For over two thousand years the peoples of China, Korea, and Japan lived mostly at peace with each other and developed similar institutions, values, and customs. Tools, techniques and material goods as well as ideas were shared by China, Korea, and Japan and adapted to local circumstances to become distinctive parts of a common culture. Techniques of wetland rice agriculture became the basis of prosperity and cultural development throughout East Asia; illiteracy was dispelled by the spread of Chinese writing; Buddhism became the principal religion throughout the area; and Confucianism deeply influenced social and political institutions and eventually became the official state cult in all three countries. Indications of a shared culture are readily apparent as well in the literature, art and architecture of the three countries. The structure and appearance of public buildings, landscape painting, Buddhist sculpture, ceramic ware, and poetry in the pre-modern era is immediately recognizable as variations on common themes and techniques. But despite the similarities between the three nations, harmony was just not in the cards. Too much raping and pillaging to be done.
If you go back as far as the 12th century and Genghis Khan's conquest of parts of China and all of Korea, there are stories told of his brutality. But it was tactical brutality designed to scare the next enemies into early surrender to save work. And it was during a time when there was little of what we nowadays call "refinement" to be found anywhere in Asia, much less the nomadic, horse breeding, blood-thirsty, arak drunk barbarians of Mongolia. (a description that would bring them no shame.) “The greatest joy a man can know is to conquer his enemies and drive them before him. To ride their horses and take away their possessions, to see the faces of those who were dear to them bedewed with tears, and to clasp their wives and daughters in his arms.” Genghis Khan. This reminds me of what Arnie says in the movie "Conan the Barbarian" when asked what is best in life.
Both were proud barbarians. The last part only intimates rape but we know what he means - wink wink nudge nudge.
Stalin killed an estimated 20 million people. That's more than the Nazis. Genghis Khan easily doubled that. He was the richest man of his time through his pillage and he is estimated to have impregnated over 1000 women. I doubt he had time, what with all the conquering and pillaging, to take them all out for dinner beforehand. If you know what I'm saying. 16 million people, that's half a percent of the population of the world, are direct descendants of Genghis Khan. Spread all over Asia and Europe. You could say he got around. It was recorded that after every victory over a territory the Mongols attacked, Genghis got his choice of the girls. The rest were raped by the victorious soldiers. He died in 1227, probably of an STD or pure exhaustion. But that was then. Things got more civilized afterward, didn't they?
What about Japan? Didn't Genghis conquer that conspicuously close and rich island? He didn't. His expertise was on the ground. He hated the water. It is possible that he never boarded a boat of any kind even while crossing rivers during his conquests. But Kublai gave it a whirl. He gave it TWO whirls. The Chinese, Mongolian and Korean soldiers under Kublai Khan twice tried to sack Japan and pillage their riches and rape their women, but twice were thwarted. Not by superior Japanese warfare but freak storms. The divine winds the Japanese called "Kamikaze," helped the inferior Japanese repel the most powerful military the world has ever seen not once but twice. The Japanese have had a "chosen-by-the-gods" chip on their shoulders ever since.
China's Sinocentrism, the belief that China is the center of the cultural, political and economic world was pretty well known at the time. The Chinese characters for "China" are the characters for center and country. Only China had an emperor, or son of heaven, the rest of the world had only kings. The Japanese use of the term "heavenly emperor" was actually a factor in some of the disputes between the two countries. But the Brits of all people (and a few Yanks too) weakened the power of China in the Opium wars of the mid 1800's. It also lost them money and caused the people to believe China had lost the support of the gods. Then came the Boxer Rebellion. All this turmoil made China ripe for some more raping and pillaging courtesy of the Japanese.
In the late 1500's Korea found themselves in the unenviable position of being a virtual runway to war between China and Japan. Any dispute between the two just naturally went through Korea. Once the Japanese warlords were finished trying to decide who was the most favoured of the people chosen by the gods and stopped killing, raping and pillaging each other in their own country for a while, they were united by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the feudal lords were ordered to attack Ming Dynasty China (by way of Korea of course) a couple of times. The first time, they were repelled. Then they took control of Korea and the emperor of China took control of Korea back. Then Japan reclaimed it. All the while Koreans, who were getting their noses and ears cut off by Japanese soldiers needing proof of kill quotas, were saying, "Ummm China? Japan? We're right here! Could you, like, fight somewhere else?" During this time, the ground forces of Korea took a thrashing from both sides, but a naval hero arose. Admiral Lee Soon Shin's story rivals that of the divine winds in Japan! One time he faced odds of 133 ships vs. 13 and WON! Without even losing one turtle ship! He's been reckoned by military historians to be near or at the top of greatest naval commanders in world history. Because of him, Koreans have a bit of a chosen-by-the-gods chip on their shoulders too, but really only Koreans know about him. They just don't get no respect!
