“Are you Russian?” asked a middle-aged Korean man hopefully to an American English teacher. Translation: are you a prostitute?
“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.
It’s not exactly clear that the women were abducted and weren’t just normal prostitutes. It’s important to realise that anything claimed by China or Korea about Japan’s actions during WW2 is bound to be hugely exaggerated or completely false. Same goes for Japanese right wingers but at least in Japan there are two sides to the debate (Japanese left wingers are very extreme in their criticism of pre-war Japan) and there is independent academic research, something you are not going to get in a communist autocracy like China.
Anyway, you are probably right that some Koreans feel quite smug about this whole business and I see you believe you have found an ally. But I bet you eco-freaks won’t be very happy to hear that Koreans eat dog meat! Of course there is nothing wrong with eating an animal just because it is “cute” or “beautiful” to some people but that’s exactly the argument you usually hear against whaling or dolphin hunting.
I don’t deny that there were some people who might be involved in unhappy events in the circumstance of annexation era of Korea, and who might have to work under poor working conditions such as so called “sex slaves”. In general, “comfort women” you say were not “sex slaves” but an occupation working for the imperial military solders. They also got salaries and some regular health checks to have to work under the governmental authority. Point is that whether there might be enforcement for Korean women (some Japanese women) by Japanese government or not. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been revealed so far. Korean women who came out “sex slaves” accuse Japanese government. In reality, it is evidence that some private procuress agencies existed, and acted misbehaviors similar to abduction or human traffics. What I want to say is that it is no matter of the number of the people. I hope that you would see historical matter staying behind between two countries and surrounding the situation at that time. It is the same as you figure out your modern western history which was occured just about 100 years ago.
You can see a lot of information in terms of “comfort women” in Wikipedia (English site). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women This site is useful for the people who want to know once over lightly what it happened, because content is written relatively at the neutral stance. You may grab a whole story from the subject. I hope that you can see something with a bird eye’s view.
PS. I’m not good at writing English.
Behind The Comfort Women Controversy: How Lies Became Truth
PDF
http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL02_1/39_S4.pdf
text
http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL02_1/39_S5.txt
Please read if there is time.
Yoshi, thanks for the perspective and the link to Wikipedia. I admit that I’m an outsider to the issue, so I can only write with the perspective that I’ve learned here in South Korea.
David, yes, some Koreans eat dog meat. I think a lot of people are aware of that. I say some because it seems to be increasingly unpopular with those I’ve talked to and the younger generations. Increasingly, Koreans are seeing dogs as pets instead. But dog is also eaten in other countries, like in some parts of China.
However, the issue with whales is not that they are cute or just majestic. As the article mentions, “the 1982 whaling ban that was meant to boost dwindling whale populations.”
That said, I’ve been reading about some really fascinating research being done with whales and dolphins lately (not the fake whaling research) that might make even a whaler think twice about his prey. For instance, did you know that dolphins have names? http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/060508_dolphins.html From this article: “Scientists say it’s the first time wild animals have been shown to call out their own names.”
>> Still, Korea has largely honored the 1982 whaling ban that was meant to boost dwindling whale populations.<<
Incorrect.
lol. South Korea ‘legally’ caught about 200 whales, including 84 caught in nets last year, while to sustain 100 of whale restaurants in South Korea, they need 400 whales per year. Thus, the rest of the half are poached. Even some of the ‘lotto whales’ were alleged to be intentional catch.
http://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?Total_ID=3008656
I think SK voted against lifting the ban just to harass Japan. Pretty decent.
And 200,000 young “Korean” women.. I also looking for the source in http://www.comfort-women.org/. Did you find it there? Usually, 200,000 is the total number. The source of “200,000 of Korean women” most possibly comes from http://www.womenandwar.net/english/index.php who claim Japan ‘drafted’ comfort women in Korea to make 200,000 while both Korean ex-’drafted’ women (that was actually voluntary-base labor conscription) and AWF deny the existence such conscription system. The ex-’drafted’ women even sued Japan because those Koreans claim that Japanese ‘drafted’ comfort women. I think they should sue those Koreans if they want to stop those guys saying so. (“A 12-old Korean girl forced to work as a comfort woman” is coming from this ‘drafted’ volunteer corps while that actually did usual labor.)
