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[Trevor]

Editorial in the Herald today.


Park Sang-seek] Looking into Japanese colonial legacy




South Koreans celebrate Liberation Day on Aug. 15 because, on that day in 1945, Japanese colonial rule ended and the Republic of Korea was established. After 63 years, Koreans still suffer from the Japanese colonial legacy, though. This is harmful, both for Korea's national security and its sense of nationalism: In national security, Korea may need Japan to counter its enemies or the mutual foes of the two countries, and the age of globalization requires open, rather than closed nationalism.

The Japanese colonial legacy appears in two forms: in the grudge against Japan and in Korea's proclivity toward imitation. The grudge is mainly due to colonialism. It appears as a deep distrust of the Japanese people that has precipitated into ill will. Koreans tend to perceive the Japanese as those with dual personalities, one a mask and one real. This attitude derives from a mixture of an inferiority and a superiority complex: the belief that the Koreans were superior to the Japanese before colonization, but that colonial rule bred an inferiority complex in Korea.

Koreans believe that the Japanese colonial rule was more atrocious than any other colonial occupation in modern times. They feel that Japan treated Koreans more cruelly than any Western colonialists, and that it tried to obliterate the Korean nation by imposing an inter-ethnic marriage policy, stating a doctrine that the Japanese and Koreans belong to the same ancestry, and by banning the use of the Korean language and Korean names.

Some Japanese conservatives and nationalists refute this argument, asserting that the Japanese were much less cruel than, say, the Spanish colonialists in the Americas, and that their rule was as benign as British colonization in Africa. Moreover, they say that Chinese suzerainty over Korea was more humiliating and lasted longer than Japanese colonial rule.

Concerning the latter point, the Koreans should ask themselves why they take a friendlier attitude toward the Chinese than the Japanese when both once ruled Korea. The answer to the question may be threefold: No living Koreans have experienced Chinese rule, and they consider it much less malign than Japanese colonization. Another reason might be the general belief among Koreans that their culture and history are richer than that of the Japanese, but inferior to the Chinese.

Another source of the Korean grudge is the view that Japan exploited Korea economically, delaying the modernization of Korea for almost half a century. Some Japanese counter that Japan actually laid the foundation for capitalism and industrial development in Korea. Moreover, they say Japan civilized the Korean people by introducing Western education, the rule of law, modern law and the Western governance system.

The third contributing factor is the general perception that the Japanese, particularly the governing elites, have not truly repented of their wrongdoings, unlike the Germans after World War II. Of course, the Japanese government has officially expressed regret for its rule several times but never formally stated a deep feeling of remorse, pledging not to repeat those wrongdoings.

Instead, its high-ranking officials have, in a cyclical pattern, made statements nullifying their government's official statements of regret. Koreans regard this as proof that Japan would revive its militarism and try subjugating Korea at an opportune moment. Even now, Japan tries to keep Korea dependent upon its economy and opposes Korean reunification.

Some Japanese respond by asking how many times they should apologize to satisfy the Korean ego. They avow that their expression of regret is the best and last form of apology in Japanese culture and that their government has never expressed remorse to any other nation. From a legal point of view, the Japanese government has already compensated for its wrongdoings under the Korea-Japan Basic Relations Treaty.

Another aspect of the colonial legacy is the tendency toward mimicry. Koreans jokingly call all Japanese copycats who mimick what Westerners, particularly Americans, do. It is true that after the Meiji Restoration of the 1860s, Japan emulated Europe's political, economic, legal and educational systems until the end of World War II. Since its defeat, American influence has surpassed European sway.

The Japanese leaders sought Westernization for the rapid modernization and industrialization of Japan, distancing it from the Oriental world. During the colonial period, the Japanese government imposed the Westernized Japanese economic, legal and educational systems in Korea. After independence, the Korean government maintained those systems for some time but tried modifying them according to its own needs. It knew that the American systems were good models.

However, it has been modifying the old systems based on current Japanese models, not American ones. There may be two reasons for this: One is that Korean governing elites, including those in politics, bureaucracy and business find current Japanese systems, which are modified from the old European and the American models, better suited for Korea than pure European or American systems.

Another reason may be that their belief that Japanese systems must be good for Korea because their former colonial ruler adopted them. Korea's educational system is a good example. When the status of Japanese state universities changed into that of a public corporation, the Korean government followed suit. When Japanese universities adopted the election system for university presidents, Korean universities did the same. When the American law school system was introduced in Japan, Korea belatedly followed.

