tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post8160795141740814250..comments2024-03-18T07:07:53.346-04:00Comments on Ask a Korean!: Korea-Japan Relation Saga, Part V - Contemporary Korean NationalismT.K. (Ask a Korean!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-18144333641007983942013-05-14T17:25:42.650-04:002013-05-14T17:25:42.650-04:00It's a very, very late reply, but I wanted to ...It's a very, very late reply, but I wanted to add that the EU needed Germany ( and vice versa) for economical reasons as a counter-measurement against the booming importance of the US ( said my very European, very Belgian history teacher), loads of WOII survivors holds ( or held to there death) grudges against Germany. Also, most European countries or rather inhabitants of European nations do not feel European but have nationalistic or even regional feelings. They do not feel united at all. Not all countries in Europe belong to EU. Since the foundations of EU ( 27 countries are members of it), the EU do not have a European Constitution which means that most of the members do not want and cannot abide under the same laws and rights, follow the same economical guidelines and have an unitair foreign policy. Neither does the EU have a real president, a government and court ( but various councils and parlements with lesser power) In fact national courts of various European countries have trouble deciding whether they should favour one's national laws above the European guidelines or vice versa in case they clash with one and other. Follow the news about Euro, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, to name a few and you should see how much divided Europe really is. I haven't even talked about the bloody history between East-European countries ( nor will I since I'm not well educated or well informed about its topic). Let's not also forget that before the two world wars, West-Europe already had to coexist with each other for economical reasons and strenghten their alliances by political marriages; it's not that they didn't know about the advantages of such cooperations ( in fact world war started because the dominating European countries in Europe wanted to be THE dominating factor) and they certainly did not forget the many pro's of alliances with each other when the US and Russia rose up as two super powers. The EU knew they needed Germany in order to have a strong position in the world. With other words, EU had the knowledge, means and a motive to forget WOII and Germany. It's not like that EU is more forgiving than any other supranational institution or superior ideals, merely out of necessity to build up their countries as good and fast as they could without interference and dependency of US or worse, Russia. I say this as a person who lived her whole life in Europe ( and still does) and I honestly believed that Europe was the most civilized, most enlightend place on Earth until I read about the brutal colonisations of South- America and Africa, the East Indian Company, the unfair, harsh treaties European countries forced down on Japan and China, the Jarkarta converence, ( about finally, finally understanding the bitterness that my Chinese parents held for the US), the countless rapes of women and girls during the world wars etc and just following the news in general. I've come to believe that people are people, politics are politics and nations are nations and they will do whatever it takes to survive. Whether it's 'wrong', 'right', 'smart' or 'dumb', is for history to tell. That's pretty much my ( incomplete, imperfect) take on Darwin anyway ;). P.S, sorry for any grammatical or spelling mistakes, Englsh is not my mothertongue as you have guessed >.<Rooshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12889707473296736057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-85744871132060900342012-09-06T05:01:49.414-04:002012-09-06T05:01:49.414-04:00Nice article.
As a Korean myself, I wanted to poi...Nice article.<br /><br />As a Korean myself, I wanted to point out that a primary topic of education (which is unified with unified text books in elementary / middle school) is the evolution of Korea the country, starting from legend that starts 5000 years ago in a cave, to multiple iterations including separation into parts and reunifications. I believe the Joson unified dynasty is touted as a scientific enlightenment age, where the language was invented by a convention of scientists under a great king, etc.<br /><br />Hey, with a glorified history like that, you want to preserve it. It becomes your pride.<br /><br />Not to mention that you're going to spend 3 years of your life as your father did defending the country. Everybody had to give up part of their life for this country.<br /><br />How do you replicate it? Start with a stories of the nation's birth. Tout all accomplishments in the academics or the arts. Make everyone give up an equal part of themselves for a common cause. Unify the school curriculum. Be objective about history while highlighting accomplishments. Tell a struggle. Name the revolutions and explain how freedom was won by the people.