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(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Feb. 28)

All News 09:21 February 28, 2015

A day for resolve
Korea should rethink ties with Japan from square one

Korea will celebrate another anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement Day on Sunday. Ninety-six years ago, hundreds of thousands of Koreans poured into the streets, demanding the nation's independence from Japanese colonial rule. The unarmed popular uprising failed under a brutal crackdown by Japanese authorities, leaving up to 7,500 killed, 40,000 injured and 50,000 arrested.

However, the national movement let the whole world know how hard Koreans aspired for independence, serving as a catalyst for the awakening of other East Asian countries, as seen by a similar revolt in China on May 4 of that year. It also led to the establishment of the Korean government-in-exile in China, a spiritual and constitutional foundation for the Republic of Korea.

Without the March 1 uprising and the consequent provisional government, the voice of Korea -- which could not be part of Allied forces in World War II -- could have been even smaller in the postwar readjustment. Anyone who has read the Declaration of Independence realizes how beautifully and magnificently it sums up Koreans' longing for the universal and everlasting values of democracy, autonomy and human rights.

The need for Koreans to remember and honor their ancestors' noble struggles and sacrifices has now become more crucial and urgent than ever as Korea's relationship with its former colonial ruler is at the lowest point in decades.

Not only have the top leaders of the two countries not held a summit for more than two years, but popular sentiment about the other nation could hardly be worse.

As most Koreans see it, the troubles between the two countries are due to Japan's audacity to blame Korea for being mired in the past too long without trying to build a future together. A recent poll in Japan shows up to 80 percent of the country's younger generation think their political leaders have made sufficient expressions of repentance for past wrongdoings by Imperial Japan. Nothing could be more astonishing for Koreans, other Asians and even many Westerners who are concerned about the Japanese government's historical whitewashing and regression.

In a glaring example, Tokyo has paid a paltry 199 yen in compensation to three Korean victims of forced labor during the Japanese occupation. This is in line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's steadfast denial of the historical facts that the Japanese army forcefully corralled numerous foreign women into military brothels during World War II.

Worse still, the Japanese leader will likely sharply water down the two official statements issued by former Japanese governments, which acknowledged Japan's misdeeds in war and expressed repentance and an apology. If Prime Minister Abe turns his alleged intention into a reality around the anniversary of its surrender in defiance of global concerns, Japan's relationship with Korea and China will break down beyond reparation ― for decades.

Some Japanese politicians criticize Korea for resuming "obsequious" diplomacy with China, and Korean political leaders for using bilateral ties with Tokyo for domestic politics. However, it is Japanese political leaders who use diplomacy for domestic politics by pandering to the ultra-right and instigating anti-Korean sentiments while revealing diplomatic toadyism with the United States.

Korea and Japan need each other, economically and culturally. As far as Japan ignores Korea by pushing ahead with historical backpedaling, however, Seoul should not try to compromise on territorial and historical issues.

And this is why we think President Park Geun-hye ought not to tone down her criticism of Tokyo in her address Sunday.
(END)

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