Utilisateur:Chnosos/Brouillons19

A kkangpae (깡패; sometimes spelled ggangpae or gangpeh) is a member of a Korean Mafia. Kkangpae literally translates to "Mobsters" in Korean. Other words for mobster include geondal (건달) and jopok (조폭 (組暴); refers more towards organized criminals/mafia). Korean mobs are primarily in North America and Asia, mostly in Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon, Daegu, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York City, Hawaii, Chicago, Texas and Miami.

History[modifier | modifier le code]

Historians believe that the rise of Korean mobs started back in the 17th century, the fading days of the Joseon Dynasty. With the rise of commerce and the emergence of investment from western powers, pre-existing street gangs, often consisting of lower class muscle and operated by wealthy merchants, gained influence.^{[réf. nécessaire]} The modern history of Korean criminal organizations divides into four periods- the "Romantic Period" under the rule of Imperial Japan, Political mobs of the late 1950s and early 1960s under Syngman Rhee, the "Civil War period" under the military rule of Park Chung Hee and Chun Doo Hwan, and the present. Traditionally most mobsters were based in Seoul, the capital and the largest city in South Korea.

Occupation years[modifier | modifier le code]

During the 36 year of forced occupation by imperial Japan, many Koreans were killed, raped, abused, or enslaved. This intensified during World War I when Japan spread its empire throughout Manchuria,and parts of Russia. Koreans fled to Japan and formed mobs to overcome racial hate and crimes. The most infamous "mobster" during this period was Kim Doo Han, the son of a famous independence fighter and insurgent leader Kim Jwa-jin, a freedom fighter against Japanese rule. After his father and mother were killed, he grew up as a beggar and hung out with a local gang, named Jumok (fist). He rose through the ranks and became infamous for being the best fighter (which was the way of Jumok), known for fighting groups of Yakuza and other Japanese by himself with only his hands, even though he was often outnumbered by Yakuza, and Yakuza were usually armed with katanas.^{[réf. nécessaire]}

The colonial branch of Yakuza was then under the control of Hayashi, a Korean who defected to the Japanese and joined the yakuza. The rival mob to Hayashi's Yakuza was controlled by Koo Majok, but the Korean mobs were always short of money and many local mob bosses were disloyal to Koo and formed separated mobs, notably Shin Majok and Ssang Kal (twin knives). Koo Majok finally tried to solidify his control over the Korean mobs by knocking out Ssang Kal and taking over his territory but it caused a backlash. Kim Doo Han, originally a member of Ssang Kal, rebelled against Koo Majok. Kim killed both Shin Majok and Koo Majok and unified all the Korean mobs under his command at the age of 18.^{[réf. nécessaire]} After solidifying his rule by beating the revolting groups, Kim made his move against the Yakuza, starting the famous trial war between Jumok and Yakuza, which became symbolic of the resistance by Koreans against Japanese racism and imperialism. Kim Doo Han was a major figure of the movement against Japanese imperialism; the rivalry between his mob and the Yakuza under their famous boss Hayashi is still remembered by many Koreans and Japanese.^{[réf. nécessaire]} To this date, many Korean mobs are still at war with Japanese mobs, or yakuza.

Ironically, many Japanese yakuza, some claim a majority,^{[réf. nécessaire]} are themselves of Korean origin (known as zainichi-kankokujin in Japanese), including Hayashi.

Political gangs[modifier | modifier le code]

The Japanese were forced out of Korea after losing World War II. Following the Japanese surrender the Soviet and American troops occupied the nation; and Korea soon became the battlefield of a Cold War between ideologies, as the Korean War erupted in 1950. Prior to the Korean War, several mobs in South Korea defected to communist side; almost all gangs were exterminated in North Korea under the command of Kim Il-Sung. However by the beginning of the Korean War, almost all communist mobs disappeared from South Korea, due to brutal suppression from the government. Many North Korean gangs also moved into South Korea and formed large factions, led by Lee Hwa Ryong.

After the Korean War, South Korea was in complete ruins. The economy almost did not exist as most of the population were short of food. The political situation of South Korea was even more terrible, as the government of Syngman Rhee struggled to keep the control of nation. To solve the problem, the Rhee government allied itself with several criminal organizations, including the Dongdaemunpa of Lee Jeong Jae. Dongdaemunpa soon formed a rivalry with Lee Hwa Ryong's Myeongdongpa; however, Dongdaemunpa, with the backing of the government, usually outsmarted Myeongdongpa and avoided the police, while Myeongdongpa members were often arrested and imprisoned. The opposition was brutally oppressed by the political mobs; Dongdaemunpa and other organizations were often accused of rigging elections. The terror of the political gangs made the Rhee government extremely unpopular, and following the presidential election of 1960, Rhee's Liberal Party was accused of election fraud and was overthrown by a revolt of the people.