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09430192020345095742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-68782127437147152732012-01-08T15:42:52.561-05:002012-01-08T15:42:52.561-05:00Large parts of Europe, including parts of the UK, ...<b>Large parts of Europe, including parts of the UK, were lost to Germans during their occupations. However Europeans do not hold that against Germans today. All of Europe has put its past behind them and are now close allies of Germany sharing free borders and currency.</b><br /><br />If Japan did what Germany did after WWII, Korea would have put the past behind also.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-30928336165094331442012-01-08T10:50:53.468-05:002012-01-08T10:50:53.468-05:00Saying that Korean's lost their country to the...Saying that Korean's lost their country to the Japanese when they colonised the country is the weakest point of the arguments put forward in this essay.<br /><br />Large parts of Europe, including parts of the UK, were lost to Germans during their occupations. However Europeans do not hold that against Germans today. All of Europe has put its past behind them and are now close allies of Germany sharing free borders and currency.<br /><br />Korean's must learn to overcome the past as Europeans have and understand it was a different age with different mindsets from today.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03241090133996947659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-29975867488527924372011-12-29T00:29:48.518-05:002011-12-29T00:29:48.518-05:00From the poster above:
"...The paradox of So...From the poster above:<br /><br />"...The paradox of South Korea hatred towards Japan BUT NOT USA."<br /><br />It's true that the U.S. occupied the South after WWII because it would not compromise with the Russians (nor would the Russians compromise with the U.S.), but America helped keep the South from being annexed by the North during the war. Despite how repressive and authoritarian they were, the military juntas during 1945-87 were (and are) preferable to being ruled by North Korea. That is why South Koreans are generally grateful for America's involvement. <br /><br />For the Korean - I'm guessing Korean nationalism also stems from the world's general ignorance regarding South Korea. Most people in the world don't know much about Korean culture, so I'm wondering if Korea feels it has a lot to prove to the world. Being physically and figuratively sandwiched (and historically overshadowed) by Japan and China must be frustrating as well.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10537653517429296955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-59598079572468905652011-11-01T07:59:51.474-04:002011-11-01T07:59:51.474-04:00I think overall it was a vert precise article on t...I think overall it was a vert precise article on the relationship between S. Korea and Japan..<br /><br />However...<br /><br />There is one vital thing which is not mentioned at all.<br />- The paradox of South Korea hatred towards Japan BUT NOT USA..<br /><br />You said that the Koreans had their country taken twice (by N. Korea and Japan). That is actually not the whole story.<br /><br />The fewest remember why we have two koreas.<br /><br />USA wanted South Korea to further wage war against the communist nations, China and Russia. The combined Japanese and American administration in South Korea wanted such confrontation as long as USA had forces in Korea. When the Americans left, the dictatorship that was installed in S. Koreas was there to oppress any socialist/communist opposition. Polls show that at that time around 80% of South Koreans were leftists.. American sponsered government in South Korea continued until the late 80's thereby pacifying what the koreans really wanted.<br /><br />It was a way more subtle way of annexing a country however the things that happened in those years were also horrible, but no one talks about that. Even the South Koreans fail to see sometimes.<br /><br />South Korea got democracy in the end of the 80's start 90's which makes the conservative military junta of South Korea one of the most long lived juntas apart from North Korea and Burma.<br /><br />Think of USA's role in the splitting in the koreas and how much evil it has brought. We may have had one united korea instead of an invisible "berlin wall" that still stands and seems to be there for atleast a 100 years still.Jens Anker Wiltersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02659758983359674845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-6068565156904043352011-03-25T13:26:32.714-04:002011-03-25T13:26:32.714-04:00I think the Korean is confusing nationalism with r...I think the Korean is confusing nationalism with racial pride? Koreans like Japaneses and Chinese are very proud of their homogeneous ethnicity (you hear it endlessly). So when it comes to competition of any kind like sports or other more serious matters, the tribal factor of I'm stick with my own people/tribe will carry much more importance!<br /><br />I would say that US and Canada are VERY nationalistic.US and Canada don't have a homogeneous bloodline to follow. So they have to be bind by something else which is the common goal of a single country! US is bind together by a piece(s) of paper (constitution). Tell me what other countries have this much devotion? <br />If you mention any thing that remotely suggest Canadian's submissive role with the US you will get your teeth knocked out by the otherwise friendly Canadians:)Marcus75https://www.blogger.com/profile/05797127907819406961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-79184281202953158722011-02-08T03:45:47.621-05:002011-02-08T03:45:47.621-05:00The Korean wrote:
