Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Summer Wine]

I have spare time, so I was looking at historical incidents.

This one raises a number of questions in my mind.

http://www.battlingbastardsbataan.com/som.htm

One of which is why the Koreans seem to still have a hatred, when other countries have also suffered so much and yet don't seem to have the same nationalistic hatred.

I guess I will really never know as it probably is a combination of things, but some of these incidents really paint some of Japans recent statements in a bad light.

You have to give it to the philipines, they still can smile and laugh even though their history would give them the right not too.

[contrarian]

I gave an assignment to two Senior (4th year) University writing classes that I taught a year or so ago. The task was to interview a family member that remembered the Japanese occupation or the Korean war. I got som rather incredible material.

The one that stands out in my mind was a students grandmother who got married at age 15. It was a choice of getting married or being taken as a comfort women (Jap army prostitute). She told of a hardscrabble life mostly hiding in the mountains and darn near starving to death. This not the sort of things that makes Japan lived in Korea.

[Summer Wine]

Yes, I can see that. Its just that Manila went through one of the worst attrocities of the Asian War and yet you hardly hear about it. Here I hear 6 year olds tell me they hate Japan and America, they had to learn it somewhere I guess.

[jinju]

[RACETRAITOR]

The Philippines has the same problem regarding the US too, as they were invaded and occupied about a century ago. Not a good place to be in.

Korea is probably more bitter toward Japan because they're neighbours. I'd have to say China is far more anti-Japanese than Korea is though.

[Bibbitybop]

[Summer Wine]

Quote:

The Phlippines' economy would tank wothout the Japanese. Rest assured, if they didnt depend on the Japanese for money and investments they would be just as outraged. Basically, they are too poor to rock the boat so they dont.

Not sure how much truth is in that statement. They just don't seem to have spent the last 50 years regurgitating hatred for the japanese. Other countries seem to be rather hazy on other nations histories, but many states had people who suffered.

Look at the cannibalism that Japanese forces carried out on US prisoners and ask yourself why don't the Americans burn with hatred today. Look at the Baatan death march, the murder of Australian civilians, we all have reason to hate the Japs, though we don't seem to burn with the same passion to look down on the Japanese and continue to teach hatred of japanese.

[jinju]

[happeningthang]

[sumfunu]

I am back in Canada after 8great years in Korea and agree that Koreans have good reason for their collective hard-on for Japan. Having said that, one thing that always pissed me off and gave me a chuckle was when Koreans would say " Japanese very kindly, but cunning,very cunning". Give me a freakin' break. IMHO there is very,very little that a Japanese could ever teach a Korean about being " cunning " ( on both a national and a personal level ).

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[Gamecock]

[Summer Wine]

[swetepete]

I can see a few reasons for the lingering hate, most of which have already been mentioned here, but to recap--
1) The Japanese were here for 35 years, which is a lot longer than they were in any other part of Asia.
2) The Koreans fought very little, and no doubt there's some collective blueballs from not being able to shoot despite having a very long hate-on. Blueballs hurt. The guerrilla actions done by Koreans were mostly in China, and they weren't very successful, and they were usually done under Chinese command.
3) Korea got royally screwed and bifurcated and napalmed after WW2, while Japan did very well, very quickly.
4) The textbook issue is very recent.
5) The failure to apologize and pay off the surviving comfort women is very much a current issue.
6) Japanese culture is much more influential and respected in the west than is Korean culture. This might add to some of the frustrations.
7) Dokdo/ Takeshima...the kids here eat that stuff for breakfast.

Sad stuff. Some perfectly valid reasons to be pissed. The standard party line here is invariably antagonistic towards Japan, albeit in an impotent, unfocussed way. I don't see any of this as particularly likely to change.

[wylies99]