China, Japan in diplomatic fight over embassy attacker in Seoul

At separate talks Friday with Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan, Meng said Beijing was “seriously” considering Seoul’s request to release four South Korean activists, the foreign ministry said.

Potential blackmail, maybe? China privately demands Liu be deported, "or else"?

In the Chinese view, no act is a crime if motivated out of patriotic fervor. Alas Mr. Liu is a serial arsonist and needs to cool off in a nice, quiet cell. S. Korea would do Japanese taxpayers a favor by incarcerating him for a couple of years.

South Korea has the jurisdiction. They should stand their ground and prosecute this guy to the fullest extent under their laws Arson is indeed a crime in South Korea.

"Potential blackmail, maybe?"

More like something called quid pro quo.

Toughy, and I agree with Ossan that the man should be charged according to South Korean law, but when that involves foreigners it often ends in deportation (unless the crime is more severe). In any case he should not be handed over to Japan as, while he attacked the embassy, he did it from outside the walls and on SK soil. He should not immediately be handed over to China, either (ie. deported), but at LEAST stand trial and spend the time in the klink while the trial is going forward.

Virtuoso: "S. Korea would do Japanese taxpayers a favor by incarcerating him for a couple of years."

I agree with what you say about not being considered a crime if motivated by patriotic fervor (and that's not limited to China, it happens in Japan and SK, among other countries, as well!), but how would it save Japanese tax payers money to incarcerate the guy? If they don't they'll be deporting him, so either way what would Japan be paying that they're not already going to (ie. cleaning up the burn marks)?

smithinjapan: First of all, I would suppose repairs of the burn marks on the Yasukuni Shrine will have been paid for either by the shrine itself, from the budget of the Jinja Honcho or by the insurance company with which Yasukuni holds its fire policy. I can't think of how Japanese taxpayers would foot the bill. Secondly, if S. Korea incarcerates him (as I clearly wrote), Japanese taxpayers won't be paying anything. Thirdly, regarding deportation of foreigners convicted of crimes in Japan, this is an option exercised after serving a sentence that would be normally meted out for serious crimes like armed robbery, arson, assault with intent to commit bodily injury, etc. Imprisonment is often waived for lesser crimes, including visa overstay and prostitution, especially since the airport fingerprinting system has apparently been effective in preventing recidivism.

In any case he should not be handed over to Japan as, while he attacked the embassy, he did it from outside the walls and on SK soil

One of the most puzzling post this year by far.

Let's say two nations don't have extradition treaty. So, one guy throws a bomb into the foreign country embassy that has no extradition treaty with the said country. Hence he has not violated any laws in his own country nor will he be extradited to the country he bombed.

Didn't read your first post smith. My bad.

Sending him to China and reward sends the wrong signal. It encourages other to do even more heinous crimes. Like perhaps rape and murder, China would just demand them to be returned to China and reward. South Korea turning him over to China is another insult to Japan. How many are suppose to take before returning the "love"?

Send him back to China where he belongs.

nigelboyJul. 14, 2012 - 09:14AM JST

Let's say two nations don't have extradition treaty. So, one guy throws a bomb into the foreign country embassy that has no extradition treaty with the said country. Hence he has not violated any laws in his own country nor will he be extradited to the country he bombed.

The law was said a traversty, when you decided to follow a career in eikaiwa.

Go google up doctrine of double criminality and also the verdict on the legality of Noriega's extradition from panama to the USA

As a footnote, Japan and Korea does have an extradition treaty hence if the accused is "released", there should be some rememdy for Japan to bring him to Japan.

This Chinese man can go to prison in Korea and be a "Comfort Man".

Sending him to China and reward sends the wrong signal. It encourages other to do even more heinous crimes. Like perhaps rape and murder, China would just demand them to be returned to China and reward. South Korea turning him over to China is another insult to Japan.

As if Japan would ever act any differently.

Let S.Korea deal with the problem as it happened in their country. They certainly don't need any advice from either China or Japan.

He can be handed over to North Korea and be treated as a national hero??

I also agree with Ossan - and think it may be a first. Both China and Japan can shut up and let Korea deal with it all.

Sending him to China and reward sends the wrong signal. It encourages other to do even more heinous crimes. Like perhaps rape and murder, China would just demand them to be returned to China and reward. South Korea turning him over to China is another insult to Japan. How many are suppose to take before returning the "love"?

How on earth did you make the leap from arson to rape and murder Yuri? China would "reward" him? Another wonder assumption on your part. And yes, heaven forbid Japan be insulted...

The world will see how strong or weak Seoul is and if it knows anything about international law. Of course, there are extenuating circumstances.

If I were a racist I would have used the term ちゃんころ (chan koro), and that's a racist word for Chinese.

Moderator: Enough of this nonsense. You should know better than to post rubbish like this.