http://news.naver.com/hotissue/daily_read.php?section_id=102&office_id=143&article_id=0000078498
An interesting thing is I never heard the parents who was killed by evil Japanese kidnapping their daughters. Did they just watching? Actually not. Professor emeritus of Seoul university points out that half of the recruiters were Korean and he urged that how can those many Koreans were ‘forced’ such kidnapping.
http://www.dailyseop.com/section/article_view.aspx?at_id=52265
Professor of Sejong university also commented that Koreans were also responsible for selling their daughters for money.
http://www.dailyseop.com/section/article_view.aspx?at_id=55452
“A mysterious law” is believed between the Japanese right-winger.
It is a law that “a host dies out when add Korea to a friend”.
Please take care of oneself.
Actually its true. Although whale meat is still available due to Japanese imports, you still have to go out of your way into the black market to find it.
This article shows that Korean is shitter.
The sex slaves are COMFORT WOMEN.
there are many evidence that indicate Korean says many ackamaracka.
and You can see many Korean comfort women if you go to US.
Korean comfort women exsist now as well as old time.
Check your facts. Japan has apologized on a whole array of occasions. The Emperor himself apologized at the Marco Polo bridge in China. Equating whaling with comfort women is belittling to those women who did suffer. I am not an apologist for Japan, but you really have to be responsible in what you write.
This article is a typical hate speech from anti-whaling campaigners. Surely, the Japan’s whaling is controversial and there is a hell of criticism mainly from the West although Japan has her own moral and legal grounds for whaling. However, the author of this article interprets “criticism” as “scorn” and “being criticized” as “being humiliated”. The author’s emotion (namely hatred against whalers) as well as his inability to respect people who happen to have an opinion that he doesn’t agree to come out here. These hate speeches can be popular among the like-minded haters but won’t appeal to the wider audience, let alone the Japanese who he really needs to win over if his real intention is to solve the issue, not to give vent to his aggression.
“Japan has her own moral and legal grounds for whaling.”
Please tell us what they are.
i already metioned, comfort women issue is not only korea-japan issue. JUST ASK ANY OTHER ASIAN? OK? WHY you japs continually provoke to korean? OK? do not care about korean.
like your metioned, please, speak your claim to Thailand, malaysia, indonesia, chinese, taiwanese, Filipino, Australian comfort women(not korean), “you are prostitute!” ok?
It’s not only korean issue, so don’t blame korean. According to your logic, all world country tell a lie to japanese. “Criminal vs World” Who is the creditible?
———————–
Whale meat easily find in any japanese super market.(so popular)
but korean do not eat whale meat.(whale meat known as ‘Japanese food’ in korea)
In korea, whaling is strict prohibited by law. do not mistake. Japan’s whaling = promoted by goverment
It is not whaling.
it is already death whale.
(it mean already dead body of whale. not killed by human)
cooked the already dead whale.
only ‘one’ city eat whale meat.(dead whale)
also known as ‘japanese style food’.
In Korea, whaling is actually does not exist.
and Japan’s whaling is 1000 times larger than korea.
Nakamoto, Koreans do eat both whales, dolphins, and dogs. Japan hunts 1000 while South Korea hunts 400 per year and half of them are poached. One Korean eats more whale than a Japanese.
http://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?Total_ID=3008656
Koreans can be provoked by the fact that they recruited and deceived those poor women by themselves.
http://www.dailyseop.com/section/article_view.aspx?at_id=52265
http://www.dailyseop.com/section/article_view.aspx?at_id=55452
And they are still doing the same practice and selling women abroad. They dont learn from their true history and spend time blaming Japan. I dont know whom they are going to blame for those ongoing comfort women.
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/02/28/2008022801703.html
http://news.hankooki.com/lpage/society/200706/h2007060620464021950.htm
http://usinsideworld.com/article/view.php?bbs_id=news&doc_num=1508
http://www.sportsseoul.com/common/html/read.asp?ArticleID=390817
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/09/117_10538.html
http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LPOD&mid=etc&oid=040&aid=0000040255
I already said,
Korea prohibit whaling by law.
Only ‘one city’ eay whale.
