Anti-Japan

South Korean Government Demands That International Hydrographic Organization Use “East Sea”

Here’s the latest episode of Korean ultra-nationalists’ ongoing struggle to force the world to use a Korea-centric name for the Sea of Japan:

Seoul officials plan to ask the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) to adopt the Korean name of East Sea along with the Sea of Japan when the organization holds a general meeting in Monaco on April 23-27 to update its global charts this year. Currently, the IHO’s sea maps only refer to the waters as the Sea of Japan.

“We will never tolerate the sole use of Sea of Japan,” said the foreign ministry official handling the issue.

“The Korean government is preparing to cope with the upcoming IHO meeting with various scenarios in mind,” the official said on the condition of anonymity.

As I noted in a recent post, this policy is influenced by anti-Japanese sentiment. South Korea already uses “East Sea” on its maps, but some can’t stand the idea that foreign countries are using “Sea of Japan.” Although historical records show widespread international use of the name predates Japan’s opening to the world in the 1850′s, these Korean ultra-nationalists insist that the sea must be renamed because Japanese imperialists are responsible for the name.

They suggest that the entire world adopt the translation of their Korea-centric term for the sea. They’d probably want “Sea of Japan” totally removed from maps, but they’ve got to fight their battles one at a time. So the first step is to demand equal recognition of the English translation of the name that Koreans already use.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, another group of idiots wants a new name for a body of water. Mississippi Legislator Steve Holland (D) has answered the requests from voters and submitted a bill that will rename the Gulf of Mexico:

For all official purposes within the State of Mississippi, the body of water that is located directly south of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties shall be known as the “Gulf of America.”

Update: Holland has since announced claiming that it was a “satirical” bill, meant as a response to other legislators’ apparent desire to drive everything Mexican out of the state. [hat tip to Daniel Feit]

Wish I could say that the same about the Korean government’s policy.

[Hat tip to Matthew]

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Japanese Documentary About Sea Shepherd’s Protest Activities in Taiji (English Subtitles)

Somebody has translated an Japanese TV documentary about Sea Shepherd’s activities in Taiji and uploaded the video to youtube:

Part 1

The documentary mentions how “The Cove” won the Academy Award for best documentary “last year,” so this probably aired on Japanese TV some time in 2011.

The network that created the documentary, Asahi TV, is considered politically liberal/left. However, even a liberal network has great difficulty feeling any sympathy for the SS members, who harass both fishermen and documentary filmmakers.

The fishermen are pleased to receive attention from legitimate journalists, and even tell the TV crew about a hill where they can film the dolphin hunt. In the early days of the filming, SS members were also willing to be interviewed, but they later decided to sop doing so. ( It’s probably not good PR to have your people make asses of themselves on Japanese TV by talking about how “fun” it is to harass fishermen. )

They also interview Peter Bethune, a former member of Sea Shepherd who resigned after he was arrested and jailed for illegally boarding a Japanese ship. Bethune thinks that Paul Watson and other leaders of Sea Shepherd are dishonest and do more harm than good. Examples of this dishonest include scuttling a ship and claiming that the Japanese whalers “sunk” it, as well as Watson’s infamous “I’ve been shot” episode.

We are also shown activists who oppose the dolphin hunt but do not support Sea Shepherd’s tactics. One is Ady Gil, a former donor to Sea Shepherd who thinks that people should help Taiji develop and eco tourism business. And there is a Japanese woman (formerly a member of the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling crew) and a group of foreign activists who are protesting without hatred towards the people of Taiji.

Here are a few links to additional information about this issue:

• Researchers Find Taiji Residents Have No Mercury-related Health Problems
• Sea Shepherd’s Paul Watson: Tsunami That Killed Thousands of Japanese Was Divine Punishment
• Peter Bethune: Sea Shepherