S Korea says it 'won't be defeated again' by Japan

"We won't be defeated by Japan again," Moon told his cabinet,

He described Japan as a "selfish nuisance"

How is this helping the situation? He clearly doesn't care about fixing the situation with inflammatory nonsense like this as long as he keeps his people riled up all the way until their economy falls apart.

'We won't be defeated again'? Grow up, Moon.

@ghiblian

A lot of "angry" Koreans are calling for boycotting the Tokyo Olympic.

What they haven't thought about is what about the Korean athletes? Thanks to these mindless idiots, their four years of hard training and effort will go down to drain. And for what?

This is getting out of control. The anti-Japanese sentiment is at its max peak and Korean people are finding any reasons and excuses to just brutalize anything that is related to Japan.

All thanks to Moon and his provocative speech that's adding massive amount of fuel to already burning fire in SK. Does he even realize that his speech just allowed KOSPI stock to drop all the way down to sub 2K?

I guess he really doesn't care about his country's economy and well being.

"We won't be defeated by Japan again," Moon told his cabinet, pointedly invoking South Korea's difficult history with Japan, which colonized the Korean peninsula before World War Two.

Here you go again. What a moron.

Its foreign ministry summoned the Japanese ambassador to be told by a vice foreign minister that Japan was no longer considered a friendly nation, Yonhap news agency said.

Since when have you ever considered Japan as a friendly nation? If you did, you wouldn't be having the problems that you're now experiencing.

Classic case of these petulant kids not seeing the forest for the trees.

Moon shows his true colors again.

All he had to do was act professionally and comprehend that his country repeatedly violated export controls behind Japan's back. And Japan was willing to rebuild that trust. But nope, he has to play the atrocity card, like all Koreans with a chip on their shoulders.

You see, unlike the anti-Japan crowd, I am more than willing to criticize Japan for unfair policies or saying stupid things about the past. But nothing Japan has done in this trade issue is even remotely bad. Japan has every right to call out South Korea for its export violations. The white list is a privilege not a right.

Good Lord these people are stupid.

Let the anti-Japan riots begin!!!

More inept leadership. Moon is just stoking the anger of the Korean people. Something no leader should do, and something that has already directly led to the current state of events.

It's quite clear Moon has no interest in resolving this situation.

It was the Treaty of Versailles which was the cause of World War 2. Exploiting history is a way to repeat it. S. Korea should honor the agreements already agreed on.

Kim Hyun-chong, the senior national security adviser, criticized Tokyo as an obstacle to the South's effort to build peace with North Korea, saying Japan's step amounted to the"public humiliation" of Seoul.

How so?

When all else fails, and for everything else that doesn't go their way, SK uses the WW2 history. They are indeed stuck there, perpetually, emotionally, mentally. All boxed up and imprisoned by their hatred.

Interesting that Moon is making Japan's point. Japan is saying to the world: "We can't trust Korea" ; and Moon is making statements such as: " "We won't be defeated by Japan again," and "(Japan is) a selfish nuisance" by saying such things Moon is making the point the Japan and Korea are not friends and Korea can't be trusted.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/07/23/why-japan-south-korea-disputes-world-war-ii-keep-resurfacing

"It was not until 2005 that declassified documents revealed the full terms of the 1965 agreement. President Park Chung-hee did not use the funds to compensate victims directly, as suggested by Japan, but instead invested the capital into the economy."

In other words, a past SK administration stole the funds intended for victims, leaving unresolved individual grievances. More recently, the SK government allowed grievances to proceed and prevail in SK courts without acknowledging the past corruption to their citizenry.

Mr Moon doesn't understand the essence of problems at all. He is only complaining so much. Japanese people are exhausted from that. Anyway Japan has started to go to the new way. Time never can be gotten back.

"it would not be "defeated again"

This is a clear evidence that Koreans are still living in the past. Even if Japan apologized and compensated millions of times, Koreans will never forgive the past, it means "Never move on to the future". That's why Moon never admits the 1965 treaty as final and irreversible agreement. In this time, Abe, really well done!

This behaviour from SK is really going to damage their economy, maybe send it into a depression. Japan on the other hand will be fine,there are other markets to export to. Moon is trying to be a "Strongman Leader", but it wont work.