"It happened twice, and it...The Korean wrote:<br /><br />"It happened twice, and it can happen again – and it is simply something that must not happen ever again. There is no room for debate."<br /><br />This was the most resonating comment in your lengthy post for me. I hinted at this in my own blog on Korea (http://timleewritingcafe.blogspot.com/)on why Koreans feel a need to defeat Japan in sporting events and beyond. <br /><br />I think we can sum it up by acknowledging it is hard to trust someone who has invaded you on more than one occasion. Heck, if a country has invaded you once, they might invade again (probably when you least expect it).<br /><br />In a sports analogy, Korea beating Japan would be similar to the Lakers defeating the Celtics. It is much sweeter to beat your long-time rival than to defeat merely another foe. So, until the day Koreans feel that Japan is sincerely sorry for their wrongs, Koreans will always view the Japanese as rivals (and for a few, enemies).Tim Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13160770856004083902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-51932812559059844552010-07-28T10:42:03.718-04:002010-07-28T10:42:03.718-04:00re: Tyler
On a positive note, (I'm living in ...re: Tyler<br /><br />On a positive note, (I'm living in Tokyo right now), during the 2010 World Cup, I was in a bar full of Japanese and they were all cheering energetically for Korea (vs some small European team.... either Slovenia or Slovakia, I think).<br /><br />It was good to see that in that most non-academic of settings, a little regional camaraderie was thriving!Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09854252372332534638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-85342601755819745102009-12-02T09:02:46.882-05:002009-12-02T09:02:46.882-05:00My experience as well (American who spent 3 years ...My experience as well (American who spent 3 years in the JET programme in a Japanese Middle School & now facing a 2nd year in a Korean MS tells me that this is a fairly accurate depiction that has described my experiences and estimations as well.<br /><br />My Korean is still not up to speed, so spending time delving into the kids' history texts here is still at least another year off, however, I would def. say that a Japanese American man would have any trouble. There was a Japanese engineer (retired in Japan) working for one of the car companies in town that went to my gym. He frequently went out with the guys, just as he would in Japan & most all the guys made a shocking effort to speak Japanese to him (at the time that was all I spoke as well). I was quite shocked at how fluent in Japanese some of the random folks at the health club were. This shock wore off though, the more I learned how similar Korean and Japanese really are.<br /><br />I even once went on a date with a girl (Japanese Major at the University)where we both spoke Japanese the whole night. <br /><br />You might have the odd encounter with a xenophobe, but all the weigooks get some of that I think. You're as likely to get it for being American as being of Japanese descent. Just be sure to refer to the two islands as Dokdo, and root for Korea in the baseball/soccer games.Tyler Bealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12264845406166389213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-28340550334232872452009-07-09T02:14:42.939-04:002009-07-09T02:14:42.939-04:00Still love Japan more they may be both dominant co...Still love Japan more they may be both dominant countries in Asia but to still favor Japan overall and no bias here I'm not from any of these countries. :pUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04408081700521811271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-7202697741930162962009-05-13T23:37:00.000-04:002009-05-13T23:37:00.000-04:00Personal anecdotes cannot substitute for a broader...Personal anecdotes cannot substitute for a broader study or at least survey, but the experience of my Japanese friends/acquaintances almost uniformly contradict this claim:<br /><br />"So, to answer JKC's question, Koreans do not do anything special when they meet a Japanese person. Generally, they do not harass, nor do they get violent."<br /><br />In fact, I've been harassed myself getting in a cab ride from the airport to my destination in Seoul, because the cabbie thought I was Japanese (I have a pretty pronounced Kyongsangdo accent, but WTF?