Korea vs. Japan: There’s No Sex In Whaling
“Are you Russian?” asked a middle-aged Korean man hopefully to an American English teacher. Translation: are you a prostitute?
“Are you Japanese?” she retorted. And that was that.
It’s the best rebuff I’ve heard to the bevy of Korean men who equate blonde hair with instant gratification. But why did it repel him with such shear efficiency? Or, put another way, what’s so bad about being called Japanese?
The answer is simple. During WWII, at the end of Japan’s 35-year colonization of Korea, Japan started abducting women from all of its occupied territories, Korea especially. These “comfort women,” as they were called, numbered as many as 200,000. They became sex slaves for Japanese military men.
Today, the Japanese government still refuses to apologize or even fully admit to using sex slaves. But Koreans have still not forgotten.
The international scorn being heaped on Japan for its flagrant violation of whaling treaties must therefore be somewhat gratifying to Koreans. The erstwhile humiliator is humiliating itself.
In fact, Koreans are probably tickled pink. At a local restaurant I went to last night, what else should be on TV (there is a TV mounted on the wall at most restaurants) but a very gory documentary of Japanese whaling. The exposé followed the bloody trail from the whaling vessel to the meat market, where the whale meat is packaged and sold.
Now I know that Korea has its own whaling history and even today it’s not impossible to find whale meat this side of the East Sea. Still, Korea has largely honored the 1982 whaling ban that was meant to boost dwindling whale populations. If not, at least it’s been more diplomatic about its indiscretions.
For further reading:
Japan Backs Down | EcoWorldly
Australia Combats Japanese Whaling | EcoWorldly
Photo: Wildphotons via Flickr
It’s not exactly clear that the women were abducted and weren’t just normal prostitutes. It’s important to realise that anything claimed by China or Korea about Japan’s actions during WW2 is bound to be hugely exaggerated or completely false. Same goes for Japanese right wingers but at least in Japan there are two sides to the debate (Japanese left wingers are very extreme in their criticism of pre-war Japan) and there is independent academic research, something you are not going to get in a communist autocracy like China.
Anyway, you are probably right that some Koreans feel quite smug about this whole business and I see you believe you have found an ally. But I bet you eco-freaks won’t be very happy to hear that Koreans eat dog meat! Of course there is nothing wrong with eating an animal just because it is “cute” or “beautiful” to some people but that’s exactly the argument you usually hear against whaling or dolphin hunting.
I don’t deny that there were some people who might be involved in unhappy events in the circumstance of annexation era of Korea, and who might have to work under poor working conditions such as so called “sex slaves”. In general, “comfort women” you say were not “sex slaves” but an occupation working for the imperial military solders. They also got salaries and some regular health checks to have to work under the governmental authority. Point is that whether there might be enforcement for Korean women (some Japanese women) by Japanese government or not. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been revealed so far. Korean women who came out “sex slaves” accuse Japanese government. In reality, it is evidence that some private procuress agencies existed, and acted misbehaviors similar to abduction or human traffics. What I want to say is that it is no matter of the number of the people. I hope that you would see historical matter staying behind between two countries and surrounding the situation at that time. It is the same as you figure out your modern western history which was occured just about 100 years ago.
You can see a lot of information in terms of “comfort women” in Wikipedia (English site). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women This site is useful for the people who want to know once over lightly what it happened, because content is written relatively at the neutral stance. You may grab a whole story from the subject. I hope that you can see something with a bird eye’s view.
PS. I’m not good at writing English.
Behind The Comfort Women Controversy: How Lies Became Truth
PDF
http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL02_1/39_S4.pdf
text
http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL02_1/39_S5.txt
Please read if there is time.
Yoshi, thanks for the perspective and the link to Wikipedia. I admit that I’m an outsider to the issue, so I can only write with the perspective that I’ve learned here in South Korea.
David, yes, some Koreans eat dog meat. I think a lot of people are aware of that. I say some because it seems to be increasingly unpopular with those I’ve talked to and the younger generations. Increasingly, Koreans are seeing dogs as pets instead. But dog is also eaten in other countries, like in some parts of China.
However, the issue with whales is not that they are cute or just majestic. As the article mentions, “the 1982 whaling ban that was meant to boost dwindling whale populations.”
That said, I’ve been reading about some really fascinating research being done with whales and dolphins lately (not the fake whaling research) that might make even a whaler think twice about his prey. For instance, did you know that dolphins have names? http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/060508_dolphins.html From this article: “Scientists say it’s the first time wild animals have been shown to call out their own names.”
>> Still, Korea has largely honored the 1982 whaling ban that was meant to boost dwindling whale populations.<<
Incorrect.
lol. South Korea ‘legally’ caught about 200 whales, including 84 caught in nets last year, while to sustain 100 of whale restaurants in South Korea, they need 400 whales per year. Thus, the rest of the half are poached. Even some of the ‘lotto whales’ were alleged to be intentional catch.
http://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?Total_ID=3008656
I think SK voted against lifting the ban just to harass Japan. Pretty decent.
And 200,000 young “Korean” women.. I also looking for the source in http://www.comfort-women.org/. Did you find it there? Usually, 200,000 is the total number. The source of “200,000 of Korean women” most possibly comes from http://www.womenandwar.net/english/index.php who claim Japan ‘drafted’ comfort women in Korea to make 200,000 while both Korean ex-’drafted’ women (that was actually voluntary-base labor conscription) and AWF deny the existence such conscription system. The ex-’drafted’ women even sued Japan because those Koreans claim that Japanese ‘drafted’ comfort women. I think they should sue those Koreans if they want to stop those guys saying so. (”A 12-old Korean girl forced to work as a comfort woman” is coming from this ‘drafted’ volunteer corps while that actually did usual labor.)
http://news.naver.com/hotissue/daily_read.php?section_id=102&office_id=143&article_id=0000078498
An interesting thing is I never heard the parents who was killed by evil Japanese kidnapping their daughters. Did they just watching? Actually not. Professor emeritus of Seoul university points out that half of the recruiters were Korean and he urged that how can those many Koreans were ‘forced’ such kidnapping.
http://www.dailyseop.com/section/article_view.aspx?at_id=52265
Professor of Sejong university also commented that Koreans were also responsible for selling their daughters for money.
http://www.dailyseop.com/section/article_view.aspx?at_id=55452
“A mysterious law” is believed between the Japanese right-winger.
It is a law that “a host dies out when add Korea to a friend”.
Please take care of oneself.
Actually its true. Although whale meat is still available due to Japanese imports, you still have to go out of your way into the black market to find it.
This article shows that Korean is shitter.
The sex slaves are COMFORT WOMEN.
there are many evidence that indicate Korean says many ackamaracka.
and You can see many Korean comfort women if you go to US.
Korean comfort women exsist now as well as old time.
Check your facts. Japan has apologized on a whole array of occasions. The Emperor himself apologized at the Marco Polo bridge in China. Equating whaling with comfort women is belittling to those women who did suffer. I am not an apologist for Japan, but you really have to be responsible in what you write.