> I wonder if South Korea will show up for next year's Tokyo Olympics. I

It is very likely both SK and NK will boycott Tokyo 2020 now. They had better not pressure other nations to boycott also.

South Korea is going to be defeated by itself.

North Korea boycotted the FINA World Aquatic Championships just a few weeks ago, held in South Korea. Clearly, they aren't the friends some people are commenting about on JT.

Despicable pandering to hate and war by Moon. I think he wanted this crisis to divert attention from his many failures and to boost his rapidly falling popularity. The old stand-by of Korean politics, "Don't look here at the mess I'm making. Look at Japan. Japan bad! Japan is our ancient enemy!"

Korea is like the country that just won't grow up. They have become a successful developed country but many still act as though they are living in clay huts in poverty. They still have a lot of issues that need working out, as evidenced by the having world's lowest birthrate. But the government is using what resources they have to instead provoke war with friendly neighbors. Until enough young Koreans see through this ploy and reject it, Korea is only going to hurt itself.

Wow, Moon really is an incabable and incompetent -beeep-. Riling up his people against a friendly nation that took many punches from SK during the decades keeping silent, apparently just for re-election. And what can the opposition do? If they critizice Moon they'd be branded as Anti-Korean. Terrible terrible leader and events in a once thought to be developed country. Unfortunately (or maybe lucky) for them, the US won't act as a mediator. The biggest price to pay will be the young generation, that is being indoctrinated to hate Japan although all the recent exchange programs taught them differently. Maybe that became more of a danger to SK, that the young generation finally learned about the good things Japanese and not just listen to right wingers bad stories. I sincerely hope someone will put some senses to that peninsula politicians, common sense is urgently wanted.

korea is such a petulant child nation. complaining about things that happened in the 1940s when they have already been compensated for it and apologized to for it.

ok raise kimuchi prices while japan makes you regret this decision. cant wait to see it

Moon will go down in SK history as the leader who destroyed SK's economy as well as it's strategic alliance with the US and Japan.

This overblown hateful rhetoric is why Koreans are setting themselves on fire and cutting their fingers off. Maybe their families should be looking inward for people to sue.

Even if this is actually because of Korean court decisions, the smartest thing for Moon to do would be to provide any information requested by Japan, and make sure all reporting procedures are implemented in full. That'd give them the upper hand in any WTO action that people have suggested might take place. It's really that simple. Unless... has SK really been meeting it's international obligations regarding NK... hmmmmmm

S Korea says it 'won't be defeated again' by Japan

actually, you will.....

Boycott the Olympics next year?

On what grounds?

The stupidity gets worse and worse, just when you thought it couldn't get worse.

Extreme overreaction and hand wringing over something that was caused by South Korea's continued disrespect of all things Japan, to the point they were violating export controls behind Japan's back.

This should prove to the world the complete lunacy behind the mindset of so many South Koreans. These people should be blaming Moon for the way his government has consistently undermined, disrespected, and antagonized Japan. It's not like South Korea was removed from the white list on some whim by Japan. Yet, South Koreans and their anti-Japan fan base conveniently overlook this, and instead would use any reason to turn it against Japan.

Grow up!!!

South Korea has a chip on its shoulder about Japan. If you keep picking at a scab, it won't heal.

"We won't be defeated by Japan again," Moon told his cabinet

So when was South Korea ever defeated by Japan? There hasn't been a war or battle between Japan and Korea since the 1500s. Or is that what Moon is referring to?

Kim Hyun-chong, the senior national security adviser, criticized Tokyo as an obstacle to the South's effort to build peace with North Korea,

So...SK is admitting that some imports from Japan ends up in NK?

South Korea's countermeasures will see it drop Japan from its own list of favored trading partners and hasten filing of a complaint to the World Trade Organization over Japan's export controls, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said.

So SK plans to file a complaint at the WTO that Japan dropped them from their whitelist while simultaneously dropping Japan from SK's own whitelist. OK. So what is in the water over there?

saying Japan's step amounted to the"public humiliation" of Seoul.

The Moon administration brought this on themselves. And whining like babies isn't going to fix it.