--not that pronounced!).Won Joon Choehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09616918987942651496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-85415940269181824502009-03-21T10:04:00.000-04:002009-03-21T10:04:00.000-04:00Pilsung,Your point is good, but the Korean would a...Pilsung,<BR/><BR/>Your point is good, but the Korean would argue that it is not exactly the one and only truth. In the Korean's opinion, Korean leaders after liberation are just as responsible for the division. Also, Kim Il-Sung's desire to take over the South played more of a role in starting the Korean War than any desire on the part of U.S. or U.S.S.R. But clearly, this point is debatable.The Koreanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04328000772620833495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-21644665736628667682009-03-21T00:43:00.000-04:002009-03-21T00:43:00.000-04:00Great post. I like your writing style in particula...Great post. I like your writing style in particular. I had a couple points to comment about, but since I am not as good at writing in English, I was about to go without leaving a comment, when I noticed that many non-Koreans are enjoying your posts and asking questions about Korea here. I can't help but leaving a few words about Korean history. <BR/><BR/>The Korean wrote:<BR/>>> They have lost their whole country twice in the last century – for 36 years to Japan, and briefly to communist North Korea during the Korean War. <BR/><BR/>Surprised by your saying we (I am a (South) Korean) once lost our county to North Korea. Korean Civil War, a terrible tragic incidence, is a result of tension right after WW2 between Soviet Union and the US, another imperialistic powers then. Although elderly South Koreans may think that the North is the one and only one who's responsible for the War, and hence we, South Koreans once lost our country to the North, the fact is that the War is due to those two countries (USSR and US) who tried to get their feet on each half of the Korean Peninsular as a way to dominate the world and were governing each half. So, it's more like we Koreans lost our country (again) and independence to a (then) new imperialism. <BR/><BR/>Remember that we, the North and South (Actually there were no "North and South" Korea before modern history), had been stayed as one from at least the Korea Dynasty until the Civil War, which is like for a thousand years, and we've separated very recently for like only 50 years. We have had the same culture, language, and history.<BR/><BR/>In that sense, the following does not apply to the Civil War, <BR/><BR/>The Korean wrote:<BR/>>> At each occasion of losing their country, many Koreans lost everything –their history, tradition, language ...<BR/><BR/><BR/>Another point I'd like to make is regarding Miguk chonhnum's mentioning,<BR/><BR/>>> History has clearly been noted that dissension among North and South Koreans led to the weakness, which ultimately became Japan's successful annexation of Korea.<BR/><BR/>As I previously stated, there were no "North and South" Koreans before around 1945-1950, when the USSR and the US were governing each half of Korea right after our independence from Japan.Pilsung Kanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05178798862112611217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-3553471068935972002009-02-24T17:56:00.000-05:002009-02-24T17:56:00.000-05:00Nexus,Good post! I think we are beating this issu...Nexus,<BR/><BR/>Good post! <BR/><BR/>I think we are beating this issue to death!!!<BR/><BR/>I dont believe Koreans view race and nationality as mutually exclusive. For example, Koreans don't view Korea-Chinese as "Koreans" per say, although we definitely share a distinct culture and history. In other words, Koreans perceived them to be more Chinese than Koreans. This sentiment is partly correct because China has been their home for a number of years, so they act and think like Chinese more so than Koreans. <BR/><BR/>Korea and Japan saga!! What else can I blog about that has not been said before by others. Obviously, Koreans, to simply put, have every reason to be fking mad at Japan. After all, we were living peacefully by burying cabbage in the ground -- penicillin for SARS and minding our own business, until occupation was full in force. At the end of the day, Koreans have nobody to blame but ourselves. History has clearly been noted that dissension among North and South Koreans led to the weakness, which ultimately became Japan's successful annexation of Korea.Miguk chonhnumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07695554200912433082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-43099682139450196642009-02-23T18:57:00.000-05:002009-02-23T18:57:00.000-05:00Nathan,while the official history curriculum in Ko...Nathan,<BR/><BR/>while the official history curriculum in Korean schools contain the truth, the Korean would agree that the school teachers are quite liberal in planting anti-Japanese sentiment in an informal manner.<BR/><BR/>umak,Simon,<BR/><BR/>Please see the questions policy on the right.<BR/><BR/>Arctic, Nexus,<BR/><BR/>Good points. The Korean thinks America does have a distinct culture -- it just needs a little extra digging to figure out exactly what it is.