South Korea’s president has caused a scandal by demanding “the Japanese king” grovel before the Korean people in apology should he wish to set foot on that peninsula’s sacred soil.
South Korean president Lee Myung-bak made a public address at a university at which he told an audience of student teachers “Japan’s king” should “kneel” (i.e. kowtow or dogeza, the most grovelling form of apology possible in East Asia) before the Korean people in apology for daring to maintain its claim over Takeshima, should he wish to pay a state visit to Korea.
He further compounded the insult by referring to Japan’s emperor as “the Japanese king” instead of “emperor” as is customary, with both comments being unprecedentedly undiplomatic as such things go.
The Japanese government has avoided any official diplomatic response by suggesting his remarks were “surely only his personal opinions?” – although what exactly the difference is when a president makes such comments to a public audience in an official address is not clear.
Japan’s government and royal family have made numerous apologies for Japan’s earlier imperialist ventures, but China and Korea have tended to ignore them and instead press for apologies of ever greater humility and acknowledgements of crimes of ever inflating magnitude.
Opportunistically fostering internal public hatred of Japan and maintaining Japan’s economic “aid” are often cited as factors involved in otherwise bizarre efforts to maintain Japan as the region’s foremost aggressor nation.
The South Korean president had only just finished making the first presidential visit to the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islets in the Sea of Japan, which the Japanese government urged him not to do and then called “regrettable.”
This followed on from a South Korean footballer being thrown out of the Olympics in disgrace for waving a placard proclaiming Korean sovereignty over the territory at a match, although the Korean response appears to have been a series of further accusations and demands levelled at Japan rather than any gesture of contrition.
Whether or not it has any official consequences, the president’s antics have outraged a significant number of Japanese, with an insult directed against Japan’s imperial household beyond the pale for many:
“This is tantamount to a declaration of war!”
“I can’t believe he was so rude as to call him ‘king’!”
“He should never have gone near this.”
“This sort of thing used to cause wars…”
“They can get away with saying what they like about Takeshima, but insulting the emperor will not be forgiven.”
“I don’t think much of our imperial system but even so this is way out of line.”
“Was there an election coming up?”
“His approval is at like 20% so he is just desperately trying to grub up votes by stirring up hatred against Japan.”
“The South Korean presidency has a 5-year 1 term limit, so what is puzzling is that he has no need to fight to be re-elected… why is he so desperate?”
“His family and those around him are being investigated for corruption, and his older brother was arrested for bribery. He’s just earning brownie points for anti-Japanese activity so they don’t nail him too hard when his time is up.”
“He was really anti-Japanese even before, and was always being provocative like this. His government and the Japanese media just made sure to play it down.”
“He’s at the end of his term with no chance of re-election, so he can say anything.”
“He should be begging for his life.”
“Can we please stop our economic aid to them?”
“At least stop that huge currency swap we are doing for them.”
“Unforgivable!”
“This is an insult against the Japanese spirit!”
“The Japanese and Korean governments are actually cooperating – this time the Japanese government needed an external scandal to distract everyone from its huge tax increases.”
“He pretty much killed relations with Japan with that remark.”
“Sad to think someone like this is the South’s president – I guess it shows what kind of people they are.”
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The bickering is always a hoot to read.
I wonder who downvoted my comment more, the Japanese wannabes or the Korean wannabes.
Frontpagers are so much fun.
Not me at least. since I don't really need to be wannabes.
Only a sudcorean Berlusconi,but who don't fuck...
Not really, Berlusconi only does bad impression without actually wanting to offend, this guy on the other hand ...
You forget this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HtmfCyVMbU Berlusconi on European parlament who said nazist kapò to a German European parlament.
The whole video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLOpZ9G4mx4 has him being offended by that german guy, you can clearly see he looks angry in this.
It's like Japan is the dog on a leash, and SoKor is the kid that's trying to bully it with sticks and stones.
I think it is closer to two bickering children who daddy (USA) would whoop them if they ever really got into it.
But clearly SK is the one who's constantly starting something out of nothing.
USA ain't shit now days.
China is beating their Economy, with Japan and Germany Behind them.
They hold too much prestige, and its about time they lose some of it.
Hahaha, if you think the US still isn't a force to be reckoned with you have a very poor understanding of...well, of everything. The US reigns supreme and China has no illusions about the balance of power. That balance is shifting, no doubt, but its still decades away from shifting into China's favor.
The US is losing power no question about that. But China is pretty much heading for an economic collapse fairly soon.
Just go and look up the Chinese ghost towns beind build solely for the sake of keeping the construction industry alive thus as Ordos.
actually you are completely wrong. US is complete shit in everything else except for warfare. so yes, they will kick ass when they want to, but that doesn't mean they can support themselves back at home.
What a bitch. Is that why US prints money and china gets hit with sky high inflation for two years? People who think china is holding any sway in economics over US needs to get their facts straight. They thought they were buying US when buying our bonds, but it turns out US can just print more money and devalue the bonds as we please, and have developing nations take the hit for high inflation compared to US. Thanks for 1.15tn dollars china!
China aint' shit, they were bitching about how they will surpass us in 2002, 2005, 2012....list goes on. Funny how that deadline keeps getting pushed back. Uppity piss skins need to watch their mouth or they will get bitch slapped by everyone else again.
Japan only has a self-defense force as a result of the WWII, so it is not like Japan can invade S. Korea no matter how pissed off it is. Also Japan would be at an disadvantage to fight any wars considering that they might have a problem finding enough people in the right age group for a large enough army without killing their work force.
If you actually did some research you would notice that the US still has the best economy in the world, it just isn't growing as fast as china's. The US has lots of problems but it still leads the world in warfare and economy.
Both Japan and S.Korea have major enemies that in theory the US keeps at bay.