It's just one guy.

Nothing to make a fuss about.

The South Korean police need to be a bit more careful though.

I hope the ROK government shows some balls and tries him in Korea. The PRC government needs to learn that it can't bully everyone. After serving a sentence, he should then be deported to China, not Japan though.

I think attempting to firebomb an embassy or such place qualifies as terrorism.

@Sir_Edgar: That man Liu's violence act has nothing to do with China or the Chinese government because he acted on his own reckless! If Japan intended to use this matter to politicalrizing a diplomatic fight with China is definately unwise! What if those Japanese right-wingers yelling hostile languages outside Tokyo Chinese embassy and China blaming Japan appeasing those rightist without law punishment?

If Japan has never invaded any country and Japan has fully and sincerely apology for her wrong doing although those atrocities was done by a previous government, there should never have been happening these dangerous crimes! The Japanese government was just despicable that no neighbouring country pay her a respect! That's the fundamental issue of this problem!

This incident will sparks another wave of war time Japanese atrocities resentment in asia although the present Japanese government never visited the yasukuni shrine!

just because you throw a bomb over the wall of an embassy that has no extradition law with said country doesn't mean the person gets off. Likewise you chuck something over the border or fire a missile across the border you don't get off scot free. The country you are in will have a law about chucking dangerous stuff.

PRC is provoking neighbors, starting from Philippines (claiming the entire West Philippines Sea), Vietnam (claiming the Paracel Islands), and also Japan (Senkaku)...

Even my Chinese friends said the govt of China should stop doing aggressive claims... because they are the victims, the Chinese people who never wanted war with anybody....

The young should unite and overthrow the Red Chinese regime.

Prosecution under Korean Law is the most logical and rational way to go about this arson event, lets not turn it into a further diplomatic issue.

CrazyJoeJul. 14, 2012 - 09:26AM JST Send him back to China where he belongs.

Why? So he can be treated as a Patriotic Hero and skirt prosecution in South Korea where arson is a crime? Japan knows that the primary jurisdiction is South Korea, whatever they want to do has to be subservient to that. China simply wants South Korea sovereignty and laws to be subservient to China's will. Maybe return to a vassal state?

just-a-bigguyJul. 14, 2012 - 02:58PM JST If Japan has never invaded any country and Japan has fully and sincerely apology for her wrong doing although those >atrocities was done by a previous government, there should never have been happening these dangerous crimes! The >Japanese government was just despicable that no neighbouring country pay her a respect! That's the fundamental >issue of this problem!

70 year old history is no excuse for China's current aggresive bullying attitude towards all of it's Asian neighbors. That is the fundamental problem. The world is getting tired of that lame excuse. Are all the Asian nations that suffered in WWII out on a miltary and territorial expansion program? No, just China.

@nihoncritic

i think that dude is a Chinese..

go to hello work, they do all the noisy arguement about getting the money...

they event do stunts in tokyo's department stores... (if you know what I mean)...

...im not stereotyping, since I also have Chinese friends who doesn't want the hate to continue...

...that guy who commented very rude is simply, a dude of PRC... provoking war...

if they only knew the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and other ASEAN nation (except cambodia) would be waiting for them to hit first so they can get lame excuse to butcher war mongers...

tmarie, it is the next step and when he arrives in China, he will be treated like a national hero. He will be a national hero and some unbalance mind will see the connection. Perhaps the next petrol bomb will be on a diplomatic auto? Perhaps the person will throw petrol on a diplomat and set them on fire. All I know is if he is deported to China, he will be a national hero of China. It will also cause more strife with Japan/Korean relations. Sending him to China is a violation of treaty.

tmarieJul. 15, 2012 - 11:24PM JST Ossan. Interesting. So China needs to get over the war and the past

Yes, apat from the Koreas the restvof Asia has. So have all the allied nations, including even Taiwan (ROC).

but yet Japan can continue to play the victim of war

Yes civilians in wear are always victims regardless of sides. While we harp on Axis atrocitiesvwe ignore the fact that the allies employed civilian target bombing. We did this to the GErmans as well. How does that look by today's stardards?

cry over islands that supposedly they "owned"... Good for the gander, good for the goose.

No they don't "supposdly" own them, they DO own them and have done so properly and through accepted international protocol since 1895. Not gained through war or force or greed, hence allowed to keep them after WWII. The ones who "supposedly" own them since 1970 is China whjo are the ones presebtly doing the "crying".

There is no need for trial. Just put him in jail forever for his crime. This chinese people are abusing.

tmarie do not know about the Japanese pervert. However if your logic sound like if one person gets away with something then do no enforce laws. Again this is a question of the safety of Japanese Diplomats overseas. If ROK will not protect our diplomats than they and diplomatic relations need to be withdrawn.