- Well, President Roh sent Unification Minister/National Security Council chairman Chung Dong-young to announce the government’s new doctrine that will govern relations with Japan. If you’re looking for stuff in English, you can find it via the JoongAng, Korea Herald, Dong-A Ilbo, Korea Times and Chosun Ilbo. If you’re really interested in what the new guidelines are, read the links on your own. Personally, I found the hyperbole extremely unhelpful. Even worse, the Japanese government is likely to ignore it. There was no need to respond to a local ordinance passed by a bunch of shit/fish gut kickers in a rural Japanese prefecture most of the National Security Council couldn’t even find on a map by issuing “doctrines” and staking your relations with a major trading and security partner. Especially when you own the territory in dispute. Let the Japanese government decide whether it wants to tank its relationship with Korea just to get Dokdo back.
- The Chosun Ilbo ran a piece on the war of nerves between President Roh and Prime Minister Koizumi. Kind of an interesting vicious circle at work:
The tension is being ratcheted up through provocations by Japanese rightwing groups, followed by a reaction from President Roh which is then ignored by Koizumi, driving the Korean president yet more furious. When the Japanese ambassador to Korea rashly said the Dokdo islets were Japanese territory, Roh cranked up criticism of Japan in his March 1 Independence Movement address, and Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon canceled a visit to Japan on orders of the president.
Now the president is preparing a new doctrine completely redefining the Korea-Japan relationship.
But the Japanese prime minister has remained consistent in his strategy of ignoring Roh. About the president???s March 1 address, Koizumi merely indicated the remarks had been for domestic consumption. Cheong Wa Dae officials said Roh did not respond to Koizumi’s remarks, but officials at Cheong Wa Dae and the Foreign Ministry say Koizumi’s response was diplomatically discourteous from one national leader to another.
- Grand National Party (GNP) chairwoman Park Geun-hye, oblivious to the world around her as usual, criticized the imbalanced response of the Korean government to what she called “the work of one small Japanese prefecture,” said the Chosun Ilbo (insert your “daughter of a collaborator”/”Sankei Shimbun, Seoul bureau” jokes here). She said it would have been better for Ulleung County (great place, BTW. Went there with the Flying Yangban maybe three years ago) to do the protesting rather than what eventually transpired. This while her party plans relay visits to the Dokdo islets (North Gyeongsang Province is GNP country, after all) and slams Cheong Wa Dae for its lukewarm response to the Dokdo issue. Earth to Ms. Park! Earth to Ms. Park! Happened to agree with her observation for the most part, but the disconnect is truly unforgivable. Does she actually run the GNP? Is anyone in control over there?
- The evil Wae pirates sent an RF-4C recon aircraft out Dokdo’s way Wednesday, forcing the ROK Air Force to send two F-4s of its own to keep the marauder at bay. This was just hours after the Shimane Prefectural Assembly vote on “Takeshima Day.” Somebody in the Japanese Air Self Defense Force obviously has a sick sense of humor.
- “Hey, Marmot… What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve seen since this whole Dokdo mess began?” Slicing off the digits? No. Try this:
Yes, that’s MDP chairman Hahn Hwa-kap’s idea for a massive Admiral Yi Sun-shin statue to be built on one of the rocky islets. Best part about it is he wants the citizens to start a collection to pay for it. I don’t think even the North Koreans would consider erecting such a monstrosity. Heck, Lotte might even pass on it. Apparently, ever since Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton turned down Rep. Hahn’s scheme for a visit to North Korea, the lawmaker has been looking for an outlet for his creative talents.
- A survey in the Hankyoreh suggests that 65 percent of Koreans prioritize “liquidating the past” in order to establish a proper relationship with Japan. Only 32.7 said Korea had to press for cooperation rather than getting hung up about the past. 38.3 percent of respondents said they felt favorable toward China, 37.2 percent felt favorable toward the U.S., while only 12.9 percent felt favorable toward Japan. Last year, those numbers with 24.9 percent for China, 31.4 for the U.S., and 25 percent for Japan. The survey was conducted by TNS on 700 adults across the country on Tuesday.
