Japan demolished the monument to Korean workers, and South Korea did not dare to speak out

Mondo games Updated on 2024-02-10

The city of Takasaki in Japan's Gunma Prefecture recently began to demolish a monument to South Korean workers in the park, triggering a strong ** from North Korea, but South Korea did not show much of a reaction. Analysts believe that South Korea has chosen to ignore the issue because Yoon Suk-yeol's side is seeking a stronger, secure relationship with Japan.

The monument was erected in 2004 by a civic group to commemorate Koreans who were forcibly recruited to work for Japanese companies during the Japanese colonial period from 1910 to 1945.

The monument takes the form of a stone wall with the words "Remembrance, Reflection, and Friendship" written in Korean, Japanese, and English, and a four-meter-high golden pillar inlaid on a concrete base. Tourists often leave anti-war messages next to the monument, as well as origami cranes, which symbolize peace.

But the monument was quickly criticized by conservatives as "anti-Japanese." Another group claimed that the memorial became the focus of politically motivated activity, violating the county's conditional support for the memorial.

In 2014, the county ** determined that some of the remarks made during the commemoration in previous years were political in nature and violated the original conditions of the monument. Some of the controversial statements were that the South Koreans were "forcibly taken away" to work for Japanese companies.

When the county refused to extend the permits for the monument after 10 years, the civic groups that built and managed the monument sued the locality.

In April last year, civic groups were ordered to remove the monument, but they ignored the order. On January 25, Gunma Prefecture Governor Kazuta Yamamoto said at a news conference that civic groups had "repeatedly violated the conditions of the monument" and turned it into a "political controversy."

North Korea strongly condemned Japan's demolition of the monument, calling it "a blasphemy of history and a provocation to the South Korean people." North Korea also threatened that if Japan continued to do so, it would "pay a heavy price."

South Korea, on the other hand, did not react as violently as North Korea, but only expressed "regret". South Korean spokesman Choi Tae-hyung said at a press conference on January 29 that South Korea "hopes that Japan and local governments will respect and protect the dignity and historical justice of the Korean people."

South Korea also did not pay much attention to this issue, but paid more attention to other political issues of Yoon Suk-yeol, such as the upcoming scandal of the Diablo scandal.

Analysts believe South Korea has chosen to keep a low profile because Yoon Suk-yeol is trying to improve relations with Japan to counter the North Korean threat, as well as complex relations with the United States and China.

After taking office in March 2023, Yoon Suk-yeol expressed his willingness to repair relations with Japan, despite deep differences between the two countries on issues such as history, ** and territory.

Yoon Suk-yeol has proposed a controversial plan to use South Korean funds to compensate Korean laborers forcibly recruited by Japanese companies during wartime to settle a long-standing dispute between the two countries. Yoon also said he was willing to hold a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to promote dialogue and cooperation between the two countries.

However, the Japanese side did not respond positively to Yoon's friendly gestures, but continued to stick to its position, believing that South Korea should abide by the previous agreement and should not make new demands.

Japan has also imposed sanctions on South Korea, such as restricting exports to South Korea and refusing to participate in some international conferences hosted by South Korea.

Therefore, although Yoon Suk-yeol has shown a willingness to improve relations with Japan, relations between the two countries remain at an impasse with no substantial progress.

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