Heckleberry so... your solution to fix this issue is for Korea to lie to its own people?

SK forget the pass and move forward...

SJ.

What anti-Korea propaganda? There are some fringe groups here and there but.. I genuinely don’t know what you are talking about.

Abe and his party (like them or not) well entrenched as they are have been democratically voted for..

South Korean courts ordering non South Korean companies to make payments based on historical claims which one government claims has been settled of course has something to do with those companies country of origin no matter if it’s “big bad evil” Japan or not...

and again Japan hasn’t suspended trade it has taken South Korea of a preferential treatment list..

Special treatment between countries would require faith on both sides, clearly South Koreas leadership has decided with this latest outburst and repeated mentions of the past that it isn’t not a trusted partner and has no interest in fostering better relations which would require both sides helping each other.

Honestly I do wish Japan was a little more contrite over the past, but are they more likely to be so with a trusted partner or a place that takes every opportunity they can to denigrate it.. the answer is clear.

People are very quiet here in Japan. Japanese people may have lost patriotism. They want to forget about South Korea anyway.

blah, blah, blah. I suggest mr. samsung go beg the Chinese, maybe they would take pity of you and open a side door for your pathetic country

Satedaya... see the facts are missing no-one is saying they don't want to trade just that it won't be an advantaged trade.. misinformation is a plenty.

Is it an action in response to the recent South Korea court decisions, I don't know, in honesty probably a little, but if a special trading partner goes against its agreements, popular or not, that probably is basis for evaluating advantaged trading and re-aligning it to be the same as other countries.

You can't ask for or expect a special relationship with a country and then act in bad faith and expect there to be no consequences..

All the while Xi laughs as his plans to dominate the region are made easier by this ongoing nonsense.

As always this is about politicians and their “do anything” ethos to stay in power. Moon created this entire problem all by himself by allowing or instigating the court proceedings in SK to go ahead and rule “of course” in favour of the home grown favourites an outcome even a 5 yo child could have predicted. This gave him a tough guy appearance back home which has now completely backfired because backing down now would be political suicide. So he does what ever politician does and puts their self preservation ahead of those of the nation and its best interests. If he had any self respect and integrity which are qualities inherently rare in politicians he would resign and apologise for taking SK down this very slippery path that will only lead to further problems. These guys honestly have no brains. What he should have done was take the money originally intended to compensate the war victims but used to rebuild the SK economy by creating an SK fund and used that as was originally intended from the 1965 agreement and admit that it had never been used to compensate the victims as intended. But like I said earlier that would take a pair of you know what and honesty and integrity which politicians simply don’t have and so we ourselves in the middle of this self harming exercise orchestrated solely by Moon and his henchmen.

2015 agreement Korea... everything is settled.

Read the 1965 agreement...  It covered claims of nationals and settled them completely and finally.  It also provided for arbitration to decide any issues.  The SK supreme court is simply wrong.

Agreement preamble… Desiring to settle [the] problem concerning property of the two countries and their nationals and claims between the two countries and their nationals; and Desiring to promote the economic co-operation between the two countries; have agreed as follows:

> Agreement Article 2, paragraph 1… The Contracting Parties confirm that [the] problem concerning property, rights and interests of the two Contracting Parties and their nationals (including juridical persons) and concerning claims between the Contracting Parties and their nationals, including those provided for in Article IV, paragraph (a) of the Treaty of Peace with Japan signed at the city of San Francisco on September 8, 1951, is settled completely and finally.

https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20583/volume-583-I-8473-English.pdf

Those who have been neutral about these two countries really need to re-evaluate your views.

No matter how you dislike Abe, he or any other former PMs of Japan have never spoken this ill of the counterpart.

These abuse sound as they want rupture. Maybe they do, and nullify 1965 treaty completely and re-do it

under unified Korea. This might be just the run-up for such plan.

People are very quiet here in Japan. Japanese people may have lost patriotism. They want to forget about South Korea anyway.

When the baby cries for no reason, it's best to just let it whine. No one's losing patriotism.