<BR/><BR/>As to a book, the Korean is just waiting for a random email that says "HERE IS $100,000 FOR A BOOK DEAL!" Hopefully it makes through the junk mail filter.The Koreanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04328000772620833495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-1785347567150356792009-02-21T03:08:00.000-05:002009-02-21T03:08:00.000-05:00"A funny thing about American and Americans, being..."A funny thing about American and Americans, being one myself.. I'm not entirely convinced many of us know what it is to feel as though we really 'belong' to a country in the first place."<BR/><BR/>Well said, Arctic Penguin. There are times when I feel ambivalent about identifying as an "American." In order to understand why I feel this way, let me explain a little about my family history...<BR/><BR/>My great-grandfather came to the United States from Italy in the early 20th century (1900-1910). For those who don't know much about U.S. history, it wasn't a great time to be Italian in America. At that point in time, being American was predicated upon "whiteness" (and to some extent still is, IMO). To be an American was to be a WASP, which Italians were not. We were Europeans definitely, but not "white." Therefore, my great-grandfather assimilated as quickly as possible. <BR/><BR/>While I don't readily identify as being American, I can't exactly identify as "Italian-American" either. Sure, I look phenotypically Italian and have been told by people that I look Greek, Jewish, and Armenian (and I don't even have a unibrow!) as well. I even have an Italian surname. However, I don't speak Italian, or know much at all about Italian culture except through movies (and not just gangster flicks). <BR/><BR/> Still, it pisses me off having to spell my last name for people whenever they ask for it, or when they butcher its pronunciation. And it pisses me off even more when people tell me that I look "foreign."<BR/><BR/>Okay, enough digression.<BR/><BR/>So how does this relate to nationalism? When I was in Korea for a semester of studying abroad, I never felt more American than I did there. A lot of people in America with European ancestry feel that they have no culture. Their ancestors have all assimilated into the category of "white," and therefore have no cultural heritage . To those people I say this: Try spending half a year in a country where you are a racial, cultural, and linguistic outsider... Then tell me that you don't have a fucking culture!<BR/><BR/>I remember an instance where I had to explain to some Korean friends that I was both Italian and American. Because my last name is Italian, they thought that my Dad was from Italy and my Mom is American. It's not surprising to me now, knowing that in Korea nationality and race are not mutually exclusive things. <BR/><BR/>With all that said, I don't feel as Kurt Vonnegut did when he said he was "a man without a country." America is and will always be my home. It is still the land of opportunities and second chances. And it is for those reasons why my great-grandfather came across the Atlantic to Ellis Island nearly 100 years ago. America is by no means perfect, but deep down I love it.<BR/><BR/>Thank you, the Korean, for this insightful post.Nexus_6https://www.blogger.com/profile/13932392958244427754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-3792826944887924252009-02-18T21:57:00.000-05:002009-02-18T21:57:00.000-05:00On one hand, I had a Korean administrator from the...On one hand, I had a Korean administrator from the younger generation who venerate Hiyao Miyazaki. (Totoro in particular.) One the other hand, a fellow Korean teacher of the same gneration who loathes products like Hello Kitty and has, since she was a small child, refused to purchase/own/keep even as a gift such items. <BR/><BR/>A funny thing about American and Americans, being one myself.. I'm not entirely convinced many of us know what it is to feel as though we really 'belong' to a country in the first place. It does make me wonder what sort of debate might take place between a post-revolutionary war American and one from the modern day of distant ancestry (think Mayflower, Daughter of the Revolution, etc) and an American of either very recent ancestry or immigrant origin. All I know is that, for myself, I understood Kurt Vonnegut when he called himself 'a man without a country.' (Just realized I had to change that sentence to the past tense.. sad.)<BR/><BR/>How can one possibly feel as though they belong to a country with such a schizophrenic self-image as America? We're for freedom but also secret prisons, we're for the rule of law as long as it isn't international law or among friends... It's enough to drive one insane. I may not understand Korean nationalism, but hell if I understand American nationalism either. Such people too often come in the form of neo-Nazis.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the article. So well stated, as always. Have you considered writing a book of your own? I think you'd corner the market.adabeiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06528653783425665623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-22008134249929172772009-02-18T01:26:00.000-05:002009-02-18T01:26:00.000-05:00Hey man, good post.I think an interesting related ...Hey man, good post.