Korean nationlists hold protest in Tsushima

Occidentalism reports on Korean tourists holding a protest in Tsushima today:

According to the article, at 10:20 am the group of 21 Koreans started protesting in front of the Tsushima town hall, with a banner saying “Dokdo is Korean territory, Taema is also Korean territory” (Taema is the Korean name for Tsushima – the natives call it Tsushima). Some of the protesters bit their fingers to the extent that they were able to pour enough blood on a Korean flag to write “Takeshima is our land” in Hangul.

There were some Japanese counter protesters there with a Japanese flag, and in objecting to the Korean protest some yelled “Koreans are mistaken”, “Tsushima is Japanese territory”, and “Go home!”.

A local worker watching the events commented that he could not understand why the Koreans were protesting in Tsushima, and if they want to object they should go to the national parliament. The mayor said that “It is impossible that Tsushima could be Korean territory. I want them to “withdraw” their incorrect historical awareness. Takeshima is a national problem, and we can’t deal with it in this city. I hope for the development of a future oriented and friendly Japan-Korean interchange”.

This is not the first time Korean groups have claimed that Tsushima should be Korean territory, but this is the first time I’ve heard of an organized protest of this kind being held in Tsushima itself.

There have also been a lot of other developments in the last few days related to the Liancourt Rocks territorial dispute, so please check out some of the links below.

• Japan expresses concern over relations after South Korea snubs envoy over islands dispute – South Korea’s foreign minister refused to meet his Japanese counterpart on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Singapore.
• Seoul’s choice: Busan or Takeshima – Ampontan examines two trends in South Korea’s relationship with Japan.
• Japan-S. Korea islet row spoils more cultural exchanges – more student exchange programs have been cancelled.
• Dokdo Row Triggers Boycott Calls on Japanese Goods – Critics say the intention is naive, but supporters say significant impact is possible considering Korea’s scale of contribution to the neighboring country’s economy.”
• South Korean government to build hotel on Liancourt Rocks – so much for the “Dokdo Nature Reserve.”
• 34 New Bacteria Types Discovered on Dokdo Islets – science for the sake of nationalism.
• BOK to Put Dokdo on New 100,000 Won Bill – but it is doubtful that Dokdo was even printed on the 1861 map of Korea that will be featured on the new currency
• Disabled Koreans join the fight for Dokdo – Wheel chairs roll over the Japanese flag in an expression of anger.
• Korea Times assistant managing editor fantasizes about war over Liancourt Rocks – “To many, Dokdo may have the same ring to it as Darfur or Chechnya. “

Update: Looks like the Tsushima protest made NTV’s national news broadcast.