Is Korea still a shrimp between whales?

Korea has long been described as a shrimp between whales, but the writer argues that image no longer fits. The piece recalls past attempts to symbolize Korea with a rabbit for the 1988 Olympics and later a tiger after Chun Doo-hwan rejected the rabbit mascot. It says Korea is now economically and technologically powerful enough to make its own decisions, and suggests a dolphin better captures its present identity.

The article says the rabbit was initially hoped to be chosen as the official mascot for the 1988 Olympics before the design committee switched to a tiger.

It says Chun Doo-hwan rejected the rabbit mascot and told the team to change it immediately to a tiger.

The writer explains the proverb When whales fight, the shrimp's back is broken as a way of describing Korea's historical position among powerful countries.

It says Korea's economy is among the world's best and that its technology powers much of the globe's systems.

The piece proposes a dolphin as a better symbol for Korea, describing it as smart, agile and living off the coast of Jeju with haenyeo.

Published Sep 19, 2026 11:56 am KST

England is a lion. Russia is a bear. China a dragon. America an Eagle. And so on. But what about Korea? What animal best represents the people and the culture? One of my favourite stories comes from Lee Tae-woong’s fabulous KBS documentary on the 1988 Olympics.

The country had to choose an official mascot for the event. Something that would be made into toys and posters and spread around the world. Suggestions ranged from ginseng and Silla crowns to Cheomseongdae, Goryeo pottery and even jangseung, those wonderfully grotesque wooden guardians posted at village entrances. If only we lived in the parallel universe where they won.

Secretly, however, the design committee had hoped that a rabbit would be chosen to represent Korea. At the time, Korea’s image was very different from today. Instead of today's Gangnam glitz, international images of Korea were colored by Gwangju, political repression and nearly three decades of authoritarian rule. By using a rabbit as an Olympic mascot, the hope was that it would soften Korea’s image. Make it appear more approachable, friendlier. Cuter. There’s also a deep tradition of the animal here. Go on Google and you’ll find the Korean Peninsula depicted as a rabbit, it’s eyes facing China and its long ears stretching far up into Manchuria.

You see the rabbit in the Zodiac (1987 and 1999, if you’re interested) and all sorts of folk tales. In Sugungga, made famous again in recent years by Korean alternative pop band Leenalchi, a rabbit is lured down to the Dragon King's underwater palace, discovers that everyone wants his liver and promptly talks his way out of being killed. And as we approach Chuseok, Korea's moon festival, do not forget that Korean tales also talk of a rabbit.

In this tale, the Emperor of the Heavens is having one of those days where he feels like testing mortals, so he disguises himself as a starving beggar. Three animals, a rabbit, a fox and a monkey, decide they want to be top-tier Buddhists and rush to help. The fox brings over some fish. (classic, practical). The monkey brings fruit. (solid, healthy choice). The rabbit? Well, the rabbit looks around, realizes it has zero snacks on hand and instantly decides that the logical next step is to throw itself into a roaring fire so the beggar can have roasted rabbit. Naturally, the emperor is completely floored by this extreme level of dedication. Instead of letting the rabbit become crispy dinner, he saves it, gives it a VIP promotion and ships it off to the moon to live forever. Thus we get the moon rabbit who makes all sorts of lovely rice cakes we get to eat every year!

However, despite all the attempts to make the rabbit the symbol of Korea, one man was having none of it. Chun Doo-hwan, the general who seized power following a military coup and headed the junta during the bloody suppression of the Gwangju Uprising, is said to have scoffed at the idea of a rabbit mascot and told the team to change it immediately to a tiger. Thus, we got Hodori and Korea became more and more associated with the four-legged orange beast of the mountains. The Kellogg Company immediately threatened legal action because, well, it looked pretty similar to Tony the Tiger if we are being honest.

Nevertheless, it’s now much easier to see artwork depicting the Korean Peninsula as a tiger, its claws and mouth reaching up into the north. We learn how Koreans don’t say "Once upon a time" but rather "Back when tigers smoked." And if you’re reading this and wondering whether you’re a tiger, you are if you’re born in 1974, 1986 or 1998. For all my faults, I’m a chicken!

