tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post5000608455998202478..comments2024-03-26T03:31:06.199-04:00Comments on Ask a Korean!: Ask a Korean! News: A Look into Imperial Japan’s Rule over KoreaT.K. (Ask a Korean!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-23872557549536681512009-05-08T19:33:00.000-04:002009-05-08T19:33:00.000-04:00Oops. Mea culpa.
I missed this paragraph somehow:...Oops. Mea culpa.<br /><br />I missed this paragraph somehow:<br /><br />"Really big caveat here: the Korean is NOT introducing this letter as an endorsement of what Limb ultimately argues in the letter. In fact, the Korean thinks this letter was rather poorly written overall -- it is more or less besides the point of what Ishihara said, and it overstates the case by failing to put his experience into perspective by referencing the suffering caused by other colonial regimes."<br /><br />That disclaimer of a paragraph addresses every issue I raised.<br /><br />When in doubt, trust theKorean! :)Won Joon Choehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09616918987942651496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-16828792047458477932009-05-08T19:02:00.000-04:002009-05-08T19:02:00.000-04:00I realize that a comprehensive, definitive case on...I realize that a comprehensive, definitive case on issues as explosive as this particular one cannot be made in the context of a Blog post.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I expected someone who is so obviously intelligent and knowledgeable as you are to try a tad bit harder than simply present a personal tear-jerker from a politico who is likely preening for his electorate. Argument based on pathos, to invoke one of your many insightful posts at Mr. Koehler's Blog, may work with the masses, but it is the least persuasive form of argument among the knowers.<br /><br />Among other things, the excerpt you have posted from the Korean lawmaker's letter does not address Ishihara's claim explicitly. Ishihara did not say that Japan's rule over Korea was thoroughly benign; he simply said it was less harsh compared to its European counterpart elsewhere. Isn't it then incumbent for the Korean lawmaker to make some comparisons between European colonialism and its Japanese counterpart? That is, does he not need to at least demonstrate a modicum of knowledge regarding European colonialism?<br /><br />The fundamental problem with these type of debates is that both sides of the divide are rarely familiar with both sides of the story. As I told Mr. Hodges at his Blog, this reminds me of the argument about "Asian values." Those liberal universalists who claimed that Lee Kuan Yew, et al. were fabricating "Asian values" as a justification of their tyranny knew nothing about East Asian culture, and Lee and his cohorts demonstrated little familiarity with pre-modern West.<br /><br />So we have here, between Ishihara and the Korean lawmaker, another example of the dialogue between the deaf.Won Joon Choehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09616918987942651496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-4126827851689317532009-04-25T13:58:00.000-04:002009-04-25T13:58:00.000-04:00T.S., I see your point, but I think you are too id...T.S., I see your point, but I think you are too idealistic. I think one problem is that for years the actual suffering of Koreans under the Japanese occupation was so widespread and so common that people didn't document it much. Instead it was spoken about in generalities and basic facts.<br /><br />Now, decades later, the lack of documentation is being turned into an accusation that such documentation doesn't exist because such suffering didn't really happen. Instead, the exceptions are trotted out (which is one reason many Koreans don't often mention the many individual Japanese who had good relations with their Korean neighbors) to undermine the general statements. <br /><br />I could offer something similar under the much briefer communist occupation during the Korean War. <br /><br />You can see the likes of Imperial apologists in the K-blogs doing that very thing, talking about how it wasn't so bad and claiming that Korea was Japan's greatest ally, or that the pre-occupation was far, far worse. <br /><br />So I would agree that systematic and factual records be accompanied by factual oral histories, translated into English and Japanese as well.<br /><br />My only qualm about this — and it's a big one — is that a discussion of the <I>past</I> can too easily lead to negativity in the <I>present</I>, which is not fair to modern Japanese and is <A HREF="http://kushibo.blogspot.com/2005/03/woe-is-tokto.html" REL="nofollow">detrimental to Korea's own interests</A>. <br /><br />[Actually, though, I would have to say that, based on a very long and far-reaching body of anecdotal evidence, that Koreans at the individual level tend to not just tolerate but have an affinity toward individual Japanese, so the anti-Japanese sentiment that was exacerbated during the Roh administration (and other presidents) has mostly been damaging to state-to-state relations.]<br /><br />And I do agree that to some degree comparisons are possible, but only to point out that no Korean should ever say that Korea suffered as much or more than Jews (or Romani — "gypsies") during the Holocaust.kushibohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-67104213962426293902009-04-24T10:18:00.000-04:002009-04-24T10:18:00.000-04:00sonagi,
Not exactly a book, but the Korean found ...sonagi,<br /><br />Not exactly a book, but the Korean found this series to be incredibly interesting: <A HREF="http://www.donga.com/docs/magazine/shin/2002shin_donga/serial/shin_0202130000_2.html" REL="nofollow">Link</A>. It is a series based on the headlines of old magazines in Korea in the early 20th century. Each one is great, but the Korean found no. 6, 12, and 17 to be highly interesting.<br /><br />T.S.,<br /><br />Generally agreed, but the Korean will try playing the Devil's Advocate:<br /><br />Why cannot different incidences of suffering be compared? Isn't it true that the entire criminal justice system is based on the idea that suffering indeed can be compared? If we feel comfortable saying that person A who, say, cut off another person's arm deserves less punishment than person B, who killed another person, why can't we say Imperial Japan's rule was softer and fairer than European colonial rule?The Koreanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04328000772620833495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-74962289656971238432009-04-24T04:42:00.000-04:002009-04-24T04:42:00.000-04:00Thok-Kyu Limb's letter is quite problematic. By co...Thok-Kyu Limb's letter is quite problematic. By configuring his own personal experience of suffering as evidence to refute Ishihara's statement, Limb actually legitimizes Ishihara's statement. Of course, Ishihara's statement is in fact illegitimate as it is nonsensical to compare sufferings. By providing evidence Limb implies that there is reason in Ishihara's statement; as counter-evidence suggests that there is something needing to be disproved. However, as already stated, Ishihara's statement is blatantly false to begin with so no evidence, or refutation for that matter, would be needed in the first place. <br /><br />Sad as Limb's story is, he is playing right into Ishihara's hands as he is actually taking Ishihara seriously. Granted, Ishihara is a political person with real power. Therefore, his ramblings (no matter how erroneous) can have some weight. Thus, it is not suggested that Ishihara not be taken seriously, only that Limb's manner in dealing with Ishihara was misfired. Instead of critiquing Ishihara's statement from a purely intellectual perspective (i.e. attacking the validity of comparative sufferings), Limb inserted a personal narrative that only partially disproved Ishihara.<br /><br />The proper way of dealing with Ishihara should had been to discredit his assumption that sufferings can be compared. Once this foundation is dissolved Ishihara's entire argument collapses.T.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14594670565268123690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-36806913002800396542009-04-23T19:42:00.000-04:002009-04-23T19:42:00.000-04:00I have asked around about the existence of Korean ...I have asked around about the existence of Korean language books with compilations of personal stories during the Japanese annexation period, i.e. a Korean language equivalent of Hildi Kang's <I>Under the Black Umbrella</I>, but no one knows of one. Do you?<br /><br />I hate to bring up the H-word, but one thing Holocaust survivors have done effectively is retell their stories over and over again in print and on film and video. I know Comfort Women have told their stories, but I've not heard of any print or digital resources with the stories of other Koreans.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com