[Korea] The mystery of Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the emergency response committee, who was supposed to have resigned, becoming party leader
2024-08-28
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Han Dong-hoon becomes party leader
This person is Han Dong-hoon, who is currently the leader of the ruling party of South Korea, the People Power Party. After the People Power Party lost the general election in April this year, he resigned from his position as emergency response committee chairman, but later ran for the party's leadership election on July ２３rd and became its leader. Before the election, some Seoul city council members belonging to the party proposed to "repeal the ordinance that restricts the use of symbols of Japanese imperialism such as the Rising Sun Flag in public places," and in response to the party's declaration that it "strongly opposes the repeal of the ordinance," Han said that he would take strict disciplinary action, and the city council members withdrew the ordinance in just one day.
He resigned from his key position
Han Dong-hoon said, "The use of symbols of Japanese imperialism in public places is absolutely unacceptable. The city council members who proposed the repeal of the ordinance will be investigated by the party and will take strict measures." And before the general election, a conflict arose between him and the First Lady over their differences in views, and the Blue House asked him to resign from his position as an emergency response committee member. Does this person's becoming the party leader mean that the balance of power within the ruling party, the People's Power Party, is changing dramatically?
He seeks to shift the ruling party to the left
First of all, this person seems to be claiming that they cannot win the election unless they incorporate the left-wing forces in South Korea, and by left-wing forces, they mean so-called anti-Japanese forces. In other words, comfort women groups and groups that support the forced labor issue. The People's Power Party has followed a pro-American and pro-Japanese path, but in the end, it seems that they are shifting the blame for their major election defeat to that.
How the left wing has become anti-Japanese
The background to this is that these anti-Japanese groups worked together with the right wing, and the Korean right wing was a party with strong anti-Japanese tendencies, but the comfort women agreement was concluded during the Park Geun-hye administration, and the text of this agreement called for the establishment of a new foundation to resolve the comfort women issue, meaning that the previous comfort women group, the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, now the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, would lose their position completely, and the Moon Jae-in administration incorporated this.
This is how the left wing became an anti-Japanese party. Moreover, it became an even more extreme left wing party than ever before, and instigated the No Japan movement.
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Promise between Japan and Korea If you read the Korean news, They say that Japan and South Korea are using the Tokyo Olympics for political purposes, but they are not objective.This is because Japan has not done anything this time either.Prime minister Suga has done nothing but say that Moon Jae In will respond politely if she comes to Japan.Japan's attitude has not changed consistently, and the message has been conveyed to South Korea many times.Correction of violations of the 1965 Agreement, which was the basis for the restoration of diplomatic relations.This is all Japan has demanded, so there is no bargaining or anything.It was Moon Jae In who underestimated the issue and played tricks on it.
In addition, there are opinions that Japan and South Korea need to compromise and that the leaders of the two countries need to make a decision, but if Japan obscures the 1965 agreement, it will mean a break in diplomatic relations.The reason is that the agreement, which is a prerequisite for diplomatic relations, should be scrapped.The biggest problem is that the Korean people do not understand this and form public opinion.In other words, Japan will not budge an inch from implementing the 1965 agreement to prevent the South Korean government from breaking off diplomatic relations.In this respect, the act of drawing concessions from Japan itself is far from maintaining diplomatic relations.
What are your expectations for President Yun Seok-yue? Twisted National Assembly is a thorny road - Should Japan approve or wait and see? - South Korea's general election will be held in 2024.
Positive theory of Japan-Korea relations and wait-and-see theory
Remains twisted until 2024
Will true speech be freed under the new administration
Korean society will be denounced if it affirms Japanese rule
A country where there is no freedom of speech about history
Looking at Japanese public opinion regarding the prospects for Japan-Korea relations since the inauguration of the Yun Seok-Yeol administration, there are some positive views toward improving relations and a wait-and-see view seen mainly on the right. As always, the affirmative opinion has no concrete content, and since the other party is asking for an improvement in the relationship, things will probably get better. It's just a matter of trying to get along because we're neighboring countries.
The wait-and-see theory is based on the points of the Korean unified local elections in June and the national election in 2024, and that the Democratic Party (a pro-China, anti-Japanese party) holds the majority of the Korean National Assembly.Twisted stateTherefore, unless the ruling party wins the power of the people in the 2024 general election, no bill will be passed, so nothing can be done. Until then, Japan should do nothing and wait and see.
The least I can say is that I don't expect Japan-Korea relations to deteriorate any further during the next five years of the next administration. Personally, I think that if things don't get any worse, there's no need for them to get any better. In other words, there is a necessary distance between Japan and South Korea. This may be the best distance relationship.