Your source mentioned that korea prohibit whaling.
However, Japan eat whale win whole japan.
you can buy whale meat in any Japanese supermarket.
/ Now, Japanese Goverment decide to provide ‘Whale meat’ for schoolchildren.
(japanese)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/kanagawa/news /20080123-OYT8T00107.htm
“Japan conducts the harvest under the guise of scientific research. It plans to use the whale meat in a school lunch program. ” 2008/01/24
chathamdailynews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=872044
1. Korea : Only ‘One city’ eat whale. However, It is illegal. and known as ‘Japanese style’ food.
Your given source show that some whaler punished by law.
2. Japan : Promoted by Goverment.
Now, Japanese Goverment decide to provide ‘Whale meat’ for schoolchildren.
Now, Japanese Goverment decide to provide ‘Whale meat’ for schoolchildren.
(japanese)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/kanagawa/news/20080123-OYT8T00107.htm
Also Comfort Women is historical fact.
I already said,
//like your metioned, please, speak your claim to Thailand, malaysia, indonesia, chinese, taiwanese, Filipino, Australian comfort women(not korean), “you are prostitute!” ok?
It’s not only korean issue, so don’t blame korean. According to your logic, all world country tell a lie to japanese. “Criminal vs World” Who is the creditible?//
############
and this page URL linked by Japanese famoust internet community 2ch.net.
many Japanese Internet agent doing operaion now.
do not believe them.
http://namidame.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/news/1204560972/1
this page URL linked by Japanese famoust internet community 2ch.net.
after that, many Japanese Internet agent doing operaion now.
do not believe them.
and please block Japan IP!
Japan hunts 1000 while South Korea hunts 400 per year and half of them are poached. One Korean eats more whale than a Japanese.???????????
http://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?Total_ID=3008656
Wow. Do not fabricaiton.
this is typical Japanese style fabrication.
1. That news contents show that “Whaler Punished by Korea law”
2. 400 per year??????
that news mentioned that 60.
also 400 is “assumption without fact”
Typical low class fabrication.
Japanese doing fabrication as possible as they can!
Thank you for your comments, Nakamoto.
Yes, 400 is assumption of Korean medias, though I have no idea how Japanese can fabricate them. Maybe they are still under Japanese rule. This time, whale meat corresponding 60 was found. Thus, they caught at least 260 last year. Of course, there are frequent poaching in their East Sea.
http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/local/2007/11/15/0803000000AKR20071115099900053.HTML
http://photo.media.daum.net/gallery/society/200706/27/hankooki/v17238374.html
Maybe these articles are also fabricated by Japanese..
And now, you can enjoy whale full course in Seoul!
http://www.chosunonline.com/article/20080114000016
We just got this news.
South Koreans rescued from sexual slavery in Australia: police
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jbfq0rPJTfTES6Wr6GE46OLNI5Lg
Korean ex-comfort women were finally and officially compensated by South Korean government based on Japan Korea Basic Treaty hidden from the nation 40 years.
http://www.kukinews.com/news/article/view.asp?arcid=0920637933&code=41121111
Some of the applicants for the compensation were clearly fabricating or exaggerating their claims.
Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?
Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
Matt 7:3-5
Also Comfort Women is historical fact.
I already said,
//like your metioned, please, speak your claim to Thailand, malaysia, indonesia, chinese, taiwanese, Filipino, Australian comfort women(not korean), “you are prostitute!” ok?
It’s not only korean issue, so don’t blame korean. According to your logic, all world country tell a lie to japanese. “Criminal vs World” Who is the creditible?//
1. Korea : Only ‘One city’ eat whale.(already dead whale by naturally) However, It is ‘illegal’. and known as ‘Japanese style’ food.
Your given source show that some whaler punished by law.
2. Japan : Promoted by Goverment.
Now, Japanese Goverment decide to provide ‘Whale meat’ for schoolchildren.
Now, Japanese Goverment decide to provide ‘Whale meat’ for schoolchildren.
(japanese)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/kanagawa/news/20080123-OYT8T00107.htm
Japan is 10000 times larger whaling than korea.
http://namidame.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/news/1204560972/1
this page URL linked by Japanese most popular internet community 2ch.net.
after that, many Japanese Internet agent doing operaion now.
do not believe them.
and please block Japan IP!