SK, this isn't a war, or fight going on. Japan simply is revoking your special treatment of receiving goods due to security concerns. You have been caught being very lacks with your import/export controls, and have been caught more than once illegally supplying NK with goods against UN sanctions NK has launched many missiles in and around the waters surrounding Japan, so Japan has every right to be concerned with your actions. Japan expects you to be a trustful trading partner, but when you violate that trust, there are consequences. Now deal with it like an adult

@Samit Basu & @ Wallace Fred

So you're relying on US intelligence, the same intelligence that said Saddam had WMD and Iraq was involved in 9/11, the same intelligence that said that the Iraq war would end in weeks and that we would be welcomed as liberators, the same intelligence that said Iran attacked a Japanese vessel contrary to what the shipmates on the vessel witnessed, ...the list goes on and on. Please, US intelligence doesn't have a very good track record. Everyone knows the US has an agenda and will say anything without any merit.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3018360/south-korea-demands-proof-japan-over-accusation-it-violated-un

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3004452/south-korean-ship-detained-illegally-trading-north-violation-un

It must be clear to everybody now that Moon is trying to hide his total incompetence to resolve the situation by trying to shift attention attention away from him.

This a telltale sign of weak leadership and I hope the Japanese government doesn't go along with Moon's inflammatory rhetoric which only brings harm to his own people.

Its very sad the overwhelming effect propaganda has on people.

In my international team I have a South Korean staff member, a smart well traveled man, the team gathers in Japan at least once annually.. He said he was worried about coming to Japan.. at first I was confused.. eh why?

People might be anti-Korea in Japan and I had to tell him, no-one here is doing anything like that, you should know that you have visited here countless times.. it is the same as it always is, people are just busy getting on with their own lives and generally not that obsessed with the news. (good or bad...)

He said its huge news here in Korea and people are protesting, banning or protesting Japanese goods..

(I don't get it their loss really.. and hurts local importers and distributors.. their fellow country people)

I said other than the normal black van cowards who are around no matter the current situation there is nothing like that happening here, there is nothing to worry about.

The average Japanese person is most likely just confused as to where all this sudden display deep resentment comes from as there have been periods of very warm support and trade between the countries, and they are aware of the historical issues. Its not that its whitewashed or hidden at all just the average person of today has nothing to do with that time or mindset, their view of Korea is primarily of general support and interest in the entertainment industry there.

(yes yes there is the occasional old crank who has issues but they are everywhere)

The only observation I could make is more than once when I have visited South Korea we couldn't go places because people were protesting the government there.. perhaps its just part of the political makeup there.

Anyway.. just made me sad he was worried and scared for no reason.

South Korea (Moon) thinks relations with Japan not as important as their relations to China and North Korea.  Become allies of China and merge with North Korea. Japan continues to remain as a strong partner of U.S.

This guy Moon is fighting his own “war of the past”. He ego will hurt more of his people financially and economically. He will loose!

SK's action is similar to what went on during the first Sino-Japan war when Japan liberated the Korean peninsula from the Qing dynasty China providing aid and assistance for them to stand up on their own two feet only for them run towards Russia since they ran out of money that Japan had lend them in return for Korean to maintain neutral resulting to the Russo-Japan war.

From there on the Koreans were not trusted by the international community which ultimately resulted in Japan annexing the peninsula.

Oh boy how history repeats itself makes you wonder.

S Korea says it 'won't be defeated again' by Japan

Yes it will.

More and more, this dispute reveals the main issue is the corruption and incompetence of Korea’s own leadership.

This is good. This mini crisis should prevent the incompetent Moon administration from going after the "evil" conglomerates. It also seems like the administration is finally allowing Gumi chemical plants to be re-opened which they had forced shutdown after the 2012 toxic chemical leak.

@Samit Basu

So you don't consider SK violating UN sanctions by supplying NK with goods to be an issue Japan has the right to take action on?

When your past is your future it always turns out bad.

Wallace FredToday  11:20 am JST

Ok let's stop for a second and ponder this. If there was any truth to this absurdity (and there isn't), don't you think the full force of the US would have come down hard ok SoKo by now?

I'm not sure. I think the "full force of the US" should have come down hard on SoKo as soon as that Supreme Court rolled out that judgment. Not only is it bad for relations, but if the United States thought even a little bit about it, it is proposing a horrible view of law that's not advantageous to the US.

