Oranckay, a.k.a. “Dickhead,” discusses Hiroaki Sato’s op-ed on Japan’s colonial history in Korea.
Go read it.
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24 Comments
Interesting article, and I’m going to skip the “analysis.” What struck me was that quote by Roh, about Japan’s “intention to realize its hegemonism again”–why don’t we hear criticism of this pandering to nationalist prejudice in Korea as Japan’s right wing is (justifiably) condemned by many Japanese?
Oranckay:
I mean really now, WHAT IS THE FRIGGIN POINT of forever emphasizing that Korea was harmed by colonial rule? It?? one thing to know that mentioning ??apan?? need to sincerely apologize??only creates anger in Japan because Japan not only has apologized many times but has paid reparations and has contributed mightily to the post-war ??iracle on the Han?? but its another to understand that one of the reasons it angers Japanese so much is because almost everyone from every point on the political spectrum in Korea talks as if that is not and NEVER WILL BE ENOUGH to expiate any of Japan?? admitted abuses so long as any Japanese rightist knucklehead persists in denying, any filial Japanese persists in wanting to honor the Japanese war dead and/or Korea wants to continue wallowing in self-pity and self-hatred for having succumbed to Japanese imperialism without any kind of creditable fight and for having been liberated from it without any any significant contribution from the force of its own arms.
Oranckay:
I think you meant that he could have at least expressed thanks to the US for the ways in which Japan benefitted economically from the Korean War - but of course they did, even though the US never asked or expected it.
Sperwer: Amen. That’s why I skipped the “analysis.”
What I’d like to know is why do expats always seem to take Japan’s side? For that matter, why do they even care about the squabbles between K and J?
Bluejives, there is no side to take for me–the colonial era was plainly oppressive for Koreans, yet there is a complexity to it that a lot of Japanese and Koreans deny, for various reasons, and that part of history in the region is interesting to me because it obviously still resonates with people. Other may have a side to take, it’s just interesting because I live in the middle of it, and history gets regurgitated a lot here.
I had to go through several articles to get to the original article which is not only an inigma within an inigma but a link within a link, much like russion nesting dolls. Naturally, I had reasonable expectations of a reward at the end of that rainbow but instead I find myself back here wading in a pile of stinkin’ marmot manure.
I believe one thing that makes the Japanese-Korean schism so fun for expats is that there are possibly no two nations that are very much closer culturally. Don’t you think they aren’t very much surprise that we divided our tiny penisula into a two nations - left and right, considering that we are doing the same within right now? We obviously enjoy being a big dysfunctional family because it gives us the drama we crave. Have you ever watched the soaps? No, well that’s OK, there’s still the news!
Really, what’s more fun than the game of “it’s just so unfair that you were unfair to us before we had a chance to it to you.”
Most expats don’t take Japan’s side. Most, frankly, don’t give a shit either way.
bluejives sayeth!
I don’t think that most expats in Korea automatically side with Japan. But even if they do - and indeed many do - IMHO the more helpful question would be to ask what Korea could do to turn the situation around. Japan understands that its a PR war and acts accordingly after doing its homework. For all Japan’s faults/wrongs/problems, “news” is a business and pictures of Koreans burning Japanese flags helps sell papers…
Curious to know why it is you care that “they even care” about the squabbles. Certainly you don’t think that Korea is so racist a society that anyone not ethnically Korean has the right to take an interest or that it therefore wouldn’t be worth their time.
Both oranckay and burgeson are insufferable.
‘what can koreans do to turn the situation around?’
i’m not sure since western understanding is not required nor is it asked for.
‘why do they side with japan?’
don’t forget that korea is probably one of the few places in the world where a westerner might actually feel discriminated against. this leads to all sorts of lunatic behavior. the westerner does not care about korea vs japan, he cares about his revenge. japan is the perfect weapon. go and take a look at a place like shakuhachi’s (occidentalism.org) for a textbook example of what i’m talking about.
Pawijirogi:
OPSEC, kirogi, OPSEC. You’ve baldly stated the truth that gives the lie to Korea’s Seghyewa. If you’re not more careful ROKGOV may cook your goose too.
You wield a mighty large brush Pawikirogi–the foreigners most discriminated against in Korea are from South Asia, working in factories. They’re unlikely to comment here. But Australian white guys, for example, are treated by comparison like kings–even ones who go to the trouble of setting up a website to indulge in a bizarre obsession with denigrating Koreans.