This article has also stirred up quite a good conversation at Dave’s ESL cafe.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=115526&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&sid=21ed4ba510977bb677a9efc4274686c7
Notice how defensive the Japanese are? They aren’t even reading the story. They just want to deny what is TRUE and DOCUMENTED. The Japanese government doesn’t so much deny raping Corean women as they REFUSE TO APOLOGIZE.
So a Corean pretending to be a Japanese prostitute or a Japanese restaurant owner means they ADMIRE Japanese??? Ha ha ha.
BTW, I liked the article and I totally understood it right away. But then, I KNOW ENGLISH.
Women are being used for everything! ITS NOT RIGHT!!
another ps.. yoshi ur english is beta then mine :p
“Are you Russian?”
This is not the best.
The best rebuff is “Are you American?” because of the number of Americans who are visiting the brothels in Korea.
Correction
“Are you Japanese?”
This is not the best.
The best rebuff is “Are you American?” because of the number of Americans who are visiting such brothels in Korea.
Gavin — your essay is sophomoric at best.
It fails on so many levels it’s depressing.
Look
1. Japan’s whale research isn’t illegal. You might want to call it a loophole, but it’s 100% legit and, in fact, required if they ever want to end the moratorium.
You see, the RMP requires that the number of whales be extremely accurate to set quotas and uses a multitude of models to estimate population size — giving weight to the lowest estimates. This data must also be collected every 5 years. Some of these models include needing tissue samples and dietary trends — things you can’t get without killing the whales.
RMP is so conservative, the US rejected it flat-out as impossible when their own fisheries were on the verge of collapse from over-fishing and mismanagement.
http://www.sepp.org/Archive/conferences/conferences/psmfmm.html
2. The moratorium was never suggested by the scientific committee of IWC. It was political from the beginning and mostly bought by NGOs like Green-peace. Don’t believe me? Explain why memebership skyrocketed between 1973 (moratorium fails) and 1982 (moratorium passes)
You can read more about GPs influence from University of Florida
http://ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?b=WL00001269&v=00001
Or about why anti-whaling countries want to avoid secret ballots
http://luna.pos.to/whale/iwc_chair02_3.html
3. Minke whales are not endangered. Nor were they in 1973, 1982, or any other time in the history of whaling. Their numbers don’t need to recover.
4. USA allows “aboriginal whaling” to occur to the very-much endangered Bowhead whale to the tune of 60/year.
This is allowed because Japanese (or Norwegian or Icelanders for that matter) can’t claim to be “aboriginal” even though they have small-scale localized whaling cultures going back just as far (if not farther).
5. Japan originally intended to except itself to the commercial moratorium. Just as Norway (and later, through circumspect ways) Iceland did. However, the US offered Japan fishing rights in their EEZ off Alaska. As those fishing rights were worth many times more than whaling, Japan dropped it and decided to go along. Just as the factory ship that was going to be the principal trawler in that zone was manufactured USA withdrew the EEZ fishing rights. Japan had been duped. That same vessel was converted into the 7th incarnation of the Nisshin Maru, which is now the whaling “mothership” in Antarctic waters every winter.
6. On Comfort Women. It is most certainly a deplorable act. However, your depiction is very twisted.
First, I agree with the poster that said comparing Comfort Women to whales is demeaning to the women who suffered.
Secondly, you purport that Japan has never apologized. I hate to cite wiki but nowhere else have I seen all the apologies made by Japans government and emperors compiled in one place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_apology_statements_issued_by_Japan#cite_note-46
I count at least 10 apologies specifically in relation to this issue. I also see 2 apologies of a general nature from the current emperor to Presidents of South Korea.
Furthermore, Japan has offered assistance to these women through the Asia Women’s Fund including a signed letter of apology from the Prime Minister to each victim. However, in South Korea and Taiwan the local governments instead offered to compensate the victims (which they should have been doing from the beginning, using the reparations Japan was ordered to pay for that very purpose.)
This demonstrates how South Korea has turned their own victims into a political issue with which to use against Japan.
This is an excellently wrote article both on the pros and shortfalls of the program.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6530197.stm