In the long run, it would be most effective if the speech of pro-Japanese groups was liberated, rather than if the anti-Japanese movement subsided on the surface. In addition to those who prefer Japanese culture in South Korea, pro-Japanese speech is another form of speech that has been suppressed regarding the annexation of Japan and South Korea and Japan's support for South Korea after the war. Japan has no choice but to wait for South Korea to change, but there is no sign of that happening at all. The appearance of calm on the surface is only a temporary phenomenon. The root of Japan-Korea relations lies within South Korea, where freedom of speech is not recognized regarding the past history of Japan and South Korea. It is impossible to publicly state the fact that the Korean Peninsula modernized under Japanese rule.
Under Japanese rule, slaves, who accounted for half of the population, were liberated, the class system was abolished, a school education system was established, food self-sufficiency increased, starvation deaths decreased sharply, sanitary conditions improved, and cholera and typhoid fever were reduced. The number of deaths due to such things has decreased dramatically. These are facts that do not exist in Korea.
In South Korea's historical perspective, those who affirmed Japanese rule were expelled from academia in order to make the history of being enslaved and violated by Japan into a fact. He was also expelled from politics and government, and media outlets were also blocked. This is an unobjective view of history that only accepts one opinion, and is not academic in the first place. At the root of Japan-Korea relations is this unilaterally created view of history and the education of history based on that view. Unless this changes, we can see that even if the government continues to work together as it has done in the past, it will crumble like a sandcastle. This is exactly what history has proven.
In other words, improving Japan-Korea relations means that South Korea itself will gain academic and speech freedom, that scholars who support Japanese rule will return to academia, that they will return to politics, and that South Korea will become a democratic country where people can have free discussions. . Without this, anti-Japanese education will never disappear. This is an issue that requires the process of South Korea maturing as a democratic country, so it will take a very long time. Therefore, Japan should continue to keep its distance and not approach them easily.
If we look at the past, we are skeptical that politics will improve Japan-Korea relations. This problem is that academic and freedom of speech have not been secured in South Korea in the history of Japan and South Korea.
The South Korean government is responsible for the Korean government's refusal to allow its nationals to repatriate - Japan protected them out of human rights considerations.
The issue of forced labor and the issue of residents in Japan are related. Conscription on the Korean Peninsula took place from August 1944 until the end of the war the following year. Until then, Koreans on the Korean peninsula were not subject to conscription or conscription. Employment at Japanese companies is highly sought after, and despite being conscripted, Mitsubishi Mining received seven times as many applications as recruitment.
Normally, those living in Japan would be forced to leave because they are foreigners, but the reason why this is not the case is because of the 1965 Japan-Korea Status of Forces Agreement. The South Korean government at the time received a huge amount of aid, but refused to allow its citizens to return home. Since all Koreans in Japan were believed to be slave laborers who had been forcibly taken away from Japan, it would have been inconvenient for a large number of people who had experienced a different reality to return home. Japan restored diplomatic relations out of human rights considerations and guaranteed the Koreans' status in Japan.
As was made clear in the Gunkanjima issue, the recruitment at that time was legal recruitment under ILO standards. In terms of human rights issues, it lies with the South Korean government, which has refused to allow large numbers of its own citizens to return and has discarded them. That is a human rights issue. And what is being made a fuss about all this is the issue of conscripted labor.
Masatoshi Muto, a former diplomat, says that making concessions to South Korea is a mistake and that South Korea needs a firm response.
Masatoshi Muto on his dealings with South Korea during his time as a diplomat. He says that he made a mistake by listening to everything and requesting as much as possible.
When asked about the anti-Japanese movement taking place in South Korea, Taro Aso, during his time as Prime Minister, asked, ``Does that have something to do with it?'' Japanese people don't care. As a result, the term ``virtual enemy country'' became popular. The view was that South Korea was conducting an anti-Japanese movement due to domestic circumstances.
There is no doubt that South Korea's current enemy is primarily North Korea. The Korean War is not over yet, and there is currently a ceasefire. When we see public opinion in South Korea calling Japan an enemy country while facing each other across the 38th parallel, we can't help but wonder to what extent South Korea is escaping reality.
When considered within the same framework, China is on the side of South Korea's enemy in the Korean War frame. Until now, the South Korean government has not been able to resolve security issues, and has abandoned its military and continued to focus on Japan, which has not fought back, because if it expressed hostility toward North Korea, China, or the United States, it would immediately take retaliatory measures. It's here. This is to gain the public's attention by saying something powerful. In doing so, it is easy to use stories from the past annexation era. Japan understands this environment and has tacitly tolerated South Korea's anti-Japanese movements.
