Speaking with Japan’s Nikkei Shimbun, Korean Prime Minister Han Myung-sook criticized visits by Japanese high officials to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.
She said the historical understanding of some Japanese politicians, who she accused of trying to legitimize Japan’s past colonization of Korea, served as a hinderance in the Korea-Japan relationship.
She said the two countries need to work togather in a future-oriented fashion for peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia. About the suspension of Korea-Japan summit meetings due to issues like the Yasukuni Shrine, she said that once conditions are satisfied, she would consider going to Japan herself. She demanded of Tokyo “visable changes.”
She also had some unkind things to say about Japan’s intense interest in the North Korean abduction issue. She said she fully understood Japan’s interest and efforts concerning the abductee issue, but she noted just how Yokota Megumi was abducted to North Korea against her will, Japan historically did the same thing in Asia with its forced mobilizations. She said that throughout Asia, there are many “Megumi”s thanks to Japan’s past actions.
Marmot’s note: Shame Han had to screw up relatively sensible criticism of Japanese visits to the Yasukuni Shrine with an asinine comment about Yokota Megumi. As far as I know, all those Megumis to whom Han referred are free to leave Japan anytime they choose. In fact, one sometimes gets the feeling that many Japanese wish they would.
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I guess that will teach the waenom not to criticise Prime Minister Han’s racial kinsman up north. The nerve of the Japanese for thinking a current issue is more important than a historical one.
What do you expect after you put skirt in a job fit for a pant?
“As far as I know, all those Megumis to whom Han referred are free to leave Japan anytime they choose. In fact, one sometimes gets the feeling that many Japanese wish they would.”
I’ve been wanting to write a post about this, but it seems to me that all the “Megumis” in Japan choose to stay in Japan because it’s better then going ‘home’. For all the talk people make about Japanese-Koreans being discriminated in Japan, it’s so much worse for them in Korea that they choose to stay in Japan. I know people that have gone to Korea and COME BACK TO JAPAN. I honestly think people choose to stay in Japan because in Japan, they can make excuses for not succeeding, and have a route to which they can direct the blame rather then taking it themselves — heaven forbid one does succeed because the rest of us will never hear the end of how it was “done against all odds”.
(They’re kinda like ex-pats that complain about their host country really. For all the complaining they/we make, if it was really all that bad, we wouldn’t be here now would we.)
Sad, but par for the course. One of the things SK needs to work on is separating issues, because as a rule, it seems that whenever some dispute or another is mentioned in the SK media or by SK politicians, it always gets diluted with the inclusion of just about every other thing the ‘offending country’ has done wrong in the last 2000 years. So the Dokdo argument, rather than being focused on the historical legitimacy of Korea’s claim and the illegitimacy of Japan’s, always slips in a mention of Japan’s ‘imperialistic agression’. If the issue of misbehavior by US personnel comes up, there’s almost always a mention of how it was the US that divided the peninsula in the first place. Yasukuni? Comfort women. SOFA? Middle schoolers.
Not only does the sentimentality of such arguments tend to dilute the argument at hand, but I think that they lead a lot of people to actually dismiss what may be perfectly valid arguments off-hand as simply being another verse in the SK’s ’song that never ends.’ While the list of grievances might be a great rhetorical style if you’re trying to declare independance or declare war, it hardly makes sense to use it when you’re trying to convince people that there’s more than just the one issue of, “Japan/The US/China/The World done us wrong.”
http://www.nizkor.org/features.....-pity.html
“I guess that will teach the waenom not to criticise Prime Minister Han’s racial kinsman up north.”
I guess you meant 왜놈 by “waenom”. If I am right, may I ask you to take the trouble of asking your Korean friends what the word really means and where to use or not to use the word?
Does anyone know of an objective history book about the colonial period? I met a Japanese who told me that Korean was taught in schools until the end(albeit as an elective), that people who did not change their names to Japanese ones were not punished, etc. I don’t know which side to believe. It would be nice to hear an impartial version of that history. Anyone know of one?
Two things. Firstly, has anyone found any research about the Megumis choosing to remain in Japan rather than repatriate? It seems odd that a “persecuted” people would choose to stay in an impoverished land that was repeatedly firebombed and nuked. Twice. Seems to fly in the face of Koreans’ belief of their suffering.
Secondly, in what way were Korean names changed? Koreans use Chinese characters. So do the Japanese. Were the Koreans required to use different Chinese characters? Or not use them at all? Or are we talking about using the Japanese pronunciation of a character, ex. Japanese “Ko” for Korean “Ja”.
Robert, did you recieve the message I sent you through your mailing form?
I have never in my entire life seen an administration both East or West embarrass themselves more than this. This Roh’s Administration has been an abomination. Nazi’s would have had kinder things to say about the Jews in their statewise visit to America.
I mean this is insane…
As far as I know, all those Megumis to whom Han referred are free to leave Japan anytime they choose. In fact, one sometimes gets the feeling that many Japanese wish they would.
what an insightful, thought provoking comment that is.
how does one come to be so well…….. gifted.
There’s some interesting stuff on this site about our friend Roh from a former President, right after you find out the truth about our friend Kushibo or shall I say Nora Park! :0
http://www.occidentalism.org/