East Sea or Sea of Japan: Online Battle With Japan Intensifies

[unreal.livejournal.com]

Online war on East Sea – Japanese netizens argue that East Sea was originally a Japanese territory


Korea and Japan have been on a battle on the petition board [We the People] of the White House website regarding the issue of naming the East Sea, on the 21st of April. The battle has sparked criticism from Japanese netizens against the marking of East Sea, which has since spread rapidly online.

There is a continuous stream of posts on the website 2ch (www.2ch.net) reproaching the petition from Korea to mark the Sea as the East Sea. This website is an anonymous online community with the largest number of simultaneous log-ins in the world.

A Japanese netizen claimed that ‘it is dogmatic of Korea to mark the sea as East Sea, as nowhere else in the East Asia – including Japan, Taiwan and China – refer to it as the East Sea.’

Another netizen rolled out some raw insults, saying that Korea has little influence on the international community, and the East Sea would have been called the Pacific Ocean if Japan didn’t exist.

There were also posts against the name East Sea that instead suggested using the name ‘Gyeong-Hae’, one of the archaic names for the East Sea.

The writer explained that Gyeong-Hae would be suitable, because Japan can accept it as an old name and Korea could approve it since the name doesn’t include the word ‘Japan.’


Japanese netizens are generating a similar stream of criticism on SNS in the country.

A picture file explaining how to sign up on the petition opposing East Sea mark is spreading rapidly on Twitter, and the message encouraging participation in the petition is getting retweeted constantly.

‘Koreans argue that they have called it East Sea since before Christ, but I don’t think they could have grasped the shape of Sea of Japan. Even if they did know [what it looked like], they would have merely called it East Sea only up to the boundary visible to them, not too far from the shore,’ a Japanese Twitter user argued.

Another Twitter user made an absurd comment, saying ‘I don’t know my geography very well, but wasn’t the East Sea originally part of Japanese territory?’

Comments from Naver:

"Ridiculous jerks… The land you guys are living in was originally Korean. We sympathetic Koreans lent the land to you out of pity for your homeless situation, and now you say something is yours when it is not? Vulgar and ignorant people, if you keep insisting, we will bury you at sea. We don’t need the island you guys live in. It’s a piece of land that will be gone anyway without leaving a mark when an earthquake strikes it… It’s easier for us, as things are done without our input. Don’t ask us to forgive and help you out when that happens. Your species should be exterminated completely! It delights me just to think about it. Goodbye, Japan."

"Hey, look, it dumbfounds me to listen to you… Let me summarise this. What does ‘originally’ mean in history, anyway? Does it then make sense [for us] to say, ‘Give us back that land because it was conquered by the King Gwang-gae-to, so it belongs to South Korea,’ huh? Should I blame the sheer nonsense that you are spitting out to the radioactivity or what… I am Korean, but Korean netizens shouldn’t just swear [at the Japanese]. We don’t have to lower ourselves to their standards! Let’s criticize them intelligently. It’s not difficult to beat the Japanese monkeys without swearing at them."

"Give me just one reason why Japan shouldn’t be treated like a dog."

"Animals are known to respond when they feel a natural disaster coming."

Source: koreabang

Comments

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

This bullshit is getting old
PRIORITIES PEOPLE: both Japan and Korea have more urgent things to deal with


"Give me just one reason why Japan shouldn’t be treated like a dog."
"Animals are known to respond when they feel a natural disaster coming."

Really now?

[ari-meh.livejournal.com]

ugh, all of this xenophobia disgusts me.
those last few netizen comments reminded me of when i was studying in beijing and news of the japanese earthquake came up everywhere.. my korean classmates were joyous D:

[nissy-angel.livejournal.com]

So were many of my relatives and people at my school. They were all like " It's Karma, they deserves it." etc

[ari-meh.livejournal.com]

it's maddening... so many innocent lives were lost. i understand the grudge against japan but really? those were precious lives ):

[nissy-angel.livejournal.com]

It might be easy for us(the younger genreation to understand). But for the elderly it's harder. Doesn't help that the Japanese aren't exactly trying to appologise.
I guess if you think of Germany and what they did in WWI and WWII. You'd understand why so many held grudges against them.
What the Japanese did was just horrifying. I'm Chinese and to this day there are still shows/movies that are based on the war ect. And I remember I used to study a poems, songs and stories when I was little that talked about what the Japanese did.

