The North Korean Situation II

[Marvolo]

The South Korean government would never consider allowing the US to stay in a united Korea. They would get voted out immediately if they didn't demand the US to leave after North Korea is defeated.

Yeah, good luck with that. As far as I know, the US has established permanent bases in every country it has fought in whether they liked it or not. I doubt it will change with Korea. We'd find some way to make it happen. Not that we should, but we have a way of doing things.

 

[hippie_hunter]

It's pretty easy to understand why they hate Japan.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

It's pretty easy to understand why they hate Japan.

Not disputing that.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Why wouldn't South Korea let America stay? True, they're mostly there for North Korea. But there's still the big elephant in the room. China.

The Koreans would be insane to tell its most powerful ally to take a hike.

Whatever happens, America will play a huge role in the Korean conflict, and they'll have a seat at the table, no matter what.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Can someone explain to me in brief terms why South Koreans hate Japan so much?

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Yeah. I agree with T-Crack here. No matter what, the US isn't going anywhere (unless they were forced to withdraw from extremely forceful domestic protests and unrest here in America. ROK pressure wouldn't make them leave, even if there was some)

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Can someone explain to me in brief terms why South Koreans hate Japan so much?

Start here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Japan–Korea_relations


Usually a country doesn't appreciate when another country assassinates their royalty, invades and occupies their country, tries to exterminate their culture and language, uses their women as prostitutes and then never apologizes for it.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Can someone explain to me in brief terms why South Koreans hate Japan so much?

Well, the Japanese invaded and colonized them. And aside from mass murders, mass rapes, and all other kinds of terrible things associated with colonization, the Japanese tried to wipe out their cultural identity (cultural genocide). They destroyed their artwork, buildings... even tried to force them all to learn a different language.

And to top it all off... the Japanese downplay all those atrocities, to this day.

It's also why the Koreans really like Americans. America gave them their country back.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Oh and saving them from the... Chinese / North Koreans / Russians in the 50's.

Especially now, seeing how terrible North Korea is.

Seoul really dodged a bullet there.

 

[Marvolo]

Well, the Japanese invaded and colonized them. And aside from mass murders, mass rapes, and all other kinds of terrible things associated with colonization, the Japanese tried to wipe out their cultural identity (cultural genocide). They destroyed their artwork, buildings... even tried to force them all to learn a different language.

And to top it all off... the Japanese downplay all those atrocities, to this day.

It's also why the Koreans really like Americans. America gave them their country back.

Christ! That's horrible. Japan really did a number on the whole Pacific region at one time or another.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Yeah, Japan's not popular. My girlfriend and I sometimes argue. She hates Japan and hates the fact her brother's living in Japan and has a Japanese girlfriend. I try to tell her that you can hate the government, but you should always give individuals a chance, and I've been to Japan several times and always had positive experiences. But she's not having it.

When I was teaching at a university after the tsunami in Japan in 2011, one student wrote an essay saying Japan deserved it essentially, which made me very uneasy.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Christ! That's horrible. Japan really did a number on the whole Pacific region at one time or another.

The Chinese and Filipinos have some stories to tell too...

Probably the worst thing was the "comfort women". The Japanese forces in World War II "conscripted" hundreds of thousands of Korean women to be sex slaves. God only knows how many died. I won't recount the stories here.

Unfortunately many Japanese officials still deny that ever happened.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Yes, Japan is kind of like the Germany of East Asia. Except they never really apologized for the holocaust. ...or acknowledged most of it.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Was this joke I recall from some Asian friends, if you call a Korean person Chinese they'll correct you. If you call them Japanese they will slap you.

 

[Marvolo]

The Chinese and Filipinos have some stories to tell too...

Probably the worst thing was the "comfort women". The Japanese forces in World War II "conscripted" hundreds of thousands of Korean women to be sex slaves. God only knows how many died. I won't recount the stories here.

Unfortunately many Japanese officials still deny that ever happened.

Thank god that crazy **** stopped.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Thank god that crazy **** stopped.

Yeah, but the surviving "comfort-women" (numbers ever dwindling) stage weekly protests in front of the Japanese embassy, because to this day Japan refuses to apologize, or even really acknowledge it happened.

I wonder if Japan would have to sit out a new Korean war, much the same way Israel had to sit out the Gulf War.

 

[Thundercrack85]

What was rather creepy is that when the Americans occupied Japanese islands, Japanese women expected the same treatment, and hundreds (maybe even thousands) committed suicide.

They were pretty damn brainwashed.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I don't think the US would allow Japan to take any hostile action on the peninsula. That would just not go over well.

I'm sure the South has made that clear.

Maybe sit in the back and hand out food. That's about it.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

I don't think the US would allow Japan to take any hostile action on the peninsula. That would just not go over well.

I'm sure the South has made that clear.

Maybe sit in the back and hand out food. That's about it.

But what can they do if NK engages them directly with missiles? Doing nothing wouldn't be an option in that event.

 

[Thundercrack85]

But what can they do if NK engages them directly with missiles? Doing nothing wouldn't be an option in that event.

Call in an American strike, I would imagine.

I mean, half of all military forces around Japan are American anyway (and they're ready to do just that).

I just can't see Japanese forces setting foot on Korean soil.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Wow I knew of the comfort women but never knew the the scope or of the brutal cultural genocide.

Those wounds will probably never fully heal.

You look at Japanese pop culture and it seems so innocent and silly but when left unchecked the Japanese go to very dark places. I don't think there's an ethnicity on Earth immune to evil.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Wow I knew of the comfort women but never knew the the scope or of the brutal cultural genocide.

Those wounds will probably never fully heal.

You look at Japanese pop culture and it seems so innocent and silly but when left unchecked the Japanese go to very dark places. I don't think there's an ethnicity on Earth immune to evil.

Well, I've met some very nice Japanese people. They love being good samaritans (or good hosts) to people visiting their country. I'm sure the pop-culture you're seeing is innocent and silly (except the hentai), but like Germany and even the US, they have a very dark history.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Yeah, the people have changed, though, given that they still haven't accepted responsibility, perhaps not quite enough.

Oh well, once China ransacks the place come World War III, it'll be water under the bridge.

 

[Marvolo]

Well, I've met some very nice Japanese people. They love being good samaritans (or good hosts) to people visiting their country. I'm sure the pop-culture you're seeing is innocent and silly (except the hentai), but like Germany and even the US, they have a very dark history.

You can't get to power without walking over a few corpses sadly it seems.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I often do wonder if Japan ever apologized, just how far would it go. Germany accepted its role in World War II and the world has forgiven them for it. But on the other hand, perhaps it's too late now for Japan to make an apology that would be serious.