Lee more hardline on Japan than Yoon in South Korea presidential race

Go! Yoon!

Go! Yoon!

I understand your enthusiasm in the context of this article but both Mr. Yoon and his wife are right wing nut jobs. He used his position as Public Prosecutor to file charges against political opponents and is accused of trying to rig a mayoral election in Ulsan. He was suspended for interfering with investigations of family members and close associates. His wife's mother was recently indicted for fraud. He vows to repeal the current 52 hour work week, advocating for a 120 hour work week. He thinks food safety standards should be relaxed so poor people can buy substandard food. He claims Korea's low birth rate is due to feminism and has stated there was no radiation leak at Fukushima because the reactors didn't collapse. He says he will demand the US bring its nuclear weapons back to South Korea, a move the US flatly rejects. His wife Kim Kun-hui said in a public meeting that reporters critical of her husband would be jailed and critical media outlets prosecuted. Don't hold your breath thinking this fellow is going to be the next President of ROK.

I meant, Go! Away Yoon!

Unfortunately, the presidential candidates for Korea are looking quite grim. On one hand, there's Yoon who is a Korean version of Trump. On the other hand, there's Lee who seems to have shady background, connection with gangs and the Chinese government. Many Koreans are feeling discouraged to vote given that all the options are terrible.

Lee more hardline on Japan than Yoon in South Korea presidential race

This illustrates that S. Korea is going about this all wrong. Being more less "hardline" isn't the way to go about creating friendly ties with your neighbor.

Abe more hardline on Korea

Unfortunately, the presidential candidates for Korea are looking quite grim. On one hand, there's Yoon who is a Korean version of Trump. On the other hand, there's Lee who seems to have shady background, connection with gangs and the Chinese government. Many Koreans are feeling discouraged to vote given that all the options are terrible.

This seems to be a trend across the democratic world. I see the same problem in most elected governments today. It seems the very nature of governance as it is currently practiced repels honest people of good will and attracts only the most extreme and / or most dishonest. Nobody with a sense of decency wants to put themselves through the degrading rituals of the campaign or suffer the many lies and insults directed at themselves and their families or the intense media scrutiny. Normal people want no part of it so you don't seem to see to many normal people running for office at any level of government. The result seems to be freak shows across the democratic world.

Quite frankly I think the Japanese government couldn't give a toss who wins the Korean election, they have far more important things to think about.

@Desert Tortoise

This is, I think, a big problem of representative democracy as a whole. Those elected need to present solutions to complex problems in a very simple way. Therefore, "hardline on Japan" becomes little more than a distraction from actual issues that affect Koreans daily. Just like western politicians can use anti-immigration rhetoric or "wokeness" , or Japanese politicians use inconsequential talk about separate spouse surnames as an easy way to send out a message and gain power and influence without actually dealing with real issues. No decent person who stands for anything would want to be a part of that, leaving jobs that affect the lives of millions to power-hungry, spineless opportunists.

Mmm... what a choice. Which chocolate should I choose?

a) hardline on Japan

b) more hardline on Japan.

Roll up folks, and cast your votes!

Quote:"Whoever wins, it will be positive if Mr. Kishida shows a goodwill gesture to the new South Korean government such as supporting Seoul's bid for a TPP membership," said Lee Seong Hyon"

I don't think so, Korean Squid games tactics again.

You want Japan's support to join the TPP???

S.Koreans turn to make gestures of goodwill after breaking promises and agreements time and again!

Absurd logic mr. Lee Seong Hyon.... You cheat, lie, break promises and agreements, Then expect Japan to make the gesture of GoodWill for the 56th time, Japan has apologies, paid compensation, had to think about Asia, while S.Korea is obsessed with Japan, comfort women and now again slave labor, since nothing we signed with S. Korea is worth anything. Toilet paper has more value.

This illustrates that S. Korea is going about this all wrong. Being more less "hardline" isn't the way to go about creating friendly ties with your neighbor.

very true.

However, I don't think that's the name of the game here in Asia. In Asia, cussing out your neighbors and thumping your chest like King Kong about to fight Godzilla is the the norm. And they all do it, the Koreas, Japan, China. Doesn't matter.

Sad but true.

Japan has inflicted unbearable pain and miserable to the Korean for many centuries, even now Japan refused to make sincerely apology to neighbouring countries, that's why everyone hates you. Until now some Japanese rightist driving their black vans with loud speakers chanting racist and hostile languages especially attacking Koreans!

With Lee to be the next president of Republic of Korea, he has a full knowledge of Chinese studies, the future is bright for North East Asia and the Korean peninsula!

We should be friends, buy SK semiconductors and resale them to USA for a tidy profit. Neighbours should be friends.

Hardline or whatever, South Korean Government must admit and apologize to Japan FIRST! for all the fake narratives built up on tons of Lies by so-called victims who have been fooled the entire world. Jail those role players responsible for world-wide historical fraud! Shame on you.

Until now some Japanese rightist driving their black vans with loud speakers chanting racist and hostile languages especially attacking Koreans!

Did you know that many of these right-wing organizations are run by yakuza organizations, and some are even led by Koreans?