Neither Japan nor S.Korea have a military that would pose any sort of threat to each other.
If we have to use Ichiro's analogy it would be an armless/legless child vs a toothless chiwawa.
@09:33: Even if we look at future generations, China will have to go through the consequence of their one-child policy. It's like, a whole bunch of old generations with very little new generation.
>>They hold too much prestige, and its about time they lose some of it
Chinese lapdog detected
China is on the verge of a lot of things. Most notably is the government losing the confidence of the people, and that is never a good thing for the people in charge.
"China is beating their Economy,..."
Wanna see China's economy go Pffft?
Hey, Obama, I think we should put heavy tariffs on Chinese products.
Sure, Walmart may go out of business, but at least we'll get our manufacturing jobs back.
"Hey, Obama, I think we should put heavy tariffs on Chinese products."
Heh. Sounds like good way to boost European economy. Why should we buy Chinese stuff through USA, when they can sold it to us directly. It's much cheaper that way.
Please, do it soon ;)
what does this have to do with the article in question?
This is what ch!nks tell themselves while pushing back their timeline for 'eventual economic victory' ever 5 years, and breaking the back of their poor every inch along the way.
it is all because USA didn't treat Nippon same way as the Nazi back in WWII.
You know that the U.S. had concentration camps for all Japanese citizens that lived in the U.S. at the time due to Pearl Harbor right? Even if they were born in the U.S., they threw them in the camps.
Concentration camp is a pathetic attempt to frame two really different conditions with a loaded term. Where were the gas chambers? Live cremations? Death labors and extermination policies?
Japs should quit bitching and whining.
Comparing US detention camps to German concentration camps.
notsureifserious.jpg
@16:06
Detention camps are horrible, regardless of where they are. They are also against your own constitution. Read the Bill of Rights sometime.
do Javanese citizens even know their history? as a historian with university degree, an objective view of the history tells nothing but the truth :)
just apologies.
Really, in this case you might be right. I have a question for you, though, Mr. Historian. Have you ever heard the phrase "History is written by the victors."?
Yes, Japan did terrible Shit in WW2. Yes, Koreans were severely mistreated. But, that was a long time ago, and these modern politicians run their mouth either because of inherited hatred, or for purely political gain.
The U.S. is still the only country ever to use nuclear weapons on another, yet the U.S. and Japan have worked out our differences over time.
South Korea needs to get over it and move on.
Every country did terrible shit in WW2, but we only ever hear about countries like Japan and Germany doing them, because they lost and they're not as good at covering things up. Depictions of enemy countries always portray them as inhuman animals, to justify treating them badly. Humans love doing that to each other, because it makes them feel better and it's easier to steamroll everyone into agreeing with you instead of making an effort to understand each other.
Fact is, hardly anyone around now had anything to do with those wars, so people should grow the fuck up and focus on more pressing current issues. Imagine if people started whining about their caveman ancestors' relatives stealing a bone from them or some shit like that, and demanding compensation for it.
hey anon 11:45 stop pretending as a historian you cant even spell Japanese correctly.
Who says history can't be written by the losers? Japan has been rewriting much of history regarding their government's actions during WWII. Rape of Nanking is just one example.
@Anon 09:45 The US also still rules in space exploration.
It just landed a car sized probe on Mars who else has landed anything on Mars and had it still work?
Some people may bring up the retirement of the shuttle as it waning but the US has crewed four orbital vehicles and numerous sub orbital vehicles in development.
Javanese? You are off by thousands of miles.
I don't think when an anime news site involves politics things will be better. But anyway, for those who don't watch the news very often this site provides enough flaming material for them to live on.
Come, beat a Chinese, beat a Korean in reality, like how you would bash them on the internet.
well said.
But you see, Japs love to play the victim role in international society.
(Beware of bashing down on this comment in 3...2...1..)
LOL only two days after the post where americans were all apologies for pearl harbor remarks and Sankaku gets filled with hate and offensive shit again. Gotta love how things work around here.
You must be new here. Americans get trashed on at every opportunity.
World tries. We don't give a fuck XD
and that's how american should got didn't they?
Oh do they?
Or do they just interpret some translated 2ch quips as being "trashed on" while trashtalking on "chinks", "gooks" and (rarely)"japs" like they even know anything about them at all aside from the "news" they get here?
I've been on Sankaku for over two years. Bad as it was in the day, it's nothing like the hatehole it is now.
Oh do they?
Or do they just interpret some translated 2ch quips as being "trashed on" while trashtalking on "ch!nks", "gooks" and (rarely)"japs" like they even know anything about them at all aside from the "news" they get here?
I've been on Sankaku for over two years. Bad as it was in the day, it's nothing like the hatehole it is now.
23:43
You have no idea. Not that a retard bitching on a porn site is expected to know better. I suggest you go back to fapping to pixels on screen.
"You must be new here. Americans get trashed on at every opportunity."
On Sankaku? I suggest you removed thy head from the soil. Sankaku commenters are infamous for trashing the Chinese more than any other ethnic.
@7:34
LULZ "You have no idea" -
Miracle words for desperate kiddies with an ignorant brain and a fragile ego when they can't come up with a sensible retort.
07:34
"retard bitching on a porn site"
Oh the irony.
It's almost like not all Americans are alike. Groundbreaking idea, I know.
Or that decency only belongs to a minority of the population.
I'm starting to think the latter.
"It's like Japan is the dog on a leash, and SoKor is the kid that's trying to bully it with sticks and stones."
Says the Wapanese. Just forget all the other shit Japan was literally doing to the Koreans for I don't know how long.
I love how the Weaboos think they have a stake in Japan's honor because they love Anime. haha
It's also fun to hear all of the insecure-trash rambling on and on...
ow.. sorry koreans but all ur boys looks like shemale to me