It's Independence Day

Wednesday (August 15th) was Korean Independence from the Japanese Imperialists - or literally Restoration of Light Day. Cheonan City, where I was staying and participating in VBS, was a major seat for the liberation movement during the three decades or more when Koreans were trying to shift the Japanese out of the country. My friend Esther decided to take us to Independence Hall, a huge park area with monuments and museums dedicated to the kicking out of those nasty Nihonjin. We all wanted to go, since several of the kids who came to help out with camp had never had an opportunity to sight-see (site-see?) in Cheonan, so we girded our loins, outfitted ourselves in cooler clothing and headed out to the middle of nowhere where the Korean government set up Another Asian Monument.

I wasn't kidding.

The monument is a series of eleven or more buildings housing recreations of historical documents, scenes, and paraphernalia. The recreations and models mean nothing you see is the original, but this also means you are free to and actually encouraged to photograph everything to show your friends. Especially about the evil Japanese. 

To be fair, the Japanese were pitiless, cruel, harsh, and evil to the Korean populace during the annexation and colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. They crushed the peasants with high food tariffs, sometimes just taking food outright to help support Japan who was going through a near-famine crisis (which of course put Korea through a near-famine crisis), taking metal implements so they couldn't make weapons, taking cloth, resources, money, etc... Just take, take, take. And not bringing a whole lot to the occupational table. They maintained "comfort women" for Japanese soldiers and officers from among the Korean population and exercised arbitrary and harsh legal grievances including the right of the police to arrest, detain, or execute whomever they wanted without any evidence. They were bad guys who did what most colonial bodies do when they take over a place. Try to crush its independent spirit to make it easier to govern from a distance. 

The Koreans rose up against the oppressors and basically fought for independence for almost thirty years. Largely supported by Christian groups and encouraged by foreign supporters, they eventually threw off the yoke of oppression and promptly fell into a civil war about whether to be communist or not. You can't win 'em all, I guess. But the grounds are beautiful.

    

It's hard to miss the signs of Korean nationalism around Korea. Whereas Palo Alto, California had to have a committee meeting about whether they were allowed to put up American flags on the fourth of July, Korea considers it part of being Korean to be almost fiercely nationalistic. While the Japanese strive to create a school-fish or herd of sheep mentality among its citizens, Koreans fight to light the fire of "They tried to kill us and we brought up others in our stead who are more powerful than they can possibly imagine" within the hearts of young Koreans. And not without just cause. Even my friend, who admitted to wanting to learn Japanese and enjoying Japanese dramas on television, had the knee-jerk reaction response to almost　all questions regarding Japanese and Korean relations - "We hate the Japanese." 

Yes, they did execute all the Korean royal family.

Yes, they did burn down the castle in Seoul.

Yes, they did imprison and rape thousands of Korean women. 

Yes, they did unlawfully detain and torture thousands of dissidents during the March 1st uprising, including a massacre of peaceful protesters that included women and children.

But can you really keep teaching hate in your schools? 

Of course you can! And why not?

At the English Academy I found some essays written by students about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. 

I appreciate the change in tone by the end of the essay.

If I were there, I would die. Dude, earthquakes happen almost everywhere!

 

The last note about Korean and Japanese antagonism is this whole thing about extra islands. I think Rony is right. Japan has many islands. Thousands of them. They don't know what to do with the ones they have, so why not let it go? On the other hand, does South Korea need an extra island? It has plenty of its own as well. Why not declare it neutral territory and let all those resources go untouched as long as people don't need them? But this is not an option. As firmly as the Japanese place their hands on something, equally determined is S. Korea's (and N. Korea's and China's for that matter) desire to get it back. They'll like us when we win? Hardly.