South Koreans' collective victim beliefs about Japanese colonization - Survey

Dataset for: Jeong, H. Y., & Ray Vollhardt, J. (2021). Different collective memories of Japanese colonization in Korea: Consequences for distinct preferences for strategies to deal with the past. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 24(3), 392-404. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12449

Although many Koreans’ attitudes towards Japan are marked by hostility and distrust due to the memories of Japanese colonization, others have different views on the past and different preferences for dealing with Japan. The current study examines the links between different construals of historical victimization (i.e., collective victim beliefs) and distinct intergroup strategies: collective action demanding apology and reparation from Japan, reconciliation, and retribution. A survey among 249 South Koreans identified four collective victim beliefs: preserving memories and supporting survivors, ingroup fragmentation about how to address the past, grievances concerning historical suffering and perpetrators’ denial, and perceived prevalence of ingroup resistance. Grievances concerning historical suffering and present-day denial predicted increased willingness to participate in collective action, desire for retribution, and decreased willingness for reconciliation. Perceived importance of preserving memories and supporting survivors predicted greater willingness to participate in collective action and more desire for retribution. Unexpectedly, perceived ingroup fragmentation and resistance also predicted willingness for reconciliation. Most of the effects of collective victim beliefs on intergroup strategies were mediated by resentment towards the Japanese. Overall, this study expands the literature on collective victimhood in the understudied context of Koreans’ collective memories of colonization.

Dataset for: Jeong, H. Y., & Vollhardt, J. R. (2021). Koreans’ collective victim beliefs about Japanese colonization. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 27(4), 629–641. https://doi.org/10.1037/pac0000496

To understand the current relations between Japan and Korea, it is crucial to understand how Koreans construe the historical experience of victimization due to Japanese colonization. We analyzed news articles from major Korean newspapers, examining 3 time periods during which the conflict between Japan and South Korea over how to address the past was particularly salient. Thematic analysis revealed 3 categories with several themes each, describing challenges of victimization that are met with specific coping efforts and the transgenerational transmission of memories of historical victimization that keep these experiences salient. This article presents the first social psychological investigation of collective victim beliefs in Korea and contributes to the literature by integrating theoretical perspectives from appraisal theory and the collective victimhood literature, as well as expanding the diversity and complexity of collective victim beliefs. The current study also has practical implications for addressing strained relations between South Korea and Japan.