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S Korea drops description of Japan as 'partner' in defense white paper

42 Comments

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So much for Moon's speech about improving ties with Japan. South Korea cares more about war crimes that happened over seventy years ago than they do about protecting millions of lives from nuclear war, which they made clear when they threatened to pull out of GSOMIA and lied about consulting the U.S.

40 ( +49 / -9 )

Petty as usual from Korea. Moon is clearly being controlled by his puppet master, Communist China.

Until Koreans drop the brainwashed non-stop hatred they have for all Japanese, they will never move forward to become amything other than a tributary state of China.

36 ( +45 / -9 )

Again, Again.. Should moving forward rather than backward.

29 ( +34 / -5 )

Next South Korea will describe Japan as a foe. It has happened that South Korea is Japan's number one military threat. Japan should prevent the USA from using their bases to defend South Korea. Worse the USA will not help defend Japan from South Korea.

8 ( +21 / -13 )

When will South Korea learn from their tough education system? Youngs are controlled by the Senior Government.

12 ( +20 / -8 )

When will South Koreans eventually wake up to what Moon and the other politicians are doing? When the armies of the CCP and DPRK are marching across the 38th parallel and towards Seoul?

History is just that. History! And yes, politicians from both side are just as bad as one another. But Japan isn't the enemy that you want them to be, or the threat that you think they are....

18 ( +25 / -7 )

Who cares what South Korea thinks?

9 ( +20 / -11 )

When will South Korea learn from their tough education system? Youngs are controlled by the Senior Government.

Perhaps South Korea's education system is honest and factual.

As for Japan, I do not regard Japan as anything special or unique, but there is one thing about Japan which has always intrigued me, and that is it's ability of self denial.

-15 ( +14 / -29 )

South Korea, what a despicable country concerning the government and its brainwashing techniques towards historical education and unfortunately also in disinforming the world. I feel really bad for the people there who know better but cannot speak up due to concerns of harassment.

18 ( +27 / -9 )

share the basic values of liberal democracy 

share?? neither has it..

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Time for the US to re-examine it's support for South Korea. If South Korea wants to break apart the US-JPN-SK military alliance, a necessity to enable the U.S. to protect South Korea, then they can go at it alone with North Korea and China. We made a effort to patch up the CW issue in 2015 under the Obama adninistration, and what was hailed as "Permanent and Irreversible" was promptly ripped up by Moon. This anti-Japan obsession has reached a point where it no longer benefits the U.S. to defend South Korea. The Biden administration, now faced with an even tougher face off with China doesn't need a bad player on the team.

19 ( +28 / -9 )

Comments condemning Korea’s “non stop hatred of all Japanese” are part of the problem. You think ‘all Japanese’ love Koreans? Both parties are at fault here and when they are all deeply established dinosaurs, then there will never be a resolution.

-12 ( +8 / -20 )

No No No. The problem is those people in SK fabricate a whole set of their lies to support their complete fake Anti-Japan narratives, and they suppress good-minded fair people over there who actually know the truth.....

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0144818820301848

13 ( +21 / -8 )

Interesting to know if US soldiers from bases in Japan meet other ones based in SK, do the sit at the same diner table stateside?

-10 ( +2 / -12 )

I have taught young Japanese and Koreans side by side, and it's beautiful to see them working together, teaming up, and enjoying life together, forging friendships, and sharing ideas. Thank goodness for young people, they change the world, not the dinosaurs.

-5 ( +10 / -15 )

Then we’re not going to allow any part of Japan to be used to reinforce or resupply the Korean Peninsula.

Thanks, guys. You just made our lives easier.

11 ( +18 / -7 )

Some of these " cooperation " themes are just convenient trojan horses that may be used for more insidious objectives. Does Japan have to shriek at every nuance SK makes ? They could just have overlooked this or make moves of their own in silence. By REPEATEDLY pointing out every inconsequential move SK makes, it seems to me, like Japan is seeking portray SK as petty, and seems to have worked really well, even among many posters here.* Is it just possible that Japan is conditioning the world to hate SK? *

Is it improbable, that you, the poster here, has been, by being fed every little nothing about SK, been unwittingly conditioned, to hate it ?

-15 ( +4 / -19 )

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was mistaken in saying Japan should brace for a 5 years of cold relation with South Korea. Seems like it'll be worse than that, with how the South favors the North over its East neighbor.

I look forward to seeing where that childish country stands in the eventual WW3 within the next few decades.

12 ( +17 / -5 )

Does anyone really care ?

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

South Korea's description of North Korea in the white paper remained unchanged from the previous one, which deleted the word "enemy" to reflect an improvement in inter-Korean relations following several summits between their leaders in 2018.

This point is more crucial, shouldn't be overlooked.

The Korean Navy has yet to apologize for its radar-lock on dispute while their lies are obvious.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Watching this and other news over the past couple of years it really seems very possible that South Korea is making a slow, steady, and firm turn towards alignment with China while simultaneously doing whatever they can to maintain amicable or better said tolerable relations with Japan and other potential trading partners.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Let them be the slave of china..

14 ( +16 / -2 )

They only fear everything north, NK, China, Russia. Of course they know that they have more common economically with Japan and the West in general. But if they insist.... Maybe, Japan should make a little turn to Taiwan in that case, which would have also a greater impact on other fields , regarding the big frame and strategic considerations.

