Sunday 11th January, 05:05 AM JST
SEOUL —
Oh Yeh-sol loves watching Japanese cartoons, eating sushi and drinking sake. She believes that Tokyo’s 1910-1945 colonial rule of Korea should be a thing of the past.
“I think it’s better to get along with them and pursue exchanges,” said Oh, 26, who recently started offering a language exchange program for Korean and Japanese speakers in her Seoul cafe.
With Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso arriving in Seoul on Sunday, many South Koreans, including President Lee Myung-bak, say it’s time to look beyond the troubled past and build closer ties with Japan.
일팬의 장관 Taro Aso가 서울에 온날, 대통령 이명박을 포함한 많은 한국인들이 '과거의 문제를 넘어서 일본과 더욱 가까운 ties,관계를 이룩해야될 시간입니다'라고 말했습니다.
People “say Korea and Japan are ‘close yet distant countries’ but we should be ‘close and close’ countries,” the Japan-born Lee told Aso during a private meeting on the sidelines of a first-ever three-way meeting with China’s leader last month. “And Korea is ready to become so.”
The Japan-born Lee? 일본에서 태어난 이명박 대통령?? 그동안 부산이라고 그렇게 우기시더니... 일본분들은 다 알고계시내요~~^^
Lee has pledged not to seek a new apology from Japan for the use of forced labor and sex slaves during colonial rule. He also resumed top-level visits, which had been suspended since 2005 to protest former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s repeated visits to a Tokyo war shrine.
이명박은 일본으로부터 식민지 시대의 강압된 노동과 성 노예에 대한 사과를 요구하기 않겠다는 서약을 했다.
이 중요한 서약을 왜 우리는 모르고 있는 것일까요.
The past, however, has a way of bubbling up.
Lee’s overtures took a serious hit in July when Tokyo announced it would recommend that a government teaching manual include Japan’s claim to uninhabited islets claimed by both countries.
South Korea recalled its ambassador in Tokyo for three weeks and heightened security near the islets. Activists staged near-daily protests in front of the Japanese Embassy. Many scholars and newspaper editorials demanded Lee toughen policy on Japan.
“Koreans view Japan’s claim to the islets as its historic aggression,” said Jin Chang-soo, a Japan expert at South Korea’s Sejong Institute, a policy think tank.
On Tuesday, the dispute threatened to flare up again.
Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper reported that Tokyo planned to conduct a maritime research survey in waters between the two countries. The Japanese government denied the report, but South Korea still warned Tokyo against the plan amid media speculation that such a survey could include waters near the islets.
Despite such hiccups, growing economic ties are bringing the two countries closer.
The countries are major commercial partners, with two-way trade reaching $82.6 billion in 2007. About 2.6 million South Koreans traveled to Japan in 2007, while 2.2 million Japanese visited South Korea.
The global financial crisis has bolstered cooperation, with the two countries increasing a bilateral currency swap facility to about $20 billion.
Lee meets Aso on Monday, his sixth meeting with a Japanese leader since taking office 11 months ago. South Korean officials say the meeting will focus on economic cooperation and efforts to stop North Korea’s nuclear program. The islets are not on the agenda.
Among Koreans who still harbor strong resentment against Japan are those who were sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II. Many feel that earlier apologies by Japanese leaders have been insincere and are demanding a fresh one.
“They punched, kicked and beat me when I cried and refused to take off my clothes though I was only a 13-year-old girl at the time,” said 82-year-old Gil Won-ok. “We don’t have many years to live. If we all die, to whom will Japan apologize?”
식민지 시대와 관련된 일이라면 우리가 알아야 하는 것 아닐까요?
왜 더이상 사과를 요구하지 않아도 된다고 이명박 대통령이 독단적으로 결정하고 서약한 것인가요.
이명박 대통령은 대통령입니다. 왕이 아닙니다.
방송사와 언론사 장악의 힘이 이런것입니다.
많은 사람들이 이러한 서약을 알지 못하고 있습니다.
우리는 우리가 알아야 할 것을 알지 못하고 있습니다.
국가와 국가간의 외교를 우리가 모두 알아야 한다고 주장하는 것이 아닙니다.
그렇지만 국민이 알아야 하는것이 있고 몰라도 되는 것이 있습니다.
우리의 알 권리는 언론 장악에 의해 사라지고 있습니다.
이 글 많이 봐주세요. 그리고 퍼뜨려 주세요.
