Monday, August 5, 2013

South Korea offended by Japan's victory


South Korea offended by Japan’s victory

Recently in South Korea there was a series of soccer games “East Asian Football Federation Cup” “EAFF.”  The games where held at Jamsil Olympic Stadium where anti-Japanese banners were hoisted when the South Korean team played the Japanese team.

One of the hateful banners read:

“'A nation that forgets its history has no future.”

Another banner had a large image of a South Korean hero Admiral Yi Sun-shin, who is credited with defeating a Japanese fleet in the 1500’s.  A hero to Koreans understandably since he is a military icon.

The third banner was the image of An Jung-geun.  He is a hero in Korea for one accomplishment of his, he was an assassin.  The murderer assassinated Japan’s prime minister Ito Hirobumi in 1909.  What other nation has an assassin as their hero? 

John Wilkes Booth assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 in revenge for defeating the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War 1861 - 1865. 

Is the assassin John Wilkes Booth a hero in the United States?  No.
Is he a hero to the people in southern portion of the United States (the former Confederate States of America)?  No.       

These banners remained in place throughout the first half of the game.  This was a clear violation of the International Federation of Association Football’s ban on displaying political messages during international matches.      

At the same game another malcontent unfurled a huge Japanese Rising Sun flag in an attempt to invoke negative emotions. 

Editorial writer for The Korean Times Kim Jong-chan wrote an editorial claiming that flag is equal to the Nazi flag.  Really?  The Nazi flag represented one German government for 13 years.  The Rising Sun Flag has been Japan’s naval flag for nearly 150 years. 

The United States Navy lost a lot of lives and tonnage in the face of the Rising Sun flag, yet today.  There is no animosity in the USA towards that flag.  In a link second to the last below there is a photograph of the Rising Sun flag taken in 2011 at the Japanese Imperial Navy museum with members of the United States Navy sitting while a former member of the Japanese Imperial Navy addressed the group.  Where is the hate there?  There was no hate because there is no hate between the two former adversaries now trusted allies and friends.  Better description:  Two mature nations behaving properly.    

If the Koreans are looking for a flag to hate perhaps it should be the South Korean flag where between 1948 and 1980 numerous massacres were committed by South Korean military / authorities against South Koreans.  

At the games the Japanese soccer players were the champions.  On the scoreboard the last place team was listed on top, while the champion team, the Japanese was listed last on the bottom.  Another example of immaturity.  

Editorial appearing in The Korean Times written by Deputy Managing Editor Kim Jong-chan claiming the “The Rising Sun Flag” (旭日旗 Kyokujitsu-ki) of the Japanese Navy is offensive to Koreans:


Related articles about the banners rudely displayed at the game:
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201307290096


List of massacres committed in South Korea by South Koreans:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_massacres_in_South_Korea

In 2011 members of the United States Navy visit the Japanese Imperial Navy museum in Japan and met with a former member of the Japanese Imperial Navy:
http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg89/Pages/USSMustin(DDG89)SailorsVisitImperialJapaneseNavyMemorial.aspx

Link to Texas Daddy store:
http://texas-daddy.shop-pro.jp/

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