The other animal with which Korea has become long known in more recent years is that of a shrimp. Books and social media tell the story of the shrimp between whales. The full expression is "When whales fight, the shrimp's back is broken". The "whales" represent powerful, influential nations, corporations or leaders locked in a fierce dispute. The "shrimp" represents the weak or ordinary people who have nothing to do with the fight. The "broken back" means the vulnerable get hurt as collateral damage simply by being caught in the middle of a conflict they cannot control. Historically, people often use this proverb to describe Korea’s geopolitical position trapped between powerful neighboring superpowers, such as the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.

As the countries fought each other, Korea was invaded, colonized, divided and neglected. Japan colonized it. The United States and Soviet Union divided it. China, Japan, Russia and America repeatedly shaped its fate. For much of modern history, Koreans had to live with decisions made elsewhere.

And that has been the message of the Korean nation. It suffered because it was poor. Because other nations were simply more powerful. Its role was to endure and, thus, the ballads, the han, the literature, the art and everything else emerged.

But what about today? Of course, Korea is nowhere near the size of these other continental landmasses. But to call it a shrimp would be to do a great injustice to the blistering advancements it has made. Its economy is one of the world’s best, its technology powers much of the globe’s systems and its culture dazzles and entices millions. Once helpless while watching armed conflicts from afar, it got incredibly rich during the Vietnam War. It now has to make decisions when it comes to Iran, Israel, Russia, Ukraine and all the other conflicts around the world the news doesn’t tell you about. Korea is not a powerless shrimp. It has the ability to now make its own decisions, to influence the world. Maybe not as a whale, granted. But England was never that big either if we’re talking about landmass. Perhaps, then, Korea can be a dolphin. They live off the coast of Jeju and dive with the legendary haenyeo. And honestly? A dolphin fits.

Dolphins don’t try to crush the ocean like a whale, and they certainly don't get squashed like a shrimp. They’re smart, agile and they ride the waves of a changing global current with absolute style. I love that they travel in a pod that looks out for one another.

So rather than the rabbit of the past, the dictator-mandated tiger or the geopolitical underdog, today’s Korea isn’t waiting around to be eaten or protected. It’s making the whole ocean look good.

韩国长期以来被比作鲸鱼群中的一只小虾，但作者认为这种比喻已不再贴切。文章回顾了过去曾尝试用兔子作为1988年冬奥会的象征，以及后来在全斗焕否决兔子作为吉祥物后，韩国又尝试用老虎作为象征。文章指出，如今韩国的经济和科技实力已足以自主决策，并认为海豚更能体现韩国当下的身份认同。

文章称，最初希望兔子能被选为 1988 年奥运会的官方吉祥物，但设计委员会后来改选了老虎。

报道称，全斗焕拒绝了兔子吉祥物，并要求球队立即将其改为老虎。

作者解释说，“鲸鱼打架，虾背折断”这句谚语，用来描述韩国在强国中的历史地位。

报告称，韩国经济位居世界前列，其科技为全球许多系统提供动力。

这篇文章提出海豚是韩国更好的象征，将其描述为聪明、敏捷，与海女一起生活在济州岛沿海。

发布于2026年9月19日上午11:56（韩国标准时间）

英国是狮子，俄罗斯是熊，中国是龙，美国是鹰，等等。那么韩国呢？什么动物最能代表韩国人民和文化？我最喜欢的故事之一来自李泰雄为KBS拍摄的精彩纪录片，该片讲述了1988年冬奥会。

该国必须为这项赛事选出一个官方吉祥物。这个吉祥物将被制成玩具和海报，并在世界各地传播。人们提出的建议五花八门，从人参、新罗王冠到瞻星台、高丽陶器，甚至还有长生——那些矗立在村庄入口处、造型奇特的木制守卫。要是我们生活在它们最终胜出的平行宇宙就好了。

然而，设计委员会私下里却希望选择兔子来代表韩国。当时，韩国的形象与今天截然不同。与如今江南区的繁华景象不同，当时的韩国国际形象更多地被光州事件、政治压迫以及近三十年的威权统治所笼罩。他们希望通过选择兔子作为奥运吉祥物，能够柔化韩国的形象，使其显得更加平易近人、友好可爱。此外，兔子在韩国也有着深厚的传统。在谷歌上搜索一下，你会发现朝鲜半岛常常被描绘成一只兔子，它的眼睛朝向中国，长长的耳朵一直延伸到满洲。

你会在十二生肖（如果你感兴趣的话，可以看看1987年和1999年的版本）以及各种民间故事中看到兔子的身影。在韩国另类流行乐队Leenalchi近年来重新演绎的《水宫歌》中，一只兔子被引诱到龙王的海底宫殿，发现所有人都想要它的肝脏，于是它巧妙地用三寸不烂之舌逃脱了杀戮。随着韩国中秋节的临近，别忘了韩国的传说中也少不了兔子的身影。

