The great thing about the Independent (which I just noticed today is back up) is that like OhMyNews, it’s got tons of wacky stuff on it, but unlike OhMyNews, I can usually get through most of it without feeling the urge to throw shit at my computer screen. Anyway, plans are apparently afoot to erect a monument to the Russian sailors who were killed when the Japanese bushwhacked them in the Battle of Chemulp’o (Inch’eon), fought in Feb. 1904 during the opening stage of the Russo-Japanese War. The idea was started by some Russian civilian organization called the “Russo-Korean Goodwill Association” (note: translation of the Korean name). Now, apparently the Russian Embassy in Seoul thought this was a pretty cool idea, and made a request to the Inch’eon city government (note: the piece isn’t so clear as to who made the request. All that’s clear is that they were Russian). The Inch’eon city government, citing historical reasons, initially refused, but was later told be Seoul to be cooperative. In the end, they offered 5 p’yeong of land down by the waterfront to build the monument. One Inch’eon city official said that while he understood the opposition from civic groups and, yes, the Russo-Japanese War was painful piece of history for Koreans, from the dimension of mutual cooperation with Russia, Korea could benefit from building the monument. Besides (and more to the point, I gather), the government had already agreed with the Russian Embassy to do it, he said.
“This is Russian cruiser Varyag after being refloated by the Japanese at Chemoolpo, ca. August 1905.”
– courtesy The World’s Naval Fleets
The official’s explanation didn’t float with everyone. A member of one civic organization involved in the research of Inch’eon’s history said:
“Russia and Japan fought during the Imperial Age for control of Chosun, and to build a memorial statue in Inch’eon, which suffered damage during the war, is like invading Inch’eon a second time. It’s not that I don’t understand Russia’s position, but as a citizen of Inch’eon, building a monument to Russian soldiers is to feel the pain a second time.”
Lee Jae-il, an Inch’eon resident, said:
“In 1904, Russia sent its military to invade our country, just like Japan, and it fought a naval battle with the Japanese. Wouldn’t it be reasonable if Russia, as an invader, first apologized to our nation before we build a monument to its soldiers?”
The Independent also pointed to a Jan. 28 piece in Japan’s Sankei Shimbun that says that Japan isn’t planning any 100 year Russo-Japanese War anniversary events in Korea. This goes without saying. What was cool, however, is that I finally discovered that the Japanese-Korean robot translator over at Yahoo! Korea is, in fact, a tool useful for things other than flaming on Japanese bulletin boards. I was able to track down the Sankei piece and, incredibly enough, read it (note: I now know how unfair it is to compete with the Japanese edition departments at certain Korean newspapers). What shocked me was that three Russian warships, including the missile cruiser “Varyag” and the anti-sub frigate “Korietz” will be making a good-will port call to Inch’eon to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the start of the war. Yes, those two ships are named after the two Russian vessels lost during the Battle of Chemulp’o. The Sankei was rather taken back by Russia’s rather strong attitude regarding the history of the conflict (and surprised that the Koreans are cooperating with this). Frankly, I’m surprised the Koreans would agree to allow a symbolic visit of this nature.
This might add a completely new twist in the Great Northeast Asian History War.
UPDATE: SHIPS FROM RUSSIAN PACIFIC FLEET WILL VISIT SOUTH KOREA AND CHINA, courtesy RIA Novosti (and with some cool pics)
3 Comments
well, it’s about time the russian fleet was good for something on the sunny side of the waves!!!
From what I have read, as many as 170,000 Koreans volunteered to fight on the side of Japan against Russia during the Russo-Japanese war, so this whole monument idea seems very strange to me. It seems like another attempt to try to rewrite history.
I am curious about how the monument’s inscription will read? Maybe something like this?
“This monument is dedicated to the brave Russian sailors with whom many Koreans fought against in the Russo-Japanese war. We are confident that if those Koreans had not been deceived by the Japanese, they would have fought on Russia’s side, instead.”
Gerry Bevers, can you please stop taliking about Koreans in a one-sided way?
Koreans, while not exactly under Japanese rule yet during the Russo-Japanese War, were quite helpless. The council of pro-Japanese ministers held more power than the Korean emperor himself. So, Koreans did not actually support the Japanese front, but they were rather enrolled into doing so.
Also, Koreans, while often over-emphasizing their own views, are generally far more historically accurate than their Japanese neighbors. The view that most Americans like Gerry Bevers have about Korea is becuase of Japanese lies written in Japanese textbooks and overseas. Japanese government and education officials only talk about the techological advances and the railroads they made in Korea, and fail to mention that those railroads were used to ferry Koreans to camps to work as sex slves or forced laborers. They also claim Dokdo as Japanese territory, while the islets were actually part of Korea ever since the sixth century, when the Korean Shilla Dynasty annexed it, which happened even before the Japanese became aware of the islets.
Gerry Bevers, please continue your disastrous efforts to clear up history and learn to distinguish a national government from the average citizen, especially when you talk about historical politics.