One step forward, two steps back
Posted by ampontan on Monday, August 11, 2008
JUST WHEN IT SEEMED as if cooler heads were starting to emerge in South Korea regarding that country’s conflicting territorial claim with Japan over the islets of Takeshima comes word that a few hotheads have gotten overexcited again.
The 4th World Congress of Korean Studies, an annual forum for the discussion of Korean issues by scholars of Korea from around the world, was to be held from 22-24 September at the Research Center for Korean Studies in Fukuoka City. The center is affiliated with Kyushu University.
But then some people thought pulling out the carpet would be just the thing to promote international exchange among scholars.
According to a report in the Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese), the university received an e-mail from the Academy of Korean Studies based in Seognam, South Korea, informing them that the 4th World Congress would now be held in Seoul in December. The reason for the change was the “unforeseeable turbulence that had developed between the two countries as a result of the ‘Dokto issue’”. The turbulence arose because the Japanese decided to include the territorial dispute in instructional manuals for school teachers for the curriculum three years from now.
But as anyone who has been following the dispute knows, the turbulence is exclusively on the Korean side. The Japanese have consistently maintained their sang-froid throughout the affair.
The abrupt transfer of the World Congress site without prior notice did rankle some of the Japanese participants, however.
One of the keynote speakers was to have been Keio University Professor Okonogi Masao. Dr. Okonogi said:
“Scholars should serve as a buffer zone for political conflict. Overseas scholars are aware of the ‘Takeshima issue’, and they probably think it odd that it has come to this.”
Perhaps not, Dr. Okonogi. People who have spent their professional lives studying Korean affairs might not have expected this development, but they are unlikely to be shocked by it.
Prof. Asaba Yuki of Yamaguchi Prefectural University, who was to give a presentation, said: “There seems to have been a fierce debate in South Korea (about changing the location), and not everyone thought it was a good idea.” But he still plans to attend because “We can’t very well cut off all ties.”
The World Congress of Korean Studies was formed in 2002 by seven groups, including some European academic societies in addition to AKS. The first and third meetings were held in South Korea and the second one in China. This year’s meeting was the first to be held in Japan, and about 200 people from more than 20 countries were expected to participate.
Kyushu University is the location of the Research Center for Korean Studies, which was founded by the Japanese Ministry of Education. The university has been actively promoting academic exchange with South Korea, and started holding joint classes with Busan University in the fall of 2007. (See a previous post on that subject here.)
It should be no surprise that the businesspeople in the Fukuoka-Busan Forum treat the affair as a bump in the road, while the academics let it get the better of them. To intentionally conflate two different expressions: Money walks, and academic disputes are so vicious because there is so little at stake.
Thanks to Aceface for passing along the link.
Tornadoes28 said
Whatever happended to the Korean goal of changing the name of the Sea of Japan to the East Sea or something?
bender said
Asahi Shimbun’s op-ed (no English version available):
http://www.asahi.com/paper/editorial.html#Edit2
Ken said
By the way, what a country!
The president of a country fires the president of a broadcasting company!?
http://japanese.yonhapnews.co.kr/Politics2/2008/08/11/0900000000AJP20080811000900882.HTML
‘Anything goes!’
cadastralrob said
I attended the 3rd World Congress of Korean Studies in Busan, and presented a paper there. It was well-organized, and gracious and generous in its hospitality. I’m sad the proposed 4th congress in Fukuoka will not now be held there – it’s a great city that I love, I’ve just enjoyed a two week vacation there, and I’m all for nurturing Korean-Japanese relations. It seems information from the organizers of the conference has been non-existent – I had hoped to present a paper at their next conference, but have not encountered ANY information on it until stumbling across Ampontan’s post.
Let’s hope relations improve longer-term; Korea is admittedly going through some rather difficult times, but your columns and your readers’ comments do tend to minimize the traumatic effects of Japanese occupation and colonization of Korea – it was a pretty horrific period, and long-term effects on the Korea psyche – and the natural environment (devastation of the forest resources) – will continue for many years to come.
But I agree, that at present, Korea needs (desperately) to get real.
ampontan said
CB: Thanks for your note. Every time I’ve been to South Korea, the people there have been, as you say, gracious and generous in their hospitality.