The Hani also criticized politicians for playing to public opinion rather than formulating real countermeasures. Yeah, politicians were popping off about deploying the military to the islets (even the Democratic Labor Party demanded that the government deploy the Army) and expelling the Japanese ambassador. But what was lacking, said the Hani, was real research, data collection and (oh why, Hani, why?) coordinating a joint response with the North.
- The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) shut down five “overly pro-Japanese” websites, deeming their content harmful to minors. Par for the course for the MIC. Assholes.
- Start ‘em young!
- A Vietnam War vet suffering from the effects of Agent Orange jumped from the Banpo Bridge in protest of Shimane Prefecture’s “Takeshima Day” designation.
- Random silliness. Lake Hills Golf and Resort has put up signs at its Yongin Country Club and Jeju Country Club saying Japanese are unwelcome until Japan starts showing some self-control over Dokdo. Meanwhile, a Japanese restaurant in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province has decided to stop selling Japanese dishes until Shimane Prefecture revokes the “Takeshima Day” ordinance. Instead, it will serve cleverly named, spicy dishes full of red pepper and offer 10 percent discounts to customers who participate in the “Protect Dokdo Signature Campaign.”
- Despite the clash, Yonsama Fever continues in the small coastal town of Samchok, Gangwon Province. Did you know my wife was living in Samchok when I met her? No? Now you do.
UPDATE:
- What would be a territorial clash without some intra-Korean cooperation in the online gaming sphere?
- The Japanese Foreign Ministry has issued a statement. Perhaps they didn’t like having their website hacked. This is what never ceases to amaze me about the MIC — they’ll shut down websites on some of the flimsiest grounds, but when you have websites openly organizing attacks on other websites, they sit around and do nothing. Oxygen wasters, they are.
- Fire! Fire! One civic group activist decided to spend his lunchtime break attempting to set himself on fire in front of the Japanese embassy. Needed to work on his form — saw the video on YTN. Police put him out pretty quickly, and the would be human torch was rushed to a nearby hospital with 3rd degree burns on 16 percent of his body. Meanwhile, someone in Busan attempted to light a Japanese car dealership on fire, again with disappointing results.
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64 Comments
Elgin that article is about 50% fact, 50% fiction.
The fiction:
- “Demonstrations against foreigners are planned and an online petition to keep foreigners out of the Republic of Korea has already received thousands of signatures.”
This is old news. The article is dated March 17. The online fury that was has died down. That on-line petition got a few signartures, big deal. The author makes it sound like there’s a mob out there lyinching foreigners.
- “The forum also organised parties where Westerners and local girls drank, danced and flirted.”
He completely left out the part about some of the things that were said in that sight that got the locals ape shit.
“A local Yahoo-style portal named Daum set up a petition to rid South Korea of ??low-grade Westerners??”
This is not true. Daum is a public portal open to private blogs. It does not control the contents that the users may put up. Daum did not set up a petition to rid South Korea of ‘low-grade Westerners’ - a private citizen did.
“Many Westerners, fearful of being mistaken for a soldier, wear their national flags on their backpacks. In the past, that was usually enough to avoid a confrontation. But that was when US soldiers, not foreign English teachers, were the target. ”
Ooo the lynch mob again. It sounds like South Korea is unsafe for westerners when in fact most of the real disturbances have been on-line in the cyber world.
“The BBC car show Top Gear received criticism from Korean manufacturing groups after lampooning Korean cars as ???fridge like?? in their design.”
Oh how horrible!
“The popular US TV show Los?? was also heavily criticised here, accused of perpetrating negative stereotypes of Korean men.”
Yeah, but also get this, KBS is showing the show Lost on the popular station. I haven’t heard of any disturbances because of that yet.
“Even Oprah Winfrey couldn??t escape criticism after she accused Korean women of being obsessed with plastic surgery. ”
I guess he follows Marmot’s sight. All these were Marmot on-line specials.
“When incidents like this happen, hordes of angry young ??netizens?? get to work, calling for boycotts, backlashes and action.”
Yeah, but tell me the worst thing that has happened yet other than the usual on-line noize. Even the famously massive candle light vigil happened in 2002.
“So what does this all mean for South Korea? The number of non-Asian visitors to South Korea is dropping. So too are the amount of businesses investing in South Korea.”
That’s funny the last time I looked, the KOSPI was at its all time high as the foreign investors poured money into Korea. Can anybody tell me what’s going on with all the Westerners leaving in droves? Mass exodus?
