There are two sides of every action. The receiver of an action and the performer of an action. No exception.
Year 1910 I'm going to write shortly on is the year that marked two different actions. One party simply took over some other party. The side that has been taken over, started to think of rebellion. At that time rebellion was out of possibilities.
The year I'm writing about is the year of annexation of Korea by Japanese army, and therefore state. And now we are the witnesses of 100th year's anniversary of that tragic year.
Japanese people believed their mission is to rule over Asia with Japan as the head of it (this is not mine, Konoe Fumimaro said in his first speech after taking the First Minister office, that Japan has a mission to accomplish - to build Asia for Asians. Yes it was over 20 years later, but it didn't happen from nothing).
Today, a hundred years after annexation, both of the countries sharing the same history, but from different angles, are in the blind alley. Japan never officially recognized annexation as such; still in history books it is called “protection” (yes, I heve few articles on it in Japanese), Koreans can’t forgive what had happened back then (and there still is unsolved problem of so called “comfort women”). This is the challenge for both nations and leaders to encompass the hatred that still lies deep in the Korean Strait.
At the meeting of Lee Myung Bak (born December 1941 in Osaka, btw.) and Yukio Hatoyama last year, both leaders spoke on the future of Korea-Japan relationship. Year 2010 marks sad anniversary for Koreans, but it is still hard to accept by Japanese side. I hope, for the sake of the region, that this can be solved.
Image taken from: Korea Times