Korea has benefitted mightly from the Japanese occupation - Korea’s per capita income is about twenty times that of China. Or that of NorK or Tibet..
I must call it as I see it. I am a KoreanAmerican. I may anger other Korean-based humans, but I must admit the Japanese occupation did much good.
The Japanese brought in the western civilization to Korea; railroad, power stations, electricity, modern school system, etc. Some argue that these could have been done without Japan but I differ.
Just look at China.
i didn’t write that westerners were the most discriminated against; i wrote that korea is probably one of the few places in the world where they might actually feel discriminated against. i should have been more clear about the conclusion i make about said discrimination. those westerners who are affected by it usually try to find a way to strike back. using japan as a club seems to be the weapon of choice.
of course, they’re the extremist, but shakuhachi/matt, bevers, and mizar jackson are good examples of what i’m talking about.
****
today, the wife of Dr Martin Luther King died. may she rest in peace.
nulji forgets that the Japanese can be just as discriminatory against the White man as the Koreans are. There is not a desire for “revenge” against Koreans — would a parent want revenge on his attitudinous teenagers? — simply a frustration. However, I agree that it is pointless for a Westerner to take sides in the eternal Korea/Japan victim-hood fest.
‘just like child to parent…’ dogbert
let me make something very clear to you. you aren’t my parent nor are you the parent of the korean people. that’s the kind of attitude that gets folks like you in so much trouble in korea.
and please, bevers and shakuhachi aren’t out for revenge? when you near 50, these types won’t get past you, dogbert.
I believe the reason it may appear to Koreans that foreigners are “always taking the Japanese side” is that they bring an objective perspective that does not necessarily accept “the Korean side” at face value, but asks some embarrassing questions about the prejudices people were raised with.
There is no Japanese side or any Korean side to take. There are only people who cling stubbornly to past grudges to justify their current prejudices.
It’s just an analogy, nulji. I used the metaphor to express the fact that in terms of maturity and growth, we are on different planes and that it is therefore not accurate to speak of “revenge”.
It’s quite funny and interesting to see Koreans and gyopos alike express so much anger (most likely driven by jealousy and insecurity) at foreigners who supposedly “side” with Japan on Korea vs. Japan issues.
The truth of the matter is that actually, these Korean “We are blind to the fact that Korea is actually capable of being in the wrong or being inferior to Japan or any other country in the world” zealots are totally mistaken. It’s not so much that we foreigners are siding with Japan. In fact, most of us are probably not really huge fans of Japan eitehr. However, it’s that we western foreigners (and most likely other Asian, African foreigners as well), unlike Koreans, are unbiased to most anything except stupid, irrational and hypocritical behavior. We prefer to converse and interact with people who follow basic logic and rational thought. The problem is, the Korean mind is highly incapable of such common-sense thinking whereas the Japanese mind is.
So there is the so called “problem” in a nutshell. If it annoys and angers you Koreans so much, then tough luck. You have no one else to blame but yourselves (although I know it is really difficult for Koreans not to shift the blame to others). The sooner you can fix your own faults, perhaps then you will see more foreigners taking “sides” with Koreans. Until then, the interaction between the two parties will remain as communicative as a challenge to game of 1 on 1 by a 2 foot tall screaming midget to Michael Jordan.
“The problem is, the Korean mind is highly incapable of such common-sense thinking whereas the Japanese mind is.”
todd, you’re a Darwin Award waiting to happen.
Blahahah!
??he problem is, the Korean mind is highly incapable of such common-sense thinking whereas the Japanese mind is.??n
Hey Todd your reply is so damn funny! It’s so sad to see people this ignorant in this world.
“12% of the JAPANESE GNP is from the sex industry.” Japanese times
@@
Hye Wahoo, according to Korean govt figures the Korean sex industry generates a larger % of GNP than the agricultural and fisheries industries combined. So what’s your point?
Sperwer,
I doubt that your statistics datum is correct. How can a country spend more money on f****** than producing rice and fish? Man has to eat before f***.
Got to eat, to get energy.
Just think about it. Do you know anyone around you that spend more money on women than food? Well, maybe there are a few morons, with hormone excess.
But, I am talking about an average guy. He may spend some money here and there to (you know what), but more than food? C’mmon.