Thank you for recommending the nice book.

I like to read it if I have a chance.

I know some people criticize me of my generalizations of all Koreans.

I have Korean friends and understand there are more complex feelings of Koreans about Japanese.

But if we talk about one country and its people, we can not avoid some kind of generalizations.

When I criticize Koreans, of course I understand there are many exceptions.

However, the people of Taiwan are generally much less antagonistic towards Japan today. We can see this dichotomy clearly in Koreans' nationalistic, vituperative demonstrations against Japan that continued for more that 60 years and will continue in the future even if they don’t have any memory about Japanese rule.

Anyway, I enjoyed the discussion with you very much.

Thanks.

I highly recommend you read the book, "Under the Black Umbrella" which you can see on my sidebar. This book is compiled witness testimony from Koreans who lived under the Japanese occupation of Korea. By reading this book you will see that your sweeping generalizations of all Koreans think the Japanese are evil is wrong.

It is much more complex than that and reading this book will give you a better idea of what Koreans really think about the Japanese colonization.

Thank you very much for the above IRL.

“That is one of the problems I see with Korea today is that many people still think they are victims when they are not.”

I agree with your idea. In Korea, if your father was guilty, you have to take the burden of father’s guilt. If your farther was “Chinirupa”, you must be criticized either.

That is the reason why Korean never stops to criticize Japanese and ask for apology again and again.

The point is the idea to judge whether guilty or not guilty is very biased.

“I have heard every argument out there about Japan having a enlightened colonization of Korea and all of them I found to be rubbish.”

Of course. In the long history of the world, there is no country which invaded neighboring countries for the welfare and affection for the neighbors.

Japan invaded Korea for the national interest of Japan, like the other western countries.

The point is western countries’ colonization of Asia was effective for the civilization and development of Asian countries in spite of many brutal wars and governing.

When west met east, the exchange of two worlds was started as invasion and colonization. But it was a must. It is a reality of history.

We learned a lot from foreign civilizations through invasions and wars

If Portuguese had not invaded South America and brought red pepper there to Asia, Korean would not have enjoyed eating Kimchi.

Koreans believe the invasion Korea is absolutely evil.

That is why they criticize Japanese and even American because of Taft-Katsura Agreement.

Because it was evil unconditionally, they like to believe all of Japanese policies in Korea must be evil.

It is not the matter of a history or a research. It is a religion.

I have heard every arguement out there about Japan having a enlightened colonization of Korea and all of them I found to be rubbish. Japan colonized Korea for its own purposes not for the welfare of Koreans.

You can read more of my thoughts here:
http://rokdrop.com/2007/01/08/the-taft-katsura-ag…

As for the Rice controversy you mentioned, I have so many data and evidences about that.

But I don't talk about that topic because it is not relevant to your post.

Furthermore, it would take long hours to talk about Rice controversy, and you need to read many evidences written in old Japanese.

I just like to mention the conclusion only. Rice controversy is one of the famous propagandas Korean government has created to brainwash Korean people to hate Japanese.

"Your claim that many Koreans equate the colonial period with the Jewish genocide I believe to be wrong."

I am not sure whose claim shows the idea of all of Koreans correctly.

Personally, I have one Korean friend. He invited me to his house, and recommended me a good movie to watch.

It was "Schindler's List".

After watching that movie, he started to criticize Japanese fanatically and tried to make me apologize.

He has a good personality if he does not talk about Japan-Korea relationship.

“Koreans during the colonization were victims of the Japanese.”

I think history and world are no so simple.

Do you believe Cubans, Hawaiians, Filipinos, and Vietnamese were victims of US because US invaded their countries?

Do you believe all of Asian and Africans were victims of Westerners?

If Korea had not been colonized by Japan, she would have been colonized by Russia.

During the era of imperialism, all of Asian countries were colonized except Japan and Thai.

And it is not Japanese who started imperialism. Japan was forced to open by US, either.

I am not criticizing western countries.

In the world history, it is meaningless to classify victims and perpetrators.

I have never had a Korean ever tell me that Koreans were killed by the Japanese like the Nazis killed Jews. Additionally at Soedaemun prison in Seoul they say about 400 people were executed by the Japanese there, a far cry from any Jewish genocide claims. Your claim that many Koreans equate the colonial period with the Jewish genocide I believe to be wrong.

You are right.

But many Koreans mix up the death in prison with the genocide of Nazi concentration camps and believe Korean were massacred by Japanese like Jewish people.

http://foreigndispatches.typepad.com/dispatches/2…

That is the reason why most of them never admit that Korea was modernized by Japan during the colonial period.

Koreans were victims!!! And it is more convenient to be victims for them.

That's why Yoko Kawashima who writes Koreans raped Japanese women after WW2 must be a liar.