What we need to clarify is that all of these environments are always real problems for South Korea. It seems that as long as Koreans remain anti-Japanese, they can temporarily feel as if their problems are gone. Even now, when the anti-Japan flag goes up, I forget everything due to a spinal reflex.
An Jung-geun's son An Jun-seong, who assassinated Ito Hirobumi. The reconciliation that took place at the Gyeongseong Chosun Hotel and the man named Kim Gu who could not be forgiven
I think everyone knows about Ito Hirobumi. He was assassinated at Harbin Station on October 26, 1909, the year before the Japan-Korea Annexation. The man who carried out the assassination was An Jung-geun. He is still a hero in Korea. On October 15, 1939, a certain person visited a temple called Hakubunji Temple in Korea, which no longer exists, to offer a memorial service. It was An Jung-geun's son, An Jun-seong. He visited as part of a Korean Peninsula Manchuria ship inspection team from Shanghai. The purpose was to offer a memorial service for Ito Hirobumi, who was murdered by his father, An Jung-geun.
The memorial service began at 11:00 and An Jung-geun's memorial tablet was placed next to Ito Hirobumi's portrait. An Jun-seong offered a memorial service for his father An Jung-geun and Ito Hirobumi, and Komada, who recited a sutra, handed An Jung-geun's memorial tablet to him and advised him to mourn the souls of the two men forever.
Afterwards, An Toshio told a reporter who had come to interview him. He lost his father at a young age and neglected to perform the rituals for 30 years. He now prays for the repose of Prince Ito's soul and is happy to receive his father's memorial tablet.
■english subtitles available
The next day, on the 16th, An Toshio headed to the Gyeongseong Chosun Hotel. He was there to meet someone. The person he was meeting was Ito Bunkichi, the son of Ito Hirobumi. In response to An Toshio's request to apologize to Ito Bunkichi, Ito Bunkichi replied: "Our father has already become a god, a Buddha, and returned to the sky." What do we need to apologize for now? Let's be sincere and serve our country instead.
Then, on the following day, the 17th, Ito Bunkichi and An Toshio visited Hakubunji Temple and performed an exchange memorial service for each other's fathers. In Korea, it is firmly believed that Ito Hirobumi was a proponent of the Seikanron, which is Japan's conquest and rule of Korea. Why does it have to be this way? It is thought that Koreans mistakenly believe that Ito was a proponent of the Japan-Korea Annexation because Ito was the governor-general of the Government-General of Korea. However, Ito Hirobumi was opposed to the Japan-Korea Annexation throughout.
An Jung-geun assassinated Ito Hirobumi without even knowing his face. In his autobiography, he clearly wrote that he did not know Ito's face. Ito was no longer the Prime Minister or the Governor-General at the time. He took responsibility for the failure of the policy of reconciliation with Korea and resigned. An Jung-geun shot and killed Ito Hirobumi at Harbin Station. An Jung-geun was arrested on the spot, and after being sentenced to death in court, he said in prison that he had made a serious mistake.
In 1939, An Jung-geun's son An Jun-seong held a memorial service for Ito at Hakubunji Temple, met with Ito's son Ito Bunkichi at the Chosun Hotel, apologized, and reconciled. Kim Gu, an independence activist, could not forgive this. At the time, Kim Gu was an important member of the anti-Japanese Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and the following year in 1940, he became its chairman. An Jun-seong ran a pharmacy in Shanghai, but Kim Gu framed An Jun-seong for the trumped-up charge of selling opium and asked Chiang Kai-shek, the head of the Republic of China at the time, to execute him. It seems that he was quite angry, but what does this mean? Kim Gu was furious that An Jung-geun's son apologized for the murder of his father, Ito Hirobumi, and that he spoke about it in front of the media. An Jung-geun must be a hero. He must be used as a hero for the anti-Japanese independence movement. This was the hope of the forces seeking independence.
In other words, to them, Ito Hirobumi is a proponent of the Japanese-Korean annexation, and should not be the subject of reconciliation. It is not that Koreans have misunderstood somewhere and think that Ito Hirobumi promoted the Japan-Korea annexation, but it is clearly fabricated by the system. The fact that Ito was against the annexation. That An Jung-geun did not even know what Ito looked like. That An Jung-geun said that the assassination was a serious mistake. The fact that the surviving family has already reconciled should not be known in Korea. And it can be said that even today, there are very few Koreans who know this fact. In order to keep An Jung-geun a hero, Ito Hirobumi will forever be a proponent of the Japanese-Korean annexation and an enemy of Korea.
On January 28, 2023, a survey by the Korea Cinema Ticketing Network announced that "Hero," a movie based on An Jung-geun, which was released on December 21 of the previous year, had exceeded 3 million viewers in the 38 days since its release. Three million people is about 5.8% of the population of South Korea.
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