RE comment by uninkorea: “The fact that the Candian and Russians have built in the area with no trouble, I think, speaks clearly for how much the people fighting the issue really cared about the cultural heritage value of the space.”

I should’ve made it more clear in my initial post, but the ugly Russian embassy is only in the same general area, and future Canadian embassy will also not be at what are supposedly controversial geographical coordinates. It’s just jaesuless that the place we Amerikuns want to build might be more important that the other lots.

The significance of the other embassies comes only when arguing with those who opposed having an American embassy “in the downtown of our capital,” “in such a historical neighborhood,” and for other silly reasons. As to be expected, there were people who just don’t want an American embassy anywhere closer than a satellite city in Gyeonggi Province, just because it would be American. With all the research into the importance of the location, these types do have better amunition in their argument.

Actually, knowing how American embassies built in the last decade have all looked like ugly fortresses, I’m also a little worried that it’s gonna hurt the scenery. I think it was the deputy ambassador who months back said they were going to make it look nice, so let’s hope for the best. Wouldn’t want to ruin the neighborhood. At least the Russian embassy isn’t in any important line of sight.

The fact that the Candian and Russians have built in the area with no trouble, I think, speaks clearly for how much the people fighting the issue really cared about the cultural heritage value of the space.

Anyway, I wanted to add a comment I made elsewhere.

A Korean prof told us while watching a film on Sokuram (I believe it was) that the Koreans have to at least recognize that the Japanese authorities put effort into recovering important Korean historical sites. He also rightly pointed out this didn’t mean the Japanese were any less to blame for the colonization, since they often tried to use the rediscovery of history to legitimize the “right” for Japan to take over Korea, but he meant that the idea Japan sought to destory all the cultural assets of Korea is false.

Gerry “The Senseless Apologist for Japanese Attempts at Cultural Genocide” Bevers vs. Peter “The Senseless Japanese Basher” Schroepher

Who’ll start the betting?

If I am “a senseless apologist,” then I guess I could say that you are a senseless Japanese basher who seems to have swallowed all of the anti-Japanese propagada put out by Koreans after liberation. Otherwise, why would you automatically assume that the Japanese built some degrading structure on the grounds of Toksu Palace as an insult Korea?

Actually, the original name of Toksu Palace was “Kyeongun Palace.” The name was changed to “Toksu” to honor the former king of Korea, as was the custom at the time. And, as I said, the schools were not built until after King Kojong died, which left the palace vacant and without any real function, except as a historical site. Why not sell off some of the land and build schools? Besides, from what I understand, the main part of the palace is the part that remains, which was where Kojong had his living quarters and performed most of his duties as the former king of Korea. And now that you have brought it up, did the Korean government insult Korea’s ancestors when they chopped off the front part of the palace in 1968 to build the road running in front of City Hall?

Chosun Korea was a slave society, whose rulers had a “Let-them-eat-cake” attitude. The life expectancy of the average Korean at the turn of the century was only 23 years. What is wrong with comparing Korea’s kings to Saddam Hussein? As you said, there were not really that many people who missed the “monarchs.” However, the point I was trying to make was that Korea’s palaces, like Saddam Hussein’s, were mainly just symbols of extravagance that the average Korean at the time probably felt little interest in preserving.

So it was an insult to build a “girls’ school”? Would it have also been an insult to build a “boy’s schools, since Chosun Korea’s kings really had no interest in public education?

Korea was a member of the Japanese Empire. When Japan lost the war, it would be only natural for Koreans to want to distance themselves from the loser by trying to paint themselves as also being victims of the Japanese. Because of what Japan did in other parts of Asia, people outside Korea seem to simply take what Koreans say about the Japanese at face value. However, I think the stories of Japanese abuses in Korea are often exaggerated and contrived. Your comment about a girls’ school being an insult to Korea is an example of that.

I do not think it is safe to assume the above. In May 1922, the Kyeongseong Cheil National Girls High School (?짼쩍??짹??흹??쩌?쨀???쩍?쨀???쑣?????????), which was later replaced with the Kyonggi Girls High School, was built on the land currently designated for the US Embassy. Across from it was built the Kyeongseong National Girls Primary School (?짼쩍??짹???????쨀???쩍?쨀쨈?????????). That does not sound like an insult to me.

After King Kojong died in 1919, Toksu Palace no longer served as a royal residence. It essentially became vacant government property. In February of 1920, the “Hall of Kings,” which was mentioned above, was moved to Changdok Palace, where it arguably belonged, since that was the residence of King Sunjong. Much of the palace grounds was sold off, and the walled road that runs behind Toksu Palace to Seodaemun was built on part of the former palace grounds in 1922. That is when at least one of the two schools mentioned above was also built. Even though a large part of the former palace grounds was sold off, the portion that is Toksu Palace today was made into a park in 1933.

Think about it for a minute. If the Japanese were really trying to shame or wipe out all remnants of the kings of the Chosun Kingdom, why did they not destroy and sell off all of Toksu Palace instead of making it into a park? Did Koreans or Japanese at the turn of the century really put much value in historical buildings? Up until recently even the Korean government did not put much value in them.

Besides, except for maybe King Sejong, what did Chosun’s kings ever do for the average Korean? The Japanese turned King Kojong’s extenstive palace grounds into schools and a park. Would anyone today complain if we did the same with Saddam Hussein’s many palaces?