Minjok jeonggi

Korean-language nationalist term

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Minjok jeonggi (Korean: 민족정기; Hanja: 民族情氣 or 民族正氣; lit. 'spirit of the nation' or 'national spirit')^[1] is a Korean word mainly used by Korean nationalists, which means "correct and great ethos as the common will of the nation". This word is also related to the Korean independence movement and the South Korean democracy movement.

History

The term was used by Korean independence activists who opposed Japanese imperialism when they translated the German word Volksgeist into Korean language.^[2]

In the 1990s, anti-colonialists and pro-democracy activists argued that they should cultivate minjok jeonggi by removing the legacies of pro-Japanese collaborators ("Chinilpa") that could not be liquidated during the dictatorship that existed after the establishment of South Korea.^[1]

It is used not only as a general term but also as an administrative term. Act on the Honorable Treatment of Persons of Distinguished Service to Independence has the phrase "to exist the 'national spirit' [minjok jeonggi] by encouraging patriotism"; this law was enacted on December 31, 1994.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Reconstructing Royalty, Manufacturing Memory". NOVAsia. November 21, 2023. The democratisation of society in the early 90s led to the (re)emergence of the feeling that the "minjok jeonggi" (spirit of the nation, 민족정기) needs to be restored and rectified, and this discourse on "rectifying the past" therefore continues to influence public policy to this day.
^ "民族正氣에 관한 一考察". 한국민족운동사연구 제34권: 343-382. 김종성 (January 2003).
^ "Act on the Honorable Treatment of Persons of Distinguished Service to Independence". Statute of the Republic of Korea.
^ "[청사초롱] 민족정기라는 허깨비". Kukmin Ilbo (in Korean). 2020-10-21.