Remember, the United States is still actively bombing places. More than other nations, it needs bygones to stay bygones, settlement agreements to be settlement agreements. It doesn't need a world where domestic courts can void or bypass international agreements to extort assets from American companies or worse, to imprison Americans on the grounds that national-level and individual level are different or similar dung.

You might also remember that the "full force of Japan" did not come down on SoKo.

There is no doubt that Japan and Korea have a troubled past. Let's hope for the best for both countries.

Wallace FredToday  12:34 pm JST

And this right here is ignorance personified regarding the three separate independent forms of government.

If a decision is bad, it is bad. Immunity cannot be claimed due to an internal organizational doctrine. VCLT makes it clear internal law cannot be used to justify noncompliance.

NZ2011 Today  10:27 am JST

The definitions of anti-Korean is rather broad in this link. Free evaluation of evidence - a person has the right to say that she doesn't believe the testimony, without necessarily being anti-Korean.

And let's face it, those breasts on that statue were hanging low. Why should that manifest fact be "filtered"?

Japan and Koreas need to work together to solve the Pacific region's problems.  Russia seems to be more of a threat.

"@SJToday 12:33 pm JST

@Cogito Ergo Sum Today  11:56 am JST

The J gov has really done a wonderful job of miseducating its citizenry. In fact, if real history be taught, they( citizens) might be shocked to know that they are themselves Korean. Without Koreans there'd be no Japanese, as during the 3 kingdom states of Silla, Baekje and Goguryo (?) the Baekje ran to Japan after defeat by Sills & Tang alliance and settled mostly in West Japan ( Kyushu, Osaka) the Silla people also came and settled mostly on the Eastern side.

Yes. Japaneses do not want to know their roots, although their origins were elucidated about 20 years ago by western anthropologists: https://discovermagazine.com/1998/jun/japaneseroots1455/"

did you even read the article yourself@SJ?

Jomon and Kofun were already there, you know @Cogito

I wonder if South Korea will show up for next year's Tokyo Olympics. If they do it certainly will put a lot more pressure on Japanese athletes when they compete against South Korea on their home turf.

"We won't be defeated by Japan again," Moon told his cabinet, pointedly invoking South Korea's difficult history with Japan, which colonized the Korean peninsula before World War Two.

Japan was doing fine in the Edo until people came wanting to sell their stuff. There were no giant signs of No Soliciting but they were needed. Then Japan just starts emulating what other imperialist countries do without ever thinking that these are your neighbors. Other imperial countries can pack their bags, decolonize, and go home. You get to live right next to them. There is a buffer zone of bodies of water half way across the globe for them. Japan only has the Sea of Japan or the East Sea and fall well within the range of missiles. Japan didn’t think. It just does what other countries do.

Once you colonise, you destroy the country, displace its citizens, and create racial wars. Not allowing people to speak their language and waging an all out war on Korean culture is what is making it hard for the Koreans forget the past, not as if there is something inherently wrong with the people themselves. Citizens remind themselves of the past by putting labels on goods that read “this product is made by a Japanese war criminal company.”

It is always better to build mutually beneficial relationships for sustainable trade and not for one’s own selfish land-grab.

Complex issue. Im no cheer leader for Japan as I have heard many of them say terrible things about Chinese and Koreans but agreed, seems South Korea leadership is making things worse. I can understand their hyper sensitivity however. Japan did some very terrible things to them in the past.

NZ2011 Today  10:27 am JST

What anti-Korea propaganda? There are some fringe groups here and there but.. I genuinely don’t know what you are talking about.

https://youtu.be/Mcx4hpBowtA

@Dukeleto

As always this is about politicians and their “do anything” ethos to stay in power.

Korean presidency is for one term. Moon isn't like Abe.

Wallace Fred

don't you think the full force of the US would have come down hard ok SoKo by now?

Instead, the US was willing to certify the ROK of full sanctions compliance but Japan ignored US offer, because this had nothing to do with sanctions compliance or security and everything to do with Japan's retaliation on Korean forced laborer ruling.

