Korea vs. Japan: There’s No Sex In Whaling
“Are you Japanese?” she retorted. And that was that.
It’s the best rebuff I’ve heard to the bevy of Korean men who equate blonde hair with instant gratification. But why did it repel him with such shear efficiency? Or, put another way, what’s so bad about being called Japanese?
The answer is simple. During WWII, at the end of Japan’s 35-year colonization of Korea, Japan started abducting women from all of its occupied territories, Korea especially. These “comfort women,” as they were called, numbered as many as 200,000. They became sex slaves for Japanese military men.
Today, the Japanese government still refuses to apologize or even fully admit to using sex slaves. But Koreans have still not forgotten.
The international scorn being heaped on Japan for its flagrant violation of whaling treaties must therefore be somewhat gratifying to Koreans. The erstwhile humiliator is humiliating itself.
In fact, Koreans are probably tickled pink. At a local restaurant I went to last night, what else should be on TV (there is a TV mounted on the wall at most restaurants) but a very gory documentary of Japanese whaling. The exposé followed the bloody trail from the whaling vessel to the meat market, where the whale meat is packaged and sold.
Now I know that Korea has its own whaling history and even today it’s not impossible to find whale meat this side of the East Sea. Still, Korea has largely honored the 1982 whaling ban that was meant to boost dwindling whale populations. If not, at least it’s been more diplomatic about its indiscretions.
For further reading:
Japan Backs Down | EcoWorldly
Australia Combats Japanese Whaling | EcoWorldly
Photo: Wildphotons via Flickr
As a blond woman, I know *exactly* what you’re talking about. “Are you Russian?”
My adult students were quick to warn me about the less-desirable men out there (all farmers of course) who might approach me. They reassured me that such scruffy types did not represent S. Korea.
Ironically I had more trouble with other foreigners than Korean or Japanese men. No one from either nation explicitly asked me to “visit” them, but every other represented nation from every continent sure did. It was always the same:
1) What’s your name?
2) Where are you from?
3) How old are you?
4) What’s your phone number?
5) When will you come “visit” me?
One man even invited me to his factory dorm room/ bunk bed after a long bus ride (which I would pay for of course), after which I could kindly turn around and go home. My only regret is that I didn’t slap him in the face.
But I never got this from a Korea man, not even in the “country” town (of 600,000 people) where I lived.
Japan is doing nothing wrong with respect to whaling.
Comparing whaling with events of WWII is frankly silly and makes the author of this piece seem very stupid.
“Comparing whaling with events of WWII is frankly silly…”
Actually, it’s not a comparison of whaling to WWII at all. To understand why the Koreans bear such a grudge against the Japanese, one must understand that the Japanese colonized Korea from 1910 to 1945 and then started to abduct Korean women as sex slaves. The colonization, the Koreans have forgiven. The latter offense, they have not.
Therefore, even though some Koreans still eat whale, it’s easier to understand why Koreans might be pleased with the international reprimands that Japan is receiving for illegal whaling.
Hope this clears it up.
I can’t understand totally what he want to say from the beginning.
Maybe this cause my poor ability of English reading…maybe:)
It is a rather badly written essay.
Please show us the concrete evidence for Jananese’ abuduction of 200,000 Koreans as sex slaves.
I can’t understand at all what he said because
there are so many Korean prostitutes pretending to be
Japanese in US, Australia, etc.
This article may not be appropriated to tell something truth. The author of this article may not understand our historical evidence and its process. This article doesn’t contain any critics or resourceful comments. It is not good idea to write something on superficial knowledge and just curiosity in the western side of view.
Again I can’t understand at all what he said because
there are so many sushi bars in US, Australia, etc. run by Koreans pretending to be Japanese.
“Please show us the concrete evidence for Jananese’ abuduction of 200,000 Koreans as sex slaves.”
I apologize for moving the conversation away from the practice of whaling, which was the intended target.
However, it seems that there’s equal or greater interest in the issue of “comfort women” amongst some of our Japanese readers. As there’s ample information available about the issue, I’ll just refer to a few of sites on the topic:
http://www.comfort-women.org/
http://research.unc.edu/endeavors/win97/comfortl.html
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/warwwii/a/comfort_women.htm
Also, I want to make it cleat that this isn’t an article against Japan or Korea. In my experience with the matter, it’s not that Koreans dislike all Japanese. In fact, a lot of Koreans I know like Japan and want to visit there. I have also met Japanese tourists in Korea who are graciously received. The animosity is toward the Japanese government because of its refusal to apologize for using comfort women. It’s something that many Koreans learn in their Korean history classes and for many Korean people I know it’s a very emotional and sensitive subject.
Thanks. Let’s keep the discussion going.