March has always been “Hate Somebody” month in Korea and since Uncle Sam is not on the list (for now) Comrade Roh andthe boys need a whipping post. In this case it looks like the Japanese are pulling Korean chains to watch the reaction.Sure, there are a few nationalist kooks in Japan but there are millions in Korea. BTW, the media here in North America has not mentioned one word about this silliness.
“There was no need to respond to a local ordinance passed by a bunch of shit/fish gut kickers in a rural Japanese prefecture most of the National Security Council couldn??t even find on a map by issuing ?橫doctrines?? and staking your relations with a major trading and security partner. ”
I dont agree with you marmot, there were reasons for Korea’s reaction. First of all, think the Korean people’s reaction if President Roh wouldnt have come up with hard measures? (ouch) He isnt exactly getting their support anyway?
And this is not just a local ordinance. The Japanese Gov’t has silently supported this mess. And the Govt of Japan just watched as Simane passed measures for a national Takeshima day. It was Takeda who ‘mang-mal’ed this Dokdo/Takeshima conflict, exacerbating the whole issue. It is Japan that is staking relations with Korea.
I really want to hear from you what else Roh should have done. Bow? It is indeed true that this conflict only brings harm to either side, and that friendship and cooperation is necessary. But for friendship and cooperation, both parties need to work towards it. It seems to me that Japan has first brought up an issue sensitive to Korea, thwarting the friendship process.
Dokdo and Japanese textbooks are issues that Korea and Japan (for the latter, also China other surrounding neighbors) ultimately go over, before forging a solid tie.
Japanese always say Koreans cling to the past. Well, I wish Japan take some measures so that Koreans, and surrounding neighbors, can awe at surprise and say ‘Wow, Japan really has changed. The past imperial Japan and today’s Japan are different! Let us cooperate to the future!’. But seeing those crazy right wing nut jobs in Japan, I dont think this is going to happen.
Talking about Tokdo, Yi Sun Shin, and Japanese, have a look at this beauty of a painting depicting one of the famous battle of the Imjin Waeran - Yi’s dozen ships facing hundreds of Japanese ships. The Japanese were navy was destroyed at that battle by Yi.
http://www.dicajigi.com/v2/bbs.....e2c647f24b
“A massive Admiral Yi Sun-shin statue to be built on one of the rocky islets”–better yet, why don’t they commission a sculptor to do a statue called “Ajumma’s Finger” and put that there?
The Japanese have been claiming Takeshima/Tokdo for the past 100 years, and Japanese politicians, including the Prime Minister, have been reasserting that claim everytime Korea would do something to reignite the issue, such as designating the area a national park or issuing “Tokdo” stamps. The issue is not new and Japanese claims are not new, so why are Koreans suddenly cutting off fingers, jumping off bridges, claiming invasion, and essentially acting like a crazy baglady whose shopping cart has been stolen? I know Koreans tend to overreact, but this is getting ridiculous. What’s going on? Is it some kind of diversion to take the focus off North Korea, or what?
By the way, here is my nomination for the dumbest comment of the week. It comes from the March 16, Korea Times editional, “Japan’s Difiance.”
“We cannot but suspect that Tokyo is claiming Tokto….”
I should have put this in my previous post, but ….
Could it be that Korea is trying to turn something she has previously refused to call “a dispute” into a dispute and taking the issue to the International Court? This might explain why Koreans are suddenly acting surprised at Japan’s claims and why Roh and Korean officials are doing their best to try to provoke Japan.
I really can’t think of a more irrational, ineffective, and counter-productive response to “Takeshima Day” than what the Koreans are doing now. I feel like I’m living in a bad dream on another planet.
Brian
Here is yet another example of bad PR for Korea as well:
http://www.greatreporter.com/m.....clesid=359
It seems that Korea is having much trouble dealing with anything in a rational manner.
Those who are self-styled victims never fight for freedom. They fight for pride and for power - the power to oppress others. The oppressed want above all to imitate their oppressors; they want to retaliate.
This issue has nothing to do with rocks. It has to do with pride, insecurity, perceived debt and the politics of victimhood.
Nationalist pride and extreme emotional outbursts are the Korean substitute for self-respect.