[nissy-angel.livejournal.com]

Nope. Chinese and English.

[muzegrey.livejournal.com]

I don't know which Koreans you knew, but the ones I knew were totally sympathetic.

[kohaku-chuu.livejournal.com]

Seriously, don't they have anything better to do than argue about something so indescribably unimportant??

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

The history is very deep-reaching and difficult to grasp if you haven't experienced something similar. It's not just the matter of a body of water, but Korea's frustration over literally thousands of years of Japanese imperialism. The way they see it, Japan has never stopped trying to conquer them, whether by military action of the past or the political means of today. That's why they're not gonna let up on this.

[kohaku-chuu.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know....from my point of view as an outsider it just seems like something unimportant, but from theirs it's probably more than just a name-change...still, there are so many more important things to fix in their own country, I can't help rolling eyes at that matter...

[hisjulliet.livejournal.com]

I bet they're exhausted by their inhumane hatred towards one another

[soundczech.livejournal.com]

WHY DO THESE SITES REPORT WHAT NETIZENS SAY

NETIZENS ARE MOSTLY BORED AND CRAZY

WHO GIVES A SHIT

I REALISE THE IRONY OF THIS COMMENT BUT I'M ALSO A LITTLE DRUNK SO I DON't GIVE A SHIT

[unbroken-glass.livejournal.com]

it sounds to me as if Korea has an inferiority complex lol. Of course, Japanese imperialism was an inhumane reign, but seriously, let things go already. And the comments from the netizens made me lose my faith in humanity. The Japanese ones were already quite bad, then I scrolled further down and read the Korean netizens' comment and I WTF-ed. Seriously, how do these kind of people exist?

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

I really don't agree with any of the netizen comments quoted in this article either but:

Of course, Japanese imperialism was an inhumane reign, but seriously, let things go already.
Do you really understand the magnitude of the first part of your own sentence? It's extremely disrespectful to tell people who've been oppressed that a) it's their fault they feel that way ('inferiority complex'.....smh) and b) to suck it up and move on, especially if they feel as if their oppression is ongoing.

[unbroken-glass.livejournal.com]

I'm from a SEA country that has been oppressed by Japan, in fact many of my relatives were killed by the Japanese. I'm not saying it's their fault they feel that way, just what a previous user saying that the Koreans are not going to let them up on this. Issues should be resolved, but what I mean is in order to have a future, if past relationships cannot be healed and both parties cannot let go of their hate, there will always be this issue. That's all. I'm not putting blame on any party, and I think your comment about me being disrespectful is out of line seeing as um, Japan's reign in my country was probably just as bad, or perhaps worse than their reign in Korea, considering how much hatred the Japanese had for Chinese people back then.

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

That previous user was me, so at least we agree on that aspect. Personally, I think that when you suggest someone has an inferiority complex it's a form of blame, and as such, disrespectful. I stand by that. But if you say that wasn't your intention then alright.

what I mean is in order to have a future, if past relationships cannot be healed and both parties cannot let go of their hate, there will always be this issue.
I agree with this as well, but it's very naive to think that hate can be let go of just by making a conscious decision to let it go or whatnot because that takes a lot of forgiveness on one end's party first--the party that was oppressed. That forgiveness is going to take a lot of time, and Japan really doesn't make it easy when they themselves are still doing things like undercompensating WWII comfort women or even the relatively recent practice of revisionist textbooks. That's why "small things" like this sea issue is important to Koreans, because it's one of the few things they can still fight for. I would really like to see mutual settlement too, but I think it can also be achieved by letting those who have felt wronged express their dissatisfaction, such as Korea's continued advocating for their version of the sea name. Can it be done in a more diplomatic (read: not like those Naver comments) way? Of course. But what's important is that it the freedom to do so remains.