13 ( +15 / -2 )

At this rate, Western nations better consider treating South Korea the same way as Pakistan after the Osama Bin Laden incident. That's the fate of any country that becomes far too unreliable in world trade and geopolitics. I wouldn't be surprised if a good chunk of Southeast Asia, Indonesia and perhaps even Taiwan reap the benefits should Japan and the West turn their sights elsewhere. We have no time for unreliable players in this game.

You know what makes me laugh about the South Korean government as a whole? They sell pack of lies while a big chunk of their population can't even make ends meet. Meanwhile, they have forgotten what they used to be at the founding of the country: staunch anti-communists, a number of pro-Americans, and many former soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army. So much for them calling out others about forgetting past history.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Watching this and other news over the past couple of years it really seems very possible that South Korea is making a slow, steady, and firm turn towards alignment with China while simultaneously doing whatever they can to maintain amicable or better said tolerable relations with Japan and other potential trading partners.

Actually Several S.Korean individuals, academia +conservatives finally rose in revolt claiming that SK's own fake narratives are the cancer of all these mess. They are fighting against all odds. The posters here would be surprised with lies over lies in it's historical/present narratives. They know, without help of Japan/US/UN, they wouldn't be like what they are now. God bless them.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

This will be fun in East Asia.

North + South Korea will definitely launch nukes towards Japan if there is a golden chance.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Korea saying one thing few weeks ago, then going full 100% anti-Japan!

 I Dont trust S. Korea, not reliable. Never was!

They are NOT part of Quad Alliance to balance China.

Korea wants to be in the middle: Don't take sides.

-Don't have to worry about Tibet

-Don't have to worry about Muslims in China.

-Don't have to talk about or defend Taiwan.

-Don't care about Hong Kong.

-Don't care about India/Hindus dying at the border with China.

-Don't care about freedom of speech, human rights unless it's in South Korea. Otherwise they have no problem if it's happening in China. I'm disgusted by the Moon administration, by South Korea.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Korea wants to be in the middle: Don't take sides.

Yep. it has always been... except just one time where it chose Japan to be annexed to

4 ( +5 / -1 )

At this rate, Western nations better consider treating South Korea the same way as Pakistan after the Osama Bin Laden incident. 

I don't really think that Western Nations, or any other Nation are too concerned with this local. domestic little spat.

-9 ( +0 / -9 )

South Korea's Defense Ministry dropped its description of Japan as a "partner" in the latest defense white paper published Tuesday, a move painted by local media as a "downgrade" that reflects worsening ties between the two countries. Ok, was the word replaced with "DIVORCED"?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Don't know why SK ever said Japan is a military partner in the first place. Japan has nothing to offer SK militarily, SK gets all of the support that it needs from the United States. SK has a more combat ready and capable military than Japan and the politicians in SK most of whom have military experience are definitely more capable than Japanese politicians in leading a country during wartime. The U.S. Military would use its Bases in Japan to support U.S. Forces in SK in a conflict on the Korean Peninsula regardless of what Japan thinks or says so the bottom line is SK does not need Japan when it comes to fighting a war.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

Maybe we're reading into the revised statement a little too much?

Regardless, politicians always need an enemy to conquer. If the countries are still around a thousand years from now, I'm sure S. Korea leaders will still be reminding the people about the occupation.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

"North + South Korea will definitely launch nukes towards Japan if there is a golden chance"

Let us hope they do while the entire population of Japan is holidaying abroad.

With you, the only remaining soul left in the country.

With "no impunity".

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Interesting to know if US soldiers from bases in Japan meet other ones based in SK, do the sit at the same diner table stateside?

Of course they do. US forces get along fine with the military members of both Japan and the Republic of Korea.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was mistaken in saying Japan should brace for a 5 years of cold relation with South Korea. Seems like it'll be worse than that, with how the South favors the North over its East neighbor.

It's just the current ROK PM. He is fixated on improving relations with DPRK, seemingly at the expense of everything else. He has even asked the US to hold off on joint exercises until he and the US have had a discussion on their approach to the DPRK while the US side is saying the exercises are essential.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Don't know why SK ever said Japan is a military partner in the first place. Japan has nothing to offer SK militarily, SK gets all of the support that it needs from the United States

That support all flows through Japan. Unlike the first Korean War, a second one would probably result in DPRK nuking Japanese cities simply for hosting US forces. Japan will be involved in a second Korean war whether it likes it or not.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Let them be the slave of china..

One side of me tends to agree. Then I look at a map and realize a PRC aligned Korea represents to the security of Japan, combined with the Russians practically within sight of Hokkaido and a shiver goes up my back.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

I don't really think that Western Nations, or any other Nation are too concerned with this local. domestic little spat.

Then you have little to no clue about how geopolitics work. Why do you think the US went to develop and deepen ties with India in recent years despite the fact that Pakistan used to be a reliable ally for 40 years before Abbottabad? That was a fracture point. Unless the Moon administration gets the boot in the next election, the damage he's done to existing alliances in the region (by negotiating with China and the DPRK, and by undermining the key components of the US-JPN-SK deal) may well reach the point of beyond repair.

Don't know why SK ever said Japan is a military partner in the first place. Japan has nothing to offer SK militarily, SK gets all of the support that it needs from the United States

I still remember that strange episode where ROK troops on a peacekeeping mission needed to be supplied by their JASDF colleagues in ammunition though. I was laughing my head off.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

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