R.Elgin–take anything Conor Purcell writes with a boulder of salt, he’s not a professional journalist and in that link he’s stringing together a lot of out-of-context, second-hand reports for his conspiracy theory. The stuff I’ve seen from him before is so over the top it’s laughable.
Sitting here in Seoul, I just feel sorry for Koreans–the frothing-at-the-mouth hyper-nationism makes them look foolish, and the Japanese reasonable. Why are Koreans so often their own worst enemies?
The fire-breathing reaction here in Korea reminds me of the Nork reaction to anything and everything the US does. Over the top, ridiculous, and laughable (even though i probably agree that the island belongs to Korea). The right reaction is to just ignore it all. Noh has yet another red herring issue to throw at voters to make them forget how imcompetent his government is.
Michael, that’s good to know but, even if this “Purcell” fellow is of the same ilk as “Oh-My-biased-News”, it is still not good to have these kind of articles floating around, especially when combined with everything else derogatory that has been going out about Koreans and Korea in general.
why is it that anything negative about korea is derogatory? I dont see why articls like this floating around is bad. Maybe articles lke this and more..will encourage korea to shape up.
Look at all the gyopos out there, who bust a nut on the keyboard evertime sombody says a nice word about korea. yet, when sombody says somthing unflattering, then they think its hatred.
once again, we see koreans losing in the court of public opinion even though it’s the nipponese who are the provacateurs. koreans lose from the get-go because they don’t understand that tactics used by children don’t work well when your opponent is using the tactics of an adult.
man! can you believe nulji would write this about k folk? GROW UP, $%%^*^%! stop cutting off your fingers and get down to business. you never plead with the guy on the other side. got it? you never make demands you know you can’t enforce! OK? you always give the appearance that you couldn’t care less. in other words, you remain calm.
stop being the ones always playing defense and get on with the offense.
i’m telling you, korea; the japanese just go nuts when people start talking about their korean roots. i saw a thread about this a year ago amongst some expats in japan. they talked about how they thought it was funny how angry the japanese got when it was mentioned. that’s the ‘wound’ you pour salt on, korea. the japanese know your wounds and most certainly love to pick at them. start picking back by QUIETLY promoting japan’s korean origins and highlighting the yamato as an offshoot of the korean kingdom of baekche. i gurantee you that you’ll have the results you want.
quietly though, korea. quietly.
I agree with Marmot on this, although I also think that Tarion made a good response to him. But I still don’t get why it is a big deal that a small Japanese province claimed the island to be hers. So what? It seems that not all Japanese people are interested in the issue. And Yonsama is still hot for Japanese women!
I admit that some Koreans over-reacted, but it is somewhat understandable since over-reacting crowd is predominantly older Korean generation. They need to resolve their Han in this way. I hate the idea of educating (or brainwashing) younger Korean school kids though. When I was in school, I learned hatred toward NK and Japan, but the younger kids seem to learn to hate either America or Japan.
BTW, it??s a classic that Hahn Hwa-gap proposes to build General Yi??s statue on the island. Um?? actually, I was a friend with Hahn??s son. Hahn is a very decent guy, but this idea, unlike his character, is laughable.
good point noolji.. “quietly though, korea. quietly” just like you noolji.. yep if only koreans all acted just like you and followed your advice.. then koera would surely have her revenge. Wait a minute… koreans do act just like you.
yelling.. with spit flying out of their mouth. I saw that just last night. I am just supriesed that more people dont cut off thier fingers. look at what all that brainwashing does. A few years ago, littel elemenary school girls wrote the yankees some nasty letters in their own blood. Yes sir noolji. quietly… quietly..
btw, why can’t park gun hye have her opinions which seem right on the money? you really are a conservative, mr marmot; everybody got to tow the party line. anyway…
i wonder if she’ll become korea’s first female president. it would be a smart move on the part of koreans to put a woman in the blue house. western presidents will be kissing her pretty lil feet and more likely to do what’s good for korea.
dude, i just read your post…
i’ sorry some k guy humiliated you. won’t you accept my apology?
i’m just about to stop reading your posts and simply skip them like i do with hanminjok’s. i haven’t read one of his post in a long time thanks to the fact we can see who wrote them first. you’re getting close, dud. careful, now, careful, ya hear?
