Just as an aside, I wonder if the North Korean delegation, which is planning to visit the National Cemetery in Dongjak-dong, Seoul, is also planning to visit the recently embattled statue of General MacArthur in Incheon. I mean, being Liberation Day and all, it might be kind of neat for them to see a tribute to a man who spent the war years actually contributing to the defeat of Imperial Japan.
P.S. On a serious note, Yonhap is running expert analysis (1, 2, 3) on the North Korean decision to pay the cemetery a visit. I guess this is a good thing, but why do I have this suspicion that this is going to translate into South Korean officials paying homage at the statue of Kim Il-sung when they visit Pyongyang?
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My wife and I were talking about that this evening. The ridiculous lack of acknowledgement in the press about what Aug 15th is/was about.
Sure, no one “really” cares all that much. Most people are just content with knowing it is another day off work and would much rather be sitting in traffic shouting at the kids.
But i honestly wonder how far of the ROK is from e revisionist history akin to the DPRK. How long until we read somewhere that “the Jpanese invaders were repelled by the gallant Korean nationals”?
Well, some Korean media accused the former Kim Young Sam government of not attending Kim Il Sung’s funeral in 1994, thereby insulting the North Koreans who at the time were trying to reach out to South Korea. But because of South Koreans’ actions, the NK-Sk relationship which could have blossomed much earlier was set back a decade. It was South Korea’s fault. Some of the things that are being said right now in the Korean media… man.. I just don’t know..
Tragic as their situation was, there seems to be more in the Korea Times these days about Korean victims of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki than about how those events directly contributed to the end of Japanese colonial rule. I’m not trying to minimize the suffering of Koreans and not claiming that Korea was liberated out of pure American altruism, but I think the United States deserve at least a little credit. I expect to see no recognition of the American/Allied war effort on 8.15, unless attacking the General’s statue in Incheon or US Embassy in Seoul counts as recognition.
I really get a bad case of the “invisible hand” when I read Marmot’s blog nowadays. I guess it is really the “invisible” revisionism in government, the media and in the schools that worries me.
But cheer up: South Korea will be granting its customary 8.15 amnesty for some 4 million offenders — MOSTLY THOSE WHO COMMITTED TRAFFIC OFFENSES!
How can anyone judge what happend 60 years ago?? We know only after the fact, which is nothing compared to the decisions that had to be made then!!! Nuking Japan was the best thing for that moment. If Japan had surrendered like they should have we would’nt be having this discussion, eh. So, suck it up an get over it.
You’re definitely a “folksy” prophet Jtb. Spelling errors are useful as they serve to amplify your credentials in this area.
“I will be able to start evacuation of the relatives” Oh man, JTB, you’re in for trouble when everybody in your wife’s family registry hears about your generous resettlement offer
I was watching The Day of the Jackal the other day and was shocked, shocked I tells ya, to see American and British flags at the French Liberation Day proceedings at the Arc of Capitulation. Of course, that was back in the 60s. Who knows if they’d do that nowadays?
I’m pretty sure they do. I don’t think anti-Americanism in France has extended into the celebration of their WWII-era liberation, at least among the older citizens.
During the weeks-long period of various events which celebrated the 60th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy last year, I recall reading many accounts which mentioned the unabashed display of US flags by local residents there.