''Tochak waegu'' () or ''To-wae'' for short, is a South Korean political insult used mainly by South Korean leftists against South Korean conservatives who are perceived to be pro-Japanese. ''Tochak waegu'' is similar to the terms ''maegukno'' () and ''minjok banyeokja'' ().

Political position

In South Korea, liberals and leftists are more anti-Japanese than conservatives. The term is commonly used to criticize South Korean conservatives' relatively favorable foreign policy towards Japan. It is also used as a derogatory expression for those who sympathize with the Japanese right, and those who are perceived as too lenient towards Japan, even if they are also anti-Japanese. Therefore, "''tochak waegu''" are considered to be

race traitors Race traitor is a pejorative reference to a person who is perceived as supporting attitudes or positions thought to be against the supposed interests or well-being of that person's own race. The term is the source of the name of a quarterly magazi ...

. Some South Korean scholars argue that in South Korea, defending the policies of the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

or espousing historically revisionist views of Imperial Japan should be criminalised, which, according to them, would have the same legitimacy as the criminalization of

Neo-Nazism Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

and

Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...

in European countries.Shin Dong-kyu ed. (2016)
''The logic of Holocaust Negationism and Comport Women of the Empire of PARK Yuha: Challenge against Collective memory and emotion through unhistorical narratives''

Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information The Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), Korea () is a government backed research institute in Daedeok Science Town in Daejeon, South Korea. Chronology See also *Korea University of Science and Technology The ...

. However, such legislation has not been introduced in South Korea as to not hinder

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

. In South Korean politics, liberals and leftists tend to characterize conservatives as "pro-Japan", while conservatives tend to characterize liberals and leftists as "pro-

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

" (or '' Jongbuk''). South Korea has historically been under Japanese colonial rule so to be "pro-Japan" is regarded as "

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

" () or "far-right" while to be "pro-Pyongyang" is regarded as "'' ppalgaengi''" () or "far-left". Thus, South Korean politicians (mainly liberal politicians) equate "''tochak waegu"'' with the "far-right".

Criticism

The term "''tochak waegu''" itself is a slanderous term for South Korean conservatives, not

Japanese people The are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago."人類学上は，旧石器時代あるいは縄文時代以来，現在の北海道〜沖縄諸島（南西諸島）に住んだ集団を祖先にもつ人々。" () Jap ...

, but this term is sometimes used as a slur for Japanese people living in South Korea. This is also related to the South Koreans' perception that Japanese people are perpetrators, not victims of racism. Some Koreans see the term "''waegu''" as racist against Japanese people, but others argue that it is not racist. A column in the

JoongAng Ilbo ''The JoongAng'', formally known as ''JoongAng Ilbo'', is a South Korean daily newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, and a newspaper of record for South Korea. The paper also publ ...

, a

moderate conservative Moderate conservatism is a moderate version of conservatism that is less demanding than classical conservatism and has several subtypes such as liberal conservatism. The term is often used in countries where the political camp is divided into 'l ...

news outlet, criticized the expression '"'tochak waegu''" as akin to a liberal version of

McCarthyism McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origin ...

. This position was criticized in an article written by Hong Se-hwa for the left-wing news outlet Hankyoreh, in which he claimed it to be "government-led nationalism" () that has nothing to do with left-wing nationalism and criticized right-wing Japanese nationalism and hostile symbiosis.

Notes

References

{{Reflist Anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea Conservatism in South Korea Political pejoratives for people Political terminology in South Korea