<BR/><BR/>I think an interesting related topic of discussion will be how much of the conservative/right-wing parties in Korea have their roots in Pro-Japanese factions (친일파), dating back to Syngman Rhee.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08418398108196693382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-89349424320105632622009-02-17T23:49:00.000-05:002009-02-17T23:49:00.000-05:00Hi Susie. Go to Korea and tell them that you are ...Hi Susie. Go to Korea and tell them that you are a Korean American who can't speak Korean... and stay in Seoul or Pusan... ;)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18161497068139772587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-34712523994150392952009-02-17T21:00:00.000-05:002009-02-17T21:00:00.000-05:00NathanThe irony is, they also leave out the 'good'...Nathan<BR/><BR/>The irony is, they also leave out the 'good' (noncontroversial) parts!<BR/><BR/>The fact that K and J have a long history of cultural exchange (at least a millennium) was exploited by the J government during colonial times for propaganda purposes, like "we have always been together".<BR/>after WWII, it became politically incorrect to look at history from that perspective, and textbooks were modified accordingly.<BR/><BR/><BR/>The Korean may be right that children "learn the truth", but on top of that many school boards / teachers seem to promote activities that create extra ill will against J (famous example: exhibition of young children s drawings in Seoul subway stations<BR/>http://aog.2y.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1550 <BR/>)<BR/><BR/><BR/>to The Korean:<BR/><BR/>i find it also ironic that J nowadays is seen as a bigger threat than NK (or at least that s what K politicians want people make to believe), any explanations?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07814652731724814302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-63374285397926757182009-02-17T19:12:00.000-05:002009-02-17T19:12:00.000-05:00umakk69 is right that Japanese textbooks tend to l...umakk69 is right that Japanese textbooks tend to leave out pretty much everything about Korean-Japanese relations which causes tensions. In my wife's textbook the entire colonial period got one bloodless sentence. However, this is not true everywhere. Textbooks in Hiroshima for example are much different.<BR/><BR/>Korean schools also tend to be fonts of nationalism, just in completely different ways. One day all my afternoon classes were cancelled so the whole school could practice the Dokdo Song, and teachers were very casual about dropping anti-Japanese comments.<BR/><BR/>Korean kids get taught to hate Japan. Japanese kids aren't taught hate, but they are led to believe a version of history with gigantic holes in it. The children of both nations are being very ill-served by their educational systems.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, it's very true that the vast majority of Koreans get along very well with individual Japanese.Nathan Schwartzmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12180432639689575031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-63520609736679220172009-02-17T14:24:00.000-05:002009-02-17T14:24:00.000-05:00Paul,The Korean was only talking about Korean hist...Paul,<BR/><BR/>The Korean was only talking about Korean history textbook with respect to Korea's relationship with Japan. Nothing at Brian's site says anything about that.The Koreanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04328000772620833495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-20030462719453296432009-02-16T21:52:00.000-05:002009-02-16T21:52:00.000-05:00There are some good points in your post, but with ...There are some good points in your post, but with the Korean government trying to change the history books as to paint Korea in a better light (Documented on Briandeustch.blogspot) I wouldn't exactly say Koreans are taught "the truth". <BR/><BR/>Also, using nationalism as an excuse to proliferate racism and ridiculous acts of violence is pathetic. I can never understand that.<BR/><BR/>In the end, like with every country and every situation, there are plenty of sane people to offset the crazies.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14780124870332051395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-12008645113566796592009-02-16T21:31:00.000-05:002009-02-16T21:31:00.000-05:00True story, I attended an art opening at the New M...True story, I attended an art opening at the New Museum (NYC) last week. I bumped into an acquaintance, who was with a friend. I was introduced to the friend and the friend said he was from Japan. I told him I was born in Korea. To my amusement and to my acquaintance's shock (who is white and American), the friend from Japan (with no irony or humor) said "oh I don't mind". As the Korean says, in the US nationalism is not part of the national psyche and in that context, the inappropriateness of the Japanese friends comment is more obvious. But insulting in any context! <BR/><BR/>Another clear headed and an even handed post form AKK. Thanks.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18251591947919751870noreply@blogger.com