved to defend itself, a person related to the government said, "We can't deny and eliminate every single issue created by one-sided assertions."
Assertions made by the South Korean side are gradually becoming faits accomplis.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