It's a tragedy that your country was affected as well* (as was mine...by two other imperalist nations as well), but it's also a little surprising in that regard because that would warrant some empathy, or at least the understanding that not everyone copes with oppression in the same way. Great for those in which forgiveness comes quickly. For others, it takes different amounts of time and different kinds of outlets.

(*though it is my observation that it was only during WWII were China and Korea similarly affected by Japan. Otherwise, the Korea-Japan relationship is different and farther-reaching. A more accurate comparison to that one would be the Vietnam-China relationship, in which China plays Japan's role, incidentally enough.)

[yuki-yang.livejournal.com]

their oppression is NOT ongoing
what are you talking about -_-

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

Like I said, I don't think it's tangible or as aggressive/in the form of military initiatives anymore but in moves like this. It's like after millenia of telling a certain people they were subhuman, the greater power is still trying to edge out the lesser for political ground, if not physical. Maybe it is oppression (subtly....which is my opinion) or maybe it isn't (yours). We can both express and defend our viewpoints but ultimately only those who are victimized--and have a history of being so--get to decide how they feel.

[kakkoi-x.livejournal.com]

other nations that have suffered the same oppression by japan for much longer have already "sucked it up and move on", so to speak. a lot of them (such as taiwan) have made up with japan long time ago and even embrace the japanese influence to their culture. not saying korea should feel obligated to do the same but really, korea is not the only country who has been oppressed by japan. other countries have resolved their issues in a better way.

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

Of course Korea isn't the only country to have been oppressed by Japan but it is arguably the one that has been oppressed the MOST and for the longest by Japan. It's like wondering why Taiwan still has tension with China--shouldn't they move on as well? Not as easy to ask for this, because, like Korea-Japan, Taiwan-China conflict is further reaching and presently still suffers strained back-and-forth political rhetoric, like the former. Whatever withstands the most hardship is likely going to take the longest to move on.

Not that I don't agree that there exist better ways to resolve this--there certainly do.

[muzegrey.livejournal.com]

You obviously don't understand why Korea is insecure. Before the ceasefire they hadn't had a long stretch of peace in basically it's whole existence. They have been constantly under attack.

Very few people hates Japanese citizens. But they hate that the government still refuses to totally accept what happened.

[seobyo.livejournal.com]

all this reminds me of this post: omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/8760451.html#cutid1

[mikilove13.livejournal.com]

All this arguing over Dokdo/Takeshima/The Liancourt rocks is just strange to me.

The land you guys are living in was originally Korean. We sympathetic Koreans lent the land to you out of pity for your homeless situation, and now you say something is yours when it is not?
What?

"Give me just one reason why Japan shouldn’t be treated like a dog."
"Animals are known to respond when they feel a natural disaster coming."
Arguments over some uninhabitable islets does not constitute treating an entire group of people like they were animals and not human. These sentences are just ridiculous.

[thewarpedmelody.livejournal.com]

The insults are too much.

[yuki-yang.livejournal.com]

-__________-

japan is awesome regardless

[muzegrey.livejournal.com]

Basically what happened:
It was Korean land.
US divided up the land after WW2.
Now they belong to Japan because US just arbitrarily gave it to Japan in the treaty.

[thewarpedmelody.livejournal.com]

You mean Japan land was actually Korea's land??

[muzegrey.livejournal.com]

I mean that, the Lioncourt Rocks, technically are now Japanese. Though they did belong to Korea before.

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

So you're not taking about the sea anymore...

[muzegrey.livejournal.com]

Sorry, if it was confusing "they" = Lioncourt Rocks.

[thewarpedmelody.livejournal.com]

lol idk if the article just choose the more rational comments from Japan netizens and the less rational comments from Korea netizens, but just by reading the comments, Korea netizens need to calm their tits. They're just so easily worked up and go crazy

[swhyeon1991.livejournal.com]

umm i can just hope this srs bsns issue would be resolved quickly