Why would SK boycott Olympics ? Japan is a neighbor and have this happy event, we should all celebrate with the neighbors. Politics is politics, history is history, as tomorrow is tomorrow.

@BlackFlagCitizen

SK, this isn't a war, or fight going on.

It IS considered an economic war in Korea started by Abe san.

@BlackFlagCitizen

So you don't consider SK violating UN sanctions by supplying NK with goods to be an issue Japan has the right to take action on?

Korea did no such thing, as CERTIFIED BY THE US. Korea's export control is top class, it is Japan's that is problematic. North Korea imported materials needed for nuclear development from Japan as Japan's export control is lax.

The only UN sanctions violation cited is the importation of North Korean coal that was shipped with false origin certificate from Russia.

Ignore whatever Abe san says for your sanity.

I think the "full force of the US" should have come down hard on SoKo as soon as that Supreme Court rolled out that judgment. 

And this right here is ignorance personified regarding the three separate independent forms of government.

Everyone knows the US has an agenda and will say anything without any merit.

True. Now replace US with Abe's regime

So you don't consider SK violating UN sanctions by supplying NK with goods to be an issue Japan has the right to take action on?

Ok let's stop for a second and ponder this. If there was any truth to this absurdity (and there isn't), don't you think the full force of the US would have come down hard ok SoKo by now? How is it that you can continue to spew unsubstantiated propaganda willy nilly? Didn't you learn anything from the iraq debacle? Why do blinders always stay on when it's issues regarding SoKo and japans appalling inability to accept responsibility in a manner that doesn't require having to dredge up history over and over again? Seriously,why?

@Cogito Ergo Sum Today  11:56 am JST

The J gov has really done a wonderful job of miseducating its citizenry. In fact, if real history be taught, they( citizens) might be shocked to know that they are themselves Korean. Without Koreans there'd be no Japanese, as during the 3 kingdom states of Silla, Baekje and Goguryo (?) the Baekje ran to Japan after defeat by Sills & Tang alliance and settled mostly in West Japan ( Kyushu, Osaka) the Silla people also came and settled mostly on the Eastern side.

Yes. Japaneses do not want to know their roots, although their origins were elucidated about 20 years ago by western anthropologists: https://discovermagazine.com/1998/jun/japaneseroots1455/

Fine, if Japan doesn't want to trade goods with South Korea they can remove them from all the lists.

What I think should be done trade deal between South Korea, China, Russia and European Union. So that loosers Donald Trump and Abe can get their countries in more recession.

Please put some adults in the room neither are being even adolescent at the moment. I can't move unless you do, you cant move unless I do. And it's South Korea not even a whole Korea but Cudos even being half way more powerful that Japan. There you go a starting point.

Japan's move on SK, whilst on paper made due to alleged security concerns, was in response to a recent SK court decision which was independent of the government or any politician.

Way for SK to respond:

1) Issue the highest grade of travel warning to its own citizens travelling to Japan, urging them to only travel if necessary and with extreme caution, alleging radiation fears and widespread distribution of Fukushima produce especially in Japanese chain restaurants such as Yoshinoya.

2) Threaten to pull out of Tokyo Olympics alleging serious mismanagement of radioactive contamination in Japan, including cover-ups by the government. Raise concern over plans to hold some games in Fukushima. This needs to be timed well, in the months leading up to the event.

3) Develop raw materials for memory chips domestically as well as source them from other countries, and gradually drop Japan from its list of countries where they import materials.

4) Boycott Japanese goods and travel. SK accounts for about 25% of foreign visitors to Japan, and is neck and neck with China as the no. 1 source of foreign visitors, but already some Japanese tourist towns are suffering due to drops in visitor numbers.

In Shimane, about 20 percent of all foreigners who stayed in the prefecture last year were from South Korea. "If this situation continues, we will suffer serious damage in the summer holiday season," said an official of Shimane Prefecture.

https://japantoday.com/category/national/s.-korean-cities-suspend-exchange-programs-with-japan-amid-tensions

When the move backfires on Japan and it will, Abe will be shown to be the moron he is.

Both Moon and Abe are capable men, proud northeast Asians. Moon has better understanding of history and Abe is good at destructive economics.