The Japanese systems prevail not only in education, but also in the business and legal fields. For example, the chaebol system is an exact replica of the zaibatsu in Japan. Such behavior originates from the Japanese colonial legacy.

Koreans even suffer from the colonial legacy in the cultural field. The ban on importing Japanese popular arts products was only recently undone. Foreigners may see the fear that Japan might turn Korea into its cultural colony as paranoid, but it is deeply imbedded in the Korean psyche.

Koreans say that if Japan truly desires a permanent good-neighbor relationship with Korea, it should help overcome the Korean grudge, because Japan is ultimately responsible for it. They argue that if the Japanese forgo their counterarguments the problem will be solved. Some Japanese counter that Koreans should get over their neurotic mentality by themselves.

What is the solution? The 2008 Olympic Games are taking place in Beijing under the slogan of "One World, One Dream." This is the answer. If all nations and people truly believe that slogan, permanent peace and global prosperity will become a reality. We should not deceive ourselves.



Park Sang-seek is a professor at the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies, Kyung Hee University. - Ed.






2008.08.12

[chris_J2]

A good article. A couple of observations:

The Japanese education system whitewashes its colonial past; and the continuing debates over Dokdo, & the East Sea / Sea of Japan.

Both countries have their strengths & weaknesses. I've also read that if China, Korea & Japan, put their past grievances with one another aside, they could be a formidable economic & geo political force, equal to the EU & perhaps NAFTA?

[visitorq]

[chris_J2]

[visitorq]

[visitorq]

[chris_J2]

http://www.korea.net/news/Issues/issueDetailView.asp?board_no=6389

Some salient points from the above article, criticising revisionist education in Japan:

Threats from Korea

The textbook states, "The Korean Peninsula protrude from the continent to Japan like an arm... If the Korean Peninsula came under control of Russia, it could be used as a base for an invasion of Japan."

But the statement was made by Japanese Foreign Minister Jutaro Komura in 1903, clearly showing Japan's imperialist view. The description of the remark as an objective political situation at that time is viewed as an attempt to justify Japan's invasion of Joseon as inevitable for its security.

The Russo-Japanese War was heroic

The textbook says, "With its national budget and armed forces 10 times greater than those of Japan, Russia reinforced its military presence in Manchuria and established a military base in the northern part of Joseon. It was evident that Russia's military in the Far East would grow so powerful that Japan could hardly match it. The victory by Japan, a burgeoning modern state and a country of non-white people, over the Caucasian empire of Russia instilled hopes of independence into colonized peoples."

But Russia dispatched security troops to lumber camps in northern Joseon, and it was Japan that defined them as a military base.

[visitorq]

[chris_J2]

[Guri Guy]

Usando, Seokdo, Mulleungdo, Ulleungdo and big piece of dog crap doo are not Dokdo. Until South Korea produces a map accurately depicting Dokdo before 1905. The South Korean "historians" keep trying to pound that square peg in that round hole.

By the way, if you think Japanese history has been distorted and revised through the years...they don't hold a candle to the Grand Master, South Korea. China is pretty good at historical distortion and revision as well.

The article is nothing that hasn't been said before. The victimization propaganda machine is in overdrive. Apparently, only Japan should repent eternally for a Colonizing another country. Double standard.

BTW, it should be Liberation day. Not Independence day.

Chris_J2, in for a penny in for a pound. Don't give me that garbage.
South Korea has turned around and done the very same thing and that is somehow acceptable? Machine gunning over 20 Japanese fishermen to death, imprisoning some for over 10 years in squallid conditions and stealing millions of dollars in Japanese fishing equipment is ok? People in glass houses eh.

[visitorq]

[Trevor]

Here's the last word on Japan's colonization of Korea:

Japan quit harassing Korea not because they had a change of heart but because they were compelled by force (ummm...a nuclear bomb...well, two nuclear bombs).

No sensible person would deny that at that point in time they had absolutely no intention of letting the reins loose of their own accord. Further, had they won WW2, they would still be ruling Korea to this day if they could. They did not volunteer to leave.

Koreans know that. Everyone knows that. Suggesting otherwise is ignoring the nature of power.

BTW, It's amazing how Guriguy and Visitorq simultaneously appear out of nowhere any time Japan is mentioned.

[chris_J2]

http://www.dokdo-takeshima.com/dokdo-historical-perspective.html

Interesting read in the above link.

[visitorq]

[visitorq]