Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Impact of Anti-Americanism on Locally Employed Staff at the American Embassy in Korea

The Korean locally engageed staff (LES) at the American Embassy in Seoul face idiosyncratic job-related challenges. The Korean LE repeatedly find themselves caught in the crossfire between the American conduct and domestic anti-American sentiments. The LES's dual identity as Korean nationals working for a foreign regulation puts them in an awkward position in times of bilateral friction. They are make subordinateed to negative framing of their occupational socialization and threats of physical attack. Their depressed turnover rates, however, suggest the existence of effective coping mechanisms. The LE internalize the pride of working for the superpower rule and assuming a mediator's character between their employer and the Korean public. Monetary motivations also play a crucial character in the tight local labor market.

*Key Words: Anti-American sentiments, dual identities, politicization of work, ideological backlash, potential for physical attack, monetary motivations

Since its ascendance to unrivalled superpower status with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States has become the target of ambivalent feelings from the ease of the world.1 The 9/11 terrorist attacks were a poignant reminder of in what manner one radical minority perceives the country's power. The ongoing war against terrorism has been criticized as "unilateral" and "hegemonic."2 In this rapidly shifting international landscape, the Korean peninsula has one time again become a political laboratory for anti-Americanism.3

Bilateral relations between the U and Korea are at a crossroads. The alliance is being transformed from benefactor-beneficiary relationship to a more equitable partnership. The poor, backward Korea portrayed in the popular TV series M*A*S*H has become the world's eleventh largest economy, and the U.S.'s seventh largest trading partner. The Korean conduct has been trying to play a correspondingly more active part in its dealings with the U Seoul's efforts to take the driver's seat in solving the in every one's mouth impasse with the Pyongyang regime are a serviceable example.4 In addition to the nuclear issue, several bilateral issues have contributed to Korean anti-Americanism in new years.5 U.S.-Korea relations are a actual different ballgame now, and the Korean locally hired staff at the American Embassy ofttimes find themselves trapped in the no man's land between popular anti-Americanism and the ne to shield their employer's policies.

Methods and Data

This research is qualitative based upon more than two years of participant observation in the actual setting. As a senior local staff member at the American Embassy in Seoul the researcher had numerous opportunities to note work-related dynamics at very shut up range. Studying the organization was not her initial intention,6 on the contrary consistent patterns in public perceptions of Korean local hires began to emerge7 Informal indepth interviews in daily interactions with American as well as Korean staff and the Korean public were indispensable data sources. Contentious issues and public diplomacy strategies are the bread and butter of the Public Affairs section, and the researcher participated in strategy planning meetings upon various bilateral issues as a senior local staff member. The researcher was in an opportune strategic position to note and sympathize with both sides. She also used newspaper reports, journal articles, written materials for public consumption of that kind as American Foreign Service Association newsletter and official State Department publications as data sources.

Locally exerciseed Staff (LES)

The State Department has about 250 American foreign diplomatic missions around the world, and these missions locally hire an assisting labor force of Locally exerciseed Staff (LES) consisting primarily of foreign nationals.8 The primary piece of work function of all LES is to assist American diplomats or Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) The American Embassy in Seoul exercises approximately 150 FSOs and 350 LES9 In the Embassy hierarchy, the LE possess the lowest rung (see Figure 1)

LE keep a unique place in bourns of both the internal labor market and external public perceptions. individual of the most idiosyncratic characteristics of their work is its exemption from accountability. The American supervisor bears total responsibility for any performance issue Consequently, LES receive no meaningful official recognition for exceptional performance.10 Instead, the credit goe to the American supervisor. The absence of accountability and recognition constitute a double-edged sword for the LE upon one hand, they are below less pressure to perform in the absence of punitive measures of that kind as reprimand or dismissal. on the other hand they also have little motivation to improve on-the-job performance. The prevailing sentiment is, "no matter by what mode hard you try, you will not ever get the credit, so for what cause [i]or[/i] reason bother?"

LES have very limited upward mobility scenes Once one is hired, there is no guaranteed opportunity for promotion, because all LE positions are dead-end. An annual pace increase provides an incremental wage increase, on the other hand the rank stays the same unles single is promoted. So they wait for someone in a higher rank to retire or resign. Unles or until that happens, the possibility of promotion is shut to zero.