They are called Gaisen-uyoku (propaganda right wing) and were created by yakuza organizations to disguise themselves as right wing groups.

A famous right-wing group called Shokon-juku (松魂塾) is run by a yakuza organization called Kyokuto-kai, and both groups are headed by a Korean, Shinichi Matsuyama (조규화).

Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who has written many articles on the yakuza, has also written about this fact.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-the-yakuza-behind-caroline-kennedy-death-threats

While ostensibly supporting a return to an Emperor based constitution and being extremely nationalist, a large number of its members are Korean-Japanese.

Japan has inflicted unbearable pain and miserable to the Korean for many centuries, even now Japan refused to make sincerely apology to neighbouring countries, that's why everyone hates you. Until now some Japanese rightist driving their black vans with loud speakers chanting racist and hostile languages especially attacking Koreans!

Japan has apologized and paid multiple times.

Meanwhile, Moon dissolved the comfort women fund that Japan started, and South Korea is indoctrinating its children to hate Japan. There was a train station that displayed crayon drawings of Japan being bombed. The district of Gyeonggi proposed putting stickers on Japanese products in classrooms that say, “This device was made by a war criminal”. After the Tohoku Earthquake, some Koreans hanged a banner celebrating the earthquake at an AFC Champions game. A survey in South Korea found that almost half of all South Koreans would side with North Korea in a war against Japan, while 40% said "I don't know".

I'd still take a Korean politician over a Japanese politician.

Japanese politician apologies are worthless as long as they visit the Yasukini shrine to war criminals.

Where are the Japanese shrines to the millions killed by the Japanese military?

When will Japanese politicians lay wreaths regularly to those shrines? Non Japanese want to know.

Going forward any Japanese apology must be passed by the Japanese legislature to make it permanent and any white washing of Japanese war crimes and atrocities, visiting Yasukini or sending flowers there must be made illegal. Also hate speech against Koreans must also be made illegal. The samurai mentality held my the corrupt political elite in Japan must be stamped out.

Actually it’s the average Japanese that is suffering too from the elite’s corruption and incompetence.

Japan has apologized and paid multiple times.

Not really. Japan's "apologies" always come off half hearted and couched in ways to deny full culpability, fingers crossed behind their back. Japan needs to follow the lead of the Germans who to this day send delegations of both civilian diplomats and military officers to the commemorations held at the sites of their worst barbarities to lay a wreath, apologize for what their ancestors did and assure the locals that the Germany of today will never do anything like that again in the future. It has worked well for Germany and they are widely trusted. For Japan that would mean visits to China, Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Pearl Harbor at the very least. Germany sends delegations every year to Auschwitz so don't tell me Japan cannot do the same at the sites of their greatest wartime atrocities.

 Also hate speech against Koreans must also be made illegal.

Yeah, but what about hate speech against Japanese by Koreans, including the Zainichi?

That's allowed according to your logic???

Desert TortoiseToday  10:30 am JST

Japan has apologized and paid multiple times.

Not really. Japan's "apologies" always come off half hearted and couched in ways to deny full culpability, fingers crossed behind their back. Japan needs to follow the lead of the Germans who to this day send delegations of both civilian diplomats and military officers to the commemorations held at the sites of their worst barbarities to lay a wreath, apologize for what their ancestors did and assure the locals that the Germany of today will never do anything like that again in the future. It has worked well for Germany and they are widely trusted. For Japan that would mean visits to China, Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Pearl Harbor at the very least. Germany sends delegations every year to Auschwitz so don't tell me Japan cannot do the same at the sites of their greatest wartime atrocities.

And US, Russia(Soviet), UK, France, NL have followed the lead of the Germans?

Just in case what kind of atrocities took place in South Korea and Thailand, Singapore by the hands of IJA?

Heck South Korea can no longer use such an excuse of "Yasukuni" to hide world-wide the greatest fraud show. It is time for the world to accuse South Korea for making up fake narratives to fool the world for as long as 30+ YEARS!

*For those who always compare Japan with the 3rd Reich, I stress again, Imperial Japan never thought of extinguishing a particular race. Not to mention what they have done to the Jews, Nazis oppressed Polish saying " It's enough for them to be educated up to around 4th grade in elementary school level, if they can count the number up to 500 and can write their own names, it's just enough" It abducted and murdered about a million intelligence in Poland. *However, Polish still preferred to be occupied by Germans rather than Russians because they believed Germany had culture. This is the terrible reality of the humane history.

*Did Japan ever treat, say, Korea like that? Japan ended slavery over there and introduced compulsory education for every children including those unable to attend the school due to their ex-slave status or poverty. The 2nd Imperial University was established in Korea even before Osaka Imperial University. Oh Yes I don't doubt Japanese then had some kind superiority complex over them.* But Comparison of Japan and Germany IS totally ridiculous.

@kennyG

The only fake narrative is the constant anti Korean sentiment that you constantly push along with a few other regular far right posters on JT. Your revisionist Japanese history is the fake news. Imperial Japan did some bad stuff and there are still people alive that remember it or grew up in the aftermath of it.