As for the colonial/merger period, that lasted 40 years and was over 63 years ago. Since then, the peninsula was the site of an equally horrific civil war with Chinese and American involvement.
But most of the people alive in both countries now were not alive then. I see a lot of Japanese and Korean interaction on a person-to-person level, and it almost always goes swimmingly. All of the South Korean students I’ve met in Japan, for example, really enjoy themselves here. (It also should be noted that they have no problem finding and keeping part-time employment to supplement their income.)
Imperial Japan is dead. It was exterminated a long time ago. The Koreans are angry at ghosts. It really is time to move on.
Aceface said
“but your columns and your readers’ comments do tend to minimize the traumatic effects of Japanese occupation and colonization of Korea ”
I can’t speak for everybody,not I intend that to be.It’s sad if that is your perception.but don’t you think Koreans are rather exploiting this “traumatic effects” rahter too much for political purposes without not counting Japanese effott for reconcilliation and naturing good relations?
”and the natural environment (devastation of the forest resources) – will continue for many years to come.”
I think I can safely say that is one thing that isn’t our fault.
devastation of forest resources was one thing many Japanese observers in early Meiji has been writing on Korea.And office of Korean Government Genral did organize the forestation in rural area,that fact eventually caused a political fuss in 1953 because Japanese chief negotiator for normalization of ties had mentined on forestation as one of the “achievement” of colonial government.
http://www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~worldjpn/
“韓国側のほうでは朝鮮総督の三十六年間の統治に対する賠償を要求したであろう、そう出て来たわけでございます。そこで私どもとしましては韓国側がそういうふうな朝鮮総督政治に対する賠償というふうな、それほど政治的な要求をいたさなかつたことは賢明であつたと思う、若し韓国側のほうでそういう要求を出しておつたなれば、日本側のほうでは総督政治のよかつた面、例えば禿山が緑の山に変つた。鉄道が敷かれた。港湾が築かれた、又米田……米を作る米田が非常に殖えたというふうなことを反対し要求しまして、韓国側の要求と相殺したであろうと答えたわけでございます。そういうところからいわゆる朝鮮総督府の政治のことが出て来たわけでございまして、それがまあいわゆる新聞で久保田発言と申されましたものの始まりでございます。”
Aceface said
I wrote rather harsh comment to CB,becuase I read this.
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080816-00000931-san-int
Sorry if I offend you in anyway…
Ken said
Cadastralrob,
If you are sorts of scholar, listen to the opinions of the other sude.
“Korea is admittedly going through some rather difficult times, but your columns and your readers’ comments do tend to minimize the traumatic effects of Japanese occupation and colonization of Korea – it was a pretty horrific period, and long-term effects on the Korea psyche – and the natural environment (devastation of the forest resources) – will continue for many years to come.”
Show your evidence. Are you brain-washed?
Aceface said
Whoa,Ken.Slow down.
I didn’t say colonial days weren’t harsh.
Ken said
Aceface,
You really like poking your nose into other’s talk, don’t you?
I just required him/her to establish by evidence as a scholar, as he/she seems so.
Aceface said
“You really like poking your nose into other’s talk, don’t you?”
Yeah,because that’s what killing time in comment section of somebodyelse’s blog is all about.
cadastralrob said
Ken:
It is obvious from your knee-jerk reaction that any evidence would be wasted on you. There is plenty of evidence existent; don’t you think you have a responsibility to acquaint yourself with it through your own efforts? From linguistic oppression, where Korean students were forbidden to speak their native tongue and forced to use Japanese, to widespread colonialist exploitation resulting in loss of natural forests, to intentional desecration of sacred sites… you could start with Michael Breen’s “The Koreans – who they are, what they want, where their future lies”, Thomas Dunne Books, 2004. But you are clearly in a state of denial, so I would be surprised if you bother to acquaint yourself with the historical facts.
And no, I don’t think telling the citizens of a country that was in effect raped that it is time for them to grow up, to get over it, and to move on with the times is acceptable – or for that matter realistic – behavior. The Korean national psyche has (in my opinion) been severely traumatized by the effects of the Japanese occupation, and will be for many years to come. Japanese apologetics are simply not an adequate response.