在这个故事里，天帝某天兴致勃勃，想考验一下凡人，于是化身为一个饥肠辘辘的乞丐。兔子、狐狸和猴子三只动物立志要成为高阶佛教徒，便赶来帮忙。狐狸带来了鱼（经典实用）。猴子带来了水果（稳妥健康的选择）。兔子呢？它环顾四周，发现自己身上没有任何零食，于是立刻决定下一步该怎么做——跳进熊熊燃烧的火堆，好让乞丐能吃到烤兔肉。天帝自然被这番义举深深折服。他没有让兔子变成烤肉，而是救了它，给了它一个贵宾待遇，并把它送到月亮上去永生。于是，就有了我们每年都能吃到的各种美味年糕的月兔！

然而，尽管人们竭尽全力想让兔子成为韩国的象征，却有一个人坚决反对。据说，发动军事政变夺取政权、并在血腥镇压光州起义期间领导军政府的将军全斗焕，对兔子吉祥物的想法嗤之以鼻，并要求团队立即将其改为老虎。于是，就有了虎熊（Hodori），韩国也与这只来自山区的四足橙色猛兽越来越紧密地联系在一起。家乐氏公司立即威胁要采取法律行动，因为说实话，虎熊看起来确实很像托尼虎（Tony Tiger）。

然而，现在更容易看到将朝鲜半岛描绘成老虎的艺术作品，老虎的利爪和血盆大口伸向北方。我们了解到，韩国人不说“很久很久以前”，而是说“那时候老虎还抽烟呢”。如果你正在读这篇文章，并且想知道自己是不是老虎，那么如果你出生于1974年、1986年或1998年，你就是。至于我，尽管我有很多缺点，但我还是只胆小鬼！

近年来，韩国的另一个标志性动物是虾。书籍和社交媒体上流传着“虾夹在鲸鱼之间”的故事。这句谚语的完整含义是“鲸鱼打架，虾背遭殃”。“鲸鱼”象征着陷入激烈争斗的强大国家、企业或领导人；“虾”则代表与争斗无关的弱小或普通民众；“背遭殃”意味着弱势群体仅仅因为被卷入一场他们无法掌控的冲突而遭受附带伤害。历史上，人们常常用这句谚语来形容韩国的地缘政治处境：被夹在强大的邻国——如美国、中国、俄罗斯和日本之间。

在各国交战期间，朝鲜半岛饱受侵略、殖民、分裂和忽视。日本曾殖民统治它。美国和苏联瓜分了它。中国、日本、俄罗斯和美国反复左右着它的命运。在近代史的大部分时间里，朝鲜人民不得不承受其他国家做出的决定所带来的后果。

这就是韩国民族一直以来传递的信息。它因为贫穷而饱受苦难，因为其他国家比它强大得多。它的任务就是忍耐，因此，民谣、韩剧、文学、艺术以及其他一切艺术形式应运而生。

但如今呢？当然，韩国的面积远不及其他大陆。但若称其为“虾”，则大大低估了它所取得的飞速发展。韩国的经济位居世界前列，其科技驱动着全球诸多系统，其文化魅力四射，吸引着数百万民众。曾经只能远观战火纷飞的韩国，在越南战争期间迅速崛起，积累了巨额财富。如今，面对伊朗、以色列、俄罗斯、乌克兰以及新闻媒体鲜少报道的全球冲突，韩国必须做出抉择。韩国不再是无力的“虾”。它现在有能力自主决策，影响世界。诚然，它或许无法像鲸鱼那样庞大。但如果以陆地面积来衡量，英国也从未真正称得上“大”。那么，或许，韩国可以比作海豚。它们生活在济州岛附近海域，与传奇的海女一起潜水。说实话，用海豚来形容韩国再贴切不过了。

海豚不像鲸鱼那样试图征服海洋，当然也不会像虾那样被挤压致死。它们聪明、敏捷，以优雅的姿态驾驭着不断变化的全球洋流。我喜欢它们成群结队地游弋，互相照应。

所以，今天的韩国不再是过去那种温顺的兔子、独裁者扶植的猛虎，或是地缘政治上的弱势一方，它既不坐等被吞噬，也不被动地寻求保护。它正在让整个海洋都变得更美好。