R. Elgin, I hear you, the finger-choppin’, flag-eatin’ nutbars are great fodder for people to unfairly slag on all Koreans, but maybe somewhere in society (the government, media, academia) this could be an occasion for reflection on ways to send out a positive image. My wife, who is Korean (I’m from the Left Coast of the Great Satan) often says she’s embarrassed by the antics here in Korea, and doesn’t believe other countries have their freaks and childish behavior as well. Five minutes on the Venice boardwalk would prove that.
Noogie, dude is spot on, you were are racist cartoon lunatic for months posting on here, now suddenly you’re coaching the Korean government on public relations? Did you finally get your meds?
thanks for the views there, tiger.
oh, and btw, i know who you are and where you are in real life, appy tiger.
Heard on the news last night that one of the fears of Korea is if this “dispute” intensifies the U.N. might get involved and it would go to the international court. I would think it would have to get pretty serious for this to happen but if Koreans keep making this into a huge issue and overreacting to it, instead of being quiet and smug in the fact that they are in possession now, they might be doing themselves more harm than good. The Dokdo stamp issuance was what got the whole “dispute” rolling this time around. If this does ever go to court, which I doubt, Korea has only itself to blame.
Hey! I know who I am in real life too! Nice try, baby wannabe gangster.
i don’t make racist comments here. you can’t show me more than a scant here and there. you folks do the same thing.
racist comments files:
#123 ‘he’s korean before all else!’
#124 ‘koreans don’t obey the law.’
#125 ‘anchor whore..’
“You folks.” What a prick.
shimane prefecture is just one of about 50 prefectures, with a small population of about 750,000 people. You have to appricate how such a small place passes a local resolution to celebrate a real event and the whole of korea goes ape-shit. Old women and men cutting their fingers off, people yelling screaming, shouting, burning effegies, and flags, protesting, trying to climb into the japanese embassy, rioting….fighting…
you would think the world is ending in little south korea. All because a local prefecture passed a local law. Not a natinal law mind you, a local one. But to the Koreans, oh… shit.. the world is about to end. I am waiting to see a bunch of brainwashed kids start cutting off their fingers. The brainwashing starts very young in Korea. Koreans are fed so much bullshit about thier “history” , its no wonder that they all belive without any question that takeshima is korean. North-korean south-korean… kyopo.. all abord the brainwash train.
Lesson number one: Korea is always weak and helpless, that is why nothing is fair or our fault.
Lesson number two: Remeber to hate the chinese, for being a poorer nation, hate the japanse for being rich, and the yankee for everythign. THe rest of the world is simply below korea or above korea (but they are all yankees becaue they all look like yankee)
I will let noolji and the kyopo possie fill in the rest. By the way Noolji, if you are suggesting by your comments that korean men are violent, then yes I agree with you. Please dont beat your children noolji. For gods sake please dont beat them.
Good-it would have been good if the Korean national assembly had sent the local assembly a congratulatory letter on being able to pass non-binding legislation in a democratic manner and continued to advise them that in the future they may want to limit their legislative activities to their own sovereign territory and refrain from passing legislation about territory belonging to other nations. They could have gone on to cite Korean history and how the experience with nations greedily attempting to anex the terrritory of other nations has led only to grief and suffering of the populations of the nations involved and that nations that are unable to learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. The people of the Korean peninsula strongly urge the people of Japan to end such nonesense. I understand the nationalistic response but it is overboard and has no focus. I suppose the rest of us would have liked to see a much more civil response but where would we be without the comic relief?
Aw, thanks toolji. You can’t simply ignore me. You have to go out of your way to TELL everyone that you’re ignoring me.
If you were Japanese, you wouldn’t even acknowledge me or my posts. But you’re not that smart, are you?
Thanks for all the attention. Made my day to know I’ve got such a big fan.
$10 says they build that statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin so big it sinks one of the islets.
Please don’t build the statue…….
Just one comment about the survey in the Hankyoreh: (”38.3 percent of respondents said they felt favorable toward China, while 37.2 percent felt favorable toward the U.S., while only 12.9 percent felt favorable toward Japan. Last year, those numbers with 24.9 percent for China, 31.4 for the U.S., and 25 percent for Japan.”
