The Potent Force of S Korea's Regionalism

Regionalism remains a potent force in South Korea. “If the U.S. has racism, South Korea has regionalism,” said a 2008 article [http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=104&oid=001&aid=0001894986] by wire agency Yonhap. There’s even a special word for regional rivalry: jiyeok gamjeong, which literally means “regional enmity.” The most historical and emotionally charged regional rivalry may be between the southwest and the southeast: the two Jeolla provinces (also called Honam