Until as recently as 1997, there were stone monuments all over Korea (South Korea) stating that (and I'm paraphrasing) foreign barbarians from the West invade our soil. To submit peacefully would be to sell out our country. So we must fight. There may well remain some of these monument erected by the regent during the rule of Taewon Gun in Korea, I'm not sure. I haven't seen one since '97. But I have often seen glimpses of this sentiment.
Shortly after the above conflicts, Japan adopted a philosophy of isolationism they called Sakoku, Korea became a hermit kingdom (can you blame them?) and China enjoyed some time with the only people they've ever liked: the Chinese. After all the conflict, death, raping and pillaging, nothing had changed. Korea was partly controlled by China in a suzerainty, but not occupied. You'd be hard pressed to find three more xenophobic countries. Maybe because of all this conflict for nothing? But surely that changed, no? No. Not for a few hundred years. Until...
After the first Sino-Japanese war in 1895, which Japan won, they forced China to acknowledge Korea as an independent nation. RECORD SCRATCH WHAAAATT? Korea owes its independence to Japan? Well... not really total independence. The Koreans didn't trust Japan (wonder why) so appealed to Russians for help through then queen Min who was leery of increasing Japanese influence. She was assassinated by Japan and this made Korea grow closer to Russia. Japan declared war on Russia and won Korea as its protectorate in 1905. Korea did not accept it and the relationship between the two countries deteriorated. Or at least the hatred was no longer suppressed. PM Ito Hirobumi of Japan was assassinated by An Jung Geun and Japan declared annexation intentions in 1910.
Here's a brief summation of what happened in Korea after that. The Japanese were not known as "good hosts" at this time. Raping (comfort women), pillaging (forced labour) and killing (about 300,000-800,000 people died from forced labour in Korea), continued. If anything it was worse than before!
What were the Japanese up to in China during the same period of time? Well this should give you a bit of an idea. In both cases the details omitted are gruesome. The Japanese military was a brainwashed, hellbent hoard of animals. Note the repetitive "rape" and "pillage" once again in this article.
This leaves us at the end of WWII where the Japanese get nuked out of the picture for a while. As unutterable as it sounds, you look at the previous two paragraphs and you'll see why many say it was a well earned nuking. But on to the Korean war we go.
Historically solid. Lots of fighting and death but in the end nothing was different.
The Viet Nam War is more interesting. In 1964, about 20 years before anyone heard anything of Korean "comfort women," Korea sent soldiers to Vietnam. Now, maybe it was because Korea hadn't yet developed their deep-seated resentment toward the Japanese acts of sexual violence against their countrywomen by the Japs in WWII, or maybe they knew some history and they thought, "Well, isn't this what you do in wartime?" but the Korean soldiers who went to Viet Nam were almost Genghis Khan-like in their treatment of the Vietnamese. Atrocities such as killing of women and children and rape were committed by South Korean soldiers. The children of the Korean soldiers/rapists are known as Lai Dai Han and anywhere between 5000 and 30,000 of them remain. It's important to note that Korea has made no official apology and paid no money as reparations for the actions of their soldiers.
I think China and Japan are worse, but Korea is not totally innocent.
The point is, raping, pillaging, extreme hatred as well as hyper-nationalism, they have been a large part of the formative identities of all three countries. They nowadays publicly put on their best globalist faces, but these horrors of the past are far from forgotten. And all it takes is one false move and suddenly everybody turns into old people on rocking chairs reminding young whippersnappers about the past. I'm reminded of a comedy sketch from Bill Burr in which he says the best a man can hope for is a tie in an argument with his wife. You can't win. As soon as she sees the tide turning she'll bring up something from months or years ago that you thought was settled. "No honey, I'm not wearing that pink shirt. It's not my style and frankly I think it's a little effeminate." "Okay. That's fine." The longer you're married, or even in a relationship, the more you begin to understand that maybe it's not okay, and it most definitely isn't fine.
Then years later.... "Honey, we've gone over the finances three times. We just can't afford to move right now. I know Janice is a good friend of yours, and I like her too, I like her too, but it's not her work as the realtor that is the problem. The problem is we don't have the money right now. Maybe we stay here another year and THEN discuss moving." "Well the house won't be available by then." "That may very well be, but, honey, we just can't afford that house now. You know I'm right."