Of course the survey was conducted on 700 only adults but it is sort of odd that the US is ranked below China. Chosun was a vassal state of China, and of the countries named, the US is the only one that never took anything from Korea or sought to earn a profit from us.
Odd.
Awww… That is ugly. (No disrespect meant for you Mr. Yi)
‘/you folks’/ what a prick!’ happy happy happy happy happy tiger
The present Korean favourable attitudes(some will say unwarranted) towards China are due to very complex set of historical and social factors. The growth and developement of modern China I would postulate represents Korean aspirations for an Asian power that represents a counter-balance to the United States. Illogical as this may seem, while the US presence on the Korean peninsula has done a miracle for South Korea, it has at the same time fostered resentment due to perceived junior status in the relationship and the belief that U.S. interests ultimately trump Koreas in any calculations. Also for those on the Korean left, there is also residual hostility for the U.S. backing of former Southern regimes. Also I would speculate that an invigorated China serves as a vessel for anti-colonial/anti-western sentiments in Asia that is an alternative to the Japanese experience. Which is why China’s growth I would postulate has met with a fairly positive response in most of Asia, barring two nations which have the most to fear of China deciding to settle historic grievances, Taiwan and Japan.
As I mentioned in another thread, the Japan/Korea Dokdo row is a political boon to China because it redirects Korean attitudes and public sentiment. Last years polling showed China at a rather low mark in popularity in South Korea because of the Koguryo issue but that seems to have been rather quickly forgotten.
Theres a parallel here also within China regarding the popularity of the Korean image. Someone else wrote about this earlier, but Korea represents for the Chinese an aspiration of modernity, but a modernity on their terms unspoiled by Western political baggage and of course by simple virtue of not being Japan.
Two simple things that Roh can do:
1) Go to the International Court and settle the 50-years dispute
2) Obey the ROK/JPN Fishery Pact
The Announcement of Tema-do day (Tsushima Isle) was the another bad move for Koreans, since Shimane now have no reason to back off from Takeshima day regulation.
Koreans are acting like Chihuahua dogs barking from afar. It’s not effective, but it just looks crazy.
Nah, they would be better off just stating that Dokdo is Korea’s period and enforcing territorial limits that come with that ownership. Ignore the rest.
I find all this Korea/Japan bashing from both side sadly amusing and I hope some of you will see where I’m coming from.
I don’t know how old you folks posting on this board are but really this whole row is just a bunch of old bags on both sides of the straights with beef to settle who probably don’t have much more then a decade left in their worn out last century ass backwards bodies trying to stake a claim in people like you and I’s future.
But that’s okay. The GEEZERS can have their last twitch. They WON’T BE WITH US FOR VERY LONG. What is truely sad though is how easy the YOUNG on both sides of the issue seems to get suckered in to THEIR DEATH GRIP BS. Why does it have to be so damn easy to get the young to march to the HORNS OF MASS DESTRUCTION? Why are YOU all so willing to draw a line in the sand where either side of the line is not beneficial for NEITHER of OUR GENERATION’S FUTURE?
Think about it. The very assholes passing laws and cutting off fingers won’t even be around to see how things go down. And THAT IS EXACTLY THE POINT. It’s like the soon-to-be-dead would like the rest of us got-a-lot-of-time-to-live-left folks to join them by starting a war and blowing everything to kingdom come. Why? Cuz god damn it if they can’t live to enjoy it why should all the stupid whipper snappers get to?
I don’t know about you but the old and decrepid can have their own deaths on their own f**king time and leave me the hell out of it thank you very much. Really, if you’ve got opinions like “Korea should do this” and “Japan should do that” you’re just a TOOL getting suckered in to being pawns in a game where the like of you and I will be the first ones to be SACRIFICED.
THERE IS NO TRUTH IN TAKING SIDES!!!
There was a reason why Korea got taken over by Japan in the early 1900s. It’s because our, yes I am Korean and proud of it, ancestors were too busy bickering and stabbing each other in the back to see that the pond was changing!