Civil War period[modifier | modifier le code]

The new government that took power after Syngman Rhee was incompetent and was unable to make the nation stable. Instead the policy of new government dragged the country into chaos; and finally in May 16, 1961, Major-General Park Chung Hee led a successful coup against the government and started his 18-year military rule. Immediately after taking control of government, Park ordered the arrest of many politically affiliated gang bosses, including Lee Jeong Jae and Lim Hwa-su; they were subsequently executed. After this large crackdown on organized crime, most of the mobs became underground organizations, but still survived the new era.

After the execution of Lee and dissolution of Dongdaemunpa, Sin Sang Hyeon of Sinsangsapa became the most influential figure within Korean gangs. However during the 1970s, Beomhonampa under Oh Jongcheol and Park Jong-seok gained strength and challenged the Sinsangsapa. In 1975, Beomhonampa attacked the New Year party of Sinsangsapa and became the most powerful organization. However the Beomhonampa was divided by Oh and Park; and Jo Yang-eun and Kim Tae Chon emerged as the most powerful figure of the gangs of the time.^{[réf. nécessaire]} Kim Tae Chon gained his fame by introducing knives to the Korean mobs; he stabbed Oh Jongcheol and formed his own mob, Beomseobangpa, and soon became the most noted figure of organized crime in Korea; Jo Yang-eun also formed Yangeunyipa and started war against Kim, as well as OBpa of Lee Dong Jae. At the same time, various gangs rose from many South Korean cities, following the rapid economical and industrial development under Park Chung Hee government. Many organizations based their wealth on many businesses such as money laundering, loan sharking, liquor selling, construction, gambling, prostitution and others.

Organisation[modifier | modifier le code]

大頭目
（두목）
（親分老大；會長）

顧問
（고문）

二頭目
（부두목）
（社長）

行動隊長
（행동대장）

行動隊長
（행동대장）
（以上幹部級）

行動隊員

行動隊員
（행동대원）

行動隊員

Organized crime in Korea[modifier | modifier le code]

Organized crime was widespread in Korea during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The syndicates controlled large parts of the entertainment district, media and politics. Common practices of these groups included extortion by offering "protection," prostitution, loan sharking, money laundering (ex. construction) and gambling. However in 1990, the Korean government declared a war against organized crime,^[1] which resulted in the incarceration of thousands of mobsters and mob bosses. However the gangs transformed themselves into business corporations, and yet began another expansion as the East Asian Financial Crisis struck the nation in 1997.

last known kingpin of the organization was James Chang. Current activities of mobsters include extortion, prostitution, illegal goods (drugs, guns), money laundering (construction, fishing), loan sharking, kidnappings, and running night clubs. Mobs have more of a presence and control in smaller towns and cities, where there is less of a police and government presence. Korean organized crime also has strong connections and relationships with the Japanese yakuza and the Russian mafia.^{[réf. nécessaire]}

Members of organized crime often have tattoos of the pa (mob) they are in. When confronted by other mobs, they show the tattoo to identify themselves. The tattoo can also be used as a warning to show civilians that they should not be taken advantage of. Because of this, tattoos have often been a stigma and considered taboo, unless you were a gangster or a criminal. Only members of the Korean mafia can hold these tattoos if a non-member was to hold them he would be executed or worse.

The stereotypical image of mobsters in Korea is as follows: gakdoogi hair (sides shaved, hair on top), big build, black attire, tacky suits, black luxury cars, huge tattoos and saturi talk (regional dialect). While this may not apply to every gangster, if you have seen someone with these attributes, it is likely they were a member of organized crime. Contrary to popular belief, Seoul is not known for mob activity. The mobs of the Jeollado region (Gwangju, Mokpo) are the most respected and most well known out of Korea. Other areas gangsters are known to come from are Busan and Incheon.

References[modifier | modifier le code]

Modèle:Citation style

↑ Y K Lee, « The status of organized crime in Korea and its countermeasures », International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, vol. 22, n^o 2,‎ 1998, p. 157–174

External links[modifier | modifier le code]

[1] Y K Lee, « The status of organized crime in Korea and its countermeasures », International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, vol. 22, n^o 2,‎ 1998, p. 157–174

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