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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
December 5, 2006
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| November 21, 2006 |
Harmonizing Relations Between Japan and South Korea – Kang Haejung |
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| Ms. Kang Haejung promotes understanding between Japan and South Korea |
After listening to Kang Hae Jung speak, one gets the feeling that Japan and Korea could not only close their old wounds, they could also inspire one another to become better and better countries–if only people had the courage and good sense to face their history together. Ms. Hae Jung, from South Korea, joined Peace Boat's 55th voyage in November and gave a series of lectures to participants. She is the chairperson of the International Cooperation Committee of the Asia Peace and History Education. |
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| Ms. Kang Haejung with Global University students. “We could really feel her love and compassion for the Japanese people”said the students |
To help people from Japan reflect on their own country and think about the direction it is headed in, Ms. Haejung spoke about her own country's struggle for democracy. After World War II and Japan's occupation of Korea ended, people longed for freedom and democracy, Ms. Haejung said, but the military regime that gained power kept a tight control over the country. Nonetheless, courageous individuals persisted in pushing for democracy--even in the face of alienation, imprisonment, and death. “It was like trying to crack a rock with an egg,” she explained. “Of course, it was the egg that got cracked, not the rock. But people kept trying anyway.”
The will of the people finally broke the military regime, however, and a framework for democracy was established in the country in the 1980s. To ensure that the country stayed committed to this course in the future, people realized it was important to examine the past clearly and learn concrete lessons from it. This was accomplished, Ms Haejung said, in three ways: by identifying mistakes that had been made; holding perpetrators accountable; and compensating those who had been harmed. “The process has not been perfect or complete”, she said, “but South Korea has become much more progressive because of it.”
Because Japan had played a strong role in Korea's past, it, too, started to come under scrutiny, Ms. Haejung explained. People began calling for Japan to also recognize its past mistakes, clearly identify who had made them, and provide compensation to the Korean people who had been affected. When Japan did not comply, people in South Korea responded in various ways, including holding lectures and discussions. “Unfortunately,” she said, “the media in Japan only publicized the most extreme responses, like the burning of the Japanese flag in front of the embassy. That image was played over and over in in Japan.” Naturally, she noted, Japanese people began to feel defensive and see the situation as a problem of too much nationalism in South Korea. “Inflaming conflict like this is a media crime,” she added.
After describing the movement for freedom in South Korea, Ms. Haejung invited Peace Boat participants to think about whether Japan is cultivating democracy. Most agreed that it is not, and expressed concern over the Japanese government's intention of militarizing the country. “Japan is at a very critical point right now, and has a number of choices it can take for the future that will affect the rest of Asia,” She said. “I hope it knows that people in Korea are very concerned about which choice it will make.”
The Asia Peace and History Education Network can be contacted at No. 904, 9th Fl., FKTU Blg. 35, Yeouido-Dong, Yeongdeungpo-Ku, Seoul, Korea, or at www.japantext.net
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