Even now the IDIOTS we are forced to call our “elders” are doing nothing but bickering and mocking up stupid ideas in photoshop while the second largest navy in the world is being put together just hundreds of miles across the straights. Yeah it will really be a great day in Korean history when dear General Lee’s statue is blown to a hundred thousand grains of sand by a cruise missile fired from a friggin’ Japanse Aegis frigate. Sure, then the Korean navy can go out in their replica guhbooksuhn and try to find Japanese nuclear subs with nothing but the hand carved ends of their wooden oars. Friggin’ brilliant.
Oh, but don’t you Japanophile types think you’re getting away that easily. You guys with the your heads up each others butts need to understand that JAPAN CAN’T EVEN GET INVIDED TO THE OPENING OF THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM where GERMANY, you know the formerly BADGUYS who actually PAID THEIR DUES and got a pardon from it’s neighbors, was invited because JAPAN WON’T RECOGNIZE ITS WAR CRIMINAL STATUS and do something about it!
Remember, especially you guys too delirious from bamboo fever to see straight, JAPAN IS THE KAIN OF THE ASIAN WORLD. I know most of you won’t understand but at least try to think about that for a while the next time you fire up copies of your favorite WWII first person shooters and shoot germans yelling “DIE NAZI! DIE!” Oh yeah, and you all really should take a vacation to Hawaii and visit the USS Arizona Memorial while you’re at it. That ought to give you something to think about.
Look, the world is a lot more grey then the ones with the itchy trigger fingers would try to have you believe. So stop all this regulgitation, all of you! It’s not in OUR best interest! It’s all oohs and ahhs when a mosque blows up in a tiny mushroom cloud somewhere in the middle east, they’re used to that sort of thing, but the day your local 24 hour convenient store starts blowing up, it won’t be so funny any more.
Think of all the hot dogs man. Seriously.
mizarv: Just one comment about the survey in the Hankyoreh: (??38.3 percent of respondents said they felt favorable toward China, while 37.2 percent felt favorable toward the U.S., while only 12.9 percent felt favorable toward Japan. Last year, those numbers with 24.9 percent for China, 31.4 for the U.S., and 25 percent for Japan.???
Of course the survey was conducted on 700 only adults but it is sort of odd that the US is ranked below China. Chosun was a vassal state of China, and of the countries named, the US is the only one that never took anything from Korea or sought to earn a profit from us.
Odd.
You have to remember - this is Hankyoreh we’re talking about. There are lies, damned lies and Hankyoreh survey results.
THERE IS NO TRUTH IN TAKING SIDES!!! - ConspiraciesAreReal
There is an island in the middle of two countries and both countries want it. One must take sides. It has nothing to do with how old you are. Greed is where a war starts.
And, contrary to your perception, Koreans can fight too. Just like Iraquis resistance, Koreans men and women can fight on when the Japs land. I do not think either side can win. It will be similar to WWI, a long stretched out war with no significant advances from either side.
And you wrote that Korea was taken by Japan in 1910 due to in-fighting. That is a common myth spread by the scholars ignorant of science and technology. The truth was that Korea was so much behind in military technology to Japan, China or Russia. Korea was en route to be taken over by a neighboring country anyway. I am not in any way condoning the Japanese for illegally annexing Korea.
But, please note that technology drives human affairs, not personalities. Even with united spirit, soldiers equipped with swords cannot fight an army with guns.
Japan’s Foreign Minister is so much more classy than Korea’s Minister of Unification.
Here is the Japanese Foreign Minister’s response to the crass statements of Korea’s Minister of Unification, Chung Dong Young:
Statememt by Mr. Nobutaka Machimura, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan
There is also a good, brief write up of the Japanese position on Takeshima here.
you wrote that Korea was taken by Japan in 1910
due to in-fighting. That is a common myth spread
by the scholars ignorant of science and technology.
The truth was that Korea was so much behind in
military technology to Japan, China or Russia.
Korea was en route to be taken over by a
neighboring country anyway.
YoMo, I think that the Koreans lack of technology at that time is well known. The point that you are missing or denying is that they were so far behind in military technology BECAUSE of the in-fighting — it didn’t just happen “naturally” due to some incapacity of the Korean race (they always were quite good at metallurgy and other technologies, ever since Baekje!).