Aceface said
”intentional desecration of sacred siteｓ”
OK,I never heard this one.Care to enlighten me more with this?
“Japanese apologetics are simply not an adequate response.”
Maybe.
I don’t know how much this “Korean national psyche”is all that important,but it takes two to tango and Koreans also need to be more constructive if they wish to reconcilliate with Japan.
Anyway cancelling supposed-to-be joint acedemic symposium that takes months of preparation and millions of budget by one simple e-mail is considered as serious insult to devoted Japanese scholars who are hardly “apologetics”
fh said
“cancelling supposed-to-be joint acedemic symposium that takes months of preparation and millions of budget by one simple e-mail is considered as serious insult to devoted Japanese scholars who are hardly ‘apologetics’”
Perhaps, but then maybe they didn’t really want to hear the Japanese scholars’ opinions in the first place. Might as well spend the time/money on more productive projects. [Note: sarcasm; reconciliation has to start somewhere, and this isn't it.]
The finer point that Cadastralrob graciously demonstrates is that anyone pointing out “how difficult it is to work with Koreans” can conveniently be dismissed as a Japanese apologetic. Surely you would agree that in order to improve relations, Korea must learn to accept criticism where it’s due (just as Japan must be more forthcoming about its history). You may be right about Korea not being ready to “get real”, but harping on Japan’s historical faults while forgiving Korea for its present-day blunders doesn’t exactly help the situation.
Aceface said
“reconciliation has to start somewhere, and this isn’t it”
I thought academic exchange is one of the best way for mutual understnading between nations.Besides,there are lots of modern history related workshop in WCKS.
“Perhaps, but then maybe they didn’t really want to hear the Japanese scholars’ opinions in the first place. Might as well spend the time/money on more productive projects. ”
Then Korean shouldn’t allow Kyusyu University to do the task in the first place.Me think.
And the way I see Koreans,they are very much interested in Japanese opinions on Korea,either that are from scholar or some internet Japan apologist like myself.
Ken said
Cadastralrob,
“It is obvious from your knee-jerk reaction that any evidence would be wasted on you.”
It is a familiar expression when Koreans have no decisive evidence and want to dodge a qustion.
“don’t you think you have a responsibility to acquaint yourself with it through your own efforts?”
No, not at all. Those who took one side without evidence have a resposibility to show it in global std.
A book? Evidence is a book? How can you be competent for scholar?
Furthermore, he seem to have said as follows.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/opinion/200611/kt2006111619251454330.htm
Truth Commission Should Be Truthful
By Michael Breen
They will also tell you that from 1937-42, Koreans in the Japanese army were volunteers _ who included King Kojong’s son, an army general _ and that large-scale forced conscription only started in 1944. The Commission should know that those rounding up comfort women were Koreans and those torturing people in police stations were mostly Koreans. Koreans, in other words, were more “horrible’’ to Koreans in many cases than the Japanese were.
“But you are clearly in a state of denial,”
It is typical Korean way of thinking. You have Korean blood in your veins, don’t you?
mac said
I would say one of the problem is that the majority of Koreans did not have, or were not part of, a “national psyche” until very recently. nationalism of the type you refer to Cadastralrob is a modern construction, driven by vested interests, and generally requires some kind of “enemy without” in order to create it.
The vast majority of Korean did not exactly have a party under Joseon Dynasty either … something else the Koreans seem to be keen to sweep under the carpet as quickly as possible. Why do the Koreans not rise against their own historical abusers?
I queried elsewhere about whether the militant Korean voice on the internet was actually an American-Korean and male voice. I query openly here whether that dominant voice is also one of elite Koreas that would have sided with and benefited from both the Japanese and military dictatorships.
By which I am inferring, that the militant anti-Japanese Korean voice is actually a demagogue that would benefit from having attention removed from its own past and instead focused on an imaginary “Japan”. Especially since it is almost an entirely male voice from a hypermasculine society that engaged in and profited from the sexually discriminate atrocities before, during and after WWII.