And lacking a reasonable retort, emotion overcomes logic, and it comes flying out her mouth, "Well at least Peter will wear a pink shirt!!!" Then YOU, lacking a reasonable retort, logic is overcome by emotion and you say, "Well why don't you marry Peter then? Go ahead. You've always wanted to. I've never been as good as him. Your parents like him better... Oh sure go ahead then, move in with your parents. See if I care..." and it turns into an international incident.
This is, sorta, how I see the recent international incident between Japan and Korea that has dropped the value of the Korean currency 5% in a month and that has me worried that SKhynix might suffer from Japanese withholding essential chemicals for making chips, which is what SKhynix does. If they suffer, I might suffer.
I've given you much of the back history. Don't believe either side if they try to tell you it has nothing to do with the current situation. It has a LOT to do with it. As much, and probably a lot more than a pink shirt. Here is a very good summary.
SKhynix probably has about 25000 employees in Korea and many more elsewhere. I'm not blaming them, or Korea, but wasn't there one person working for SKhynix, a vital Korean company, or even one person in the country, Korean or non-Korean, who knew something of the history between Korea and Japan who thought, "Okay, Korea is totally dependent on Japan for these chemicals. Korea is building statues of comfort women in front of Japanese embassies; putting little scarves and toques on those statues to keep them warm in winter; demanding payment and apologies; receiving payment and apologies; discounting payment and apologies as insufficient; demanding change in Japanese school curricula; demanding payment for forced labour in WWII; protesting; boycotting; WHAT IF Japan stops supplying our (probably #3 company in Korea) semiconductor giant SKhynix, with chemicals we can't get anywhere else? Shouldn't somebody look into a contingency plan, maybe with China, U.S., Canada or any other place where they make these chemicals and get them up to Japanese standards JUST IN CASE?" What happened to the healthy mistrust of the Japanese they had after the Sino-Japanese war?
And I'm not even saying Korea doing all those things was wrong! But they KNOW they're pissing Japan off and they KNOW they're incredibly vulnerable to Japan, still... here we are. It's as if nobody in Korea has ever been married! They were so shocked when Japan pulled THAT move out of the bag. Scratch them off the white list. Accuse them of fraternizing with North Korea. What amateur fighting! OF COURSE this is what they were gonna do! I can't believe there was nobody who could have seen this, like, 10 moves beforehand. But as I say, here we are.
And it's so disappointing to a guy like me who has been hoping these two powerhouses could work together and be a unified competitor to the U.S. and China (who, if you've read this blog at all, you know I hate socioeconomically speaking)! They were doing so well. They shared the World Cup in 2002, they increased business together, Japan had actually become the number one tourist destination amongst Koreans, they've been building a "future-oriented" relationship for the last 20 years, and suddenly, ppppbbbbthhthtthththbbbbtttt!
So what happens when you have a big blow-up with your wife like the above? This is the "hard work" everybody talks about in a relationship. You have to somehow work it out because you know you want to stay together. You don't want to waste 20 years of marriage and good relations. SOMEbody's gotta buy some flowers or chocolates here. Or, perhaps better than that, no - definitely better than that, some third party who you are both angrier at than each other will start some shit and you can mend your broken relationship by working together against that third party. A relative or friend in the case of the relationship. A country like North Korea, U.S. or China in the Japan/Korea relationship. Hopefully North Korea testing missiles or the U.S. pushing to park some of ITS missiles in Japan and Korea or Chinese tariffs or something like that can bring these arguing countries together. Then maybe like the above photo, they can shake hands and make up. I hope so.
Let's go back to the story at the very beginning about North Koreans being trafficked by China. I don't know if any of this goes on between Japan and Korea. I'd like to think that in modern Japan there are no people who have forced Koreans into sex or slavery. I'd also like to think no Koreans have done so to Japanese. The atrocities between the two countries are all a matter of history. And while history is important to remember and to learn from, Japan and Korea are the 3rd and 11th ranked economies in the world right now respectively and as such their business relationship must be kept separate from their history. They are far too important to the global economy to allow relatively unimportant issues, silly ideas of nationalism, or unchecked emotion to affect their trade. Perhaps this realization will save the relationship. If not, maybe they won't remain the number 3 and number 11 economies in the world.
Both leaders have said some things that are absolutely right. Moon Jae In: "Ultimately, this is a game that has no winners where all parties will be victimized, including Japan." Shinzo Abe: "Future generations should not be predestined to apologize themselves."
So let's put the incredible amount of money you have where your mouths are. Let's mature in the relationship. Smarten up, and get back to business. I'm not saying forget the past, or even stop seeking reparations, I'm saying it should be kept separate from business that affects not only people in your two countries but literally millions of others. Buy each other flowers and candy, stop being immature and, let's face it, selfish, and shake hands and make up for cryin' out loud!
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