Happy Independence Day! 68 years ago today, as the bloody Second World War came to an end, Korea was liberated from the forceful colonial rule of the imperialistic Japanese Empire. During the 35 long years of colonial occupation, countless Koreans were subject to brutal treatments by the “audacious” Japanese officials. Forced labor, public humiliation, frequent looting, rape and summary executions were nothing but common realities of everyday Korean villagers and comfort women. The level of pain and suffering they endured cannot be explained by mere words. And yet, on this very same day of remembrance, several Japanese cabinet ministers, comprised of extreme right-wing ultra conservatives, decided to “pay their respect” to the nation’s war dead at the controversial Yasukuni shrine, seen as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism. What’s even more preposterous is that even Class A war criminals, convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, are enshrined at this location. The current Japanese government, led by the leadership of Mr. Abe, is desperately trying to justify their past illegal actions through illegitimate historical revisionism and distortion of historical records. Such “re-interpretation” of their crime against humanity can be seen as a pathetic display of negationism through a sense of “false patriotism.” In a period where close cooperation through respect and understanding is desperately needed in the North East Asian region, the Japanese government’s cowardly and dishonest actions are the proof of their lack of proper future insight and professional guidance, creating unnecessary international tension and controversy. Several years ago, my high school history teacher, Sara Jane Shapira used to tell us in class, “History doesn’t repeat itself, men make the same mistakes.” Looking at Mr. Abe and his cabinet’s actions, I guess Mrs. Shapira was spot on. Anyway, I will now end my rant by saying Happy Independence Day! 대한 독립 만세! 대한민국 만세!
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 04:51:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015