They lagged so far behind in the 19th century due to do the Neo-Confucian and aristocratic conservatives who opposed economic modernizations, but Taewon-gun’s decision to use all the national money he could gather to rebuild Gyeongbok Palace rather than fund a modern military, the complacent certainty that China would always defend Korea against whoever, and the general infighting and maneuvering among the elite. King Kojong did try to get American help to build a modern army, but it was too little too late, and the American government wasn’t much interested… Tragedy ensued.
That whole situation has many parallels with the disaster of 1592 — Korea did not lack technological or industrial or strategic ability to have a large excellent standing army, capable of defending the nation — it was political/social/cultural factors that led them to not create such a military — despite Yulgok’s famous recommendation — and left them vulnerable to
Japanese rapacity.
Will this pattern repeat again in the 21st Century? is the relevant question.
typo alert — “but Taewon-gun??s” — the Taewon-gun??s
sorry.
Here is the Japanese Foreign Minister??s response to the crass statements of Korea??s Minister of Unification, Chung Dong Young:
Statememt by Mr. Nobutaka Machimura, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan
Basically, in an ever so polite manner, he said, “Gee, we’re real sorry for being bastards in the past, but we certainly aren’t going to do anything about it like teach our students that we behaved like moral cretins in the recent past. Oh, and that island, even though our claim is from an invasion that we are really sorry about, we still want to claim it.”
Great statement! So productive!
David Mason you knowledge of Korean History is amazing!
you - your
Actually Plunge if you bother to read what Mr. Nobutaka Machimura actually said, you will find he did not say even close what you claim he said. It sounds like you have some agenda with Japan, or maybe you are a troll.
takeshima: No, it’s basically what he said, he just was polite about it.
my hat is off to you wag@@ks for such a dazzling display
of superior logic and rational analysis of this geopolitical
mess….
but the question is… why bother… to ridicule the
crazy ajumma cutting off her finger… the guy setting
himself on fire… etc…
these are all acts of the `irrational’, ever so
`emotional’ korean guys who never seem to get the
proper way of venting their anger…
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT:
most of you WOULDN’T give a rat’s ass about the
real issue.
I know it’s true and you agree in your heart….
The demonstrators are sending a message to those
that CARE….
“Dokto is not for negociation”… and
“over my dead body…..” = still not convinced?
should somebody cut his/her hand instead of finger?
hey… don’t look at me… I will not….
BUT…… I DO CARE….
Locust
Great point!
Japan has changed. Korea and China’s recent narrow-minded blaming woke up our nationalism. Now it is not only crazy right wings but many of us. It is just making our relationship worse and I believe it is not what they really want.
About the island issue, Japan suggested to have a third party determine for ICJ about this issue, but Korea never listens. I wonder why? It seems Korea is trying to solve this issue by itself with its own sense of worth which is not really modernized nor internationalized(I never mean Japan is). This is just what one average Japanese person who is not really highly educated feels these days.
By the way, I am from Japan, not Canada.
Dokdo is korean, korean, korean!
even a Japanese farmer is recorded to have admitted it in the 17th or 18th century. don’t understand what all the fuss is about why japanese are so greedy. didn’t they also claim chinese land?
koizumi obviously knows that what they’re doing is wrong or he wouldn’t ignore prez roh like that. it’s all just a bunch of crap and koreans should really make it clear from now on about their territory.
dodo*r, another kyopo borg-bot spewing the korean party line.
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You know it’s always easy to point the finger and say “shape up” but has anyone tried to say it while looking in the mirror? I doubt it, could be a redneck thing but it’s always easier telling someone else to shape up then telling ones self to.
While Korea may have its quirks and every country does~ if you don’t like it here go back to whatever trailer park you came from, it’s that easy. Stop bitching and whinning like some crack whore. And lets stop with the silly “learn to spell write”, “gyopo-bot” childish remarks. What that person wrote is on the same level as the “gyopo-bot”.
We talk about intelligence and writing academically yet half the people whine and bitch and complain go all nationalistic~ of course the sarcastic article itself doesn’t really help but this isnt an newspaper either.
Pride and nationalism does not reside in the circle of reason.
Let all the child abuse, sexual frustrations, fetish, girl dumped me and left me to cry alone emotions go~
And as for dealing with an issue irrationaly, I take Iraq was excluded? Everyone can read but judging from most of the post I take it comprehension is a different issue.
Try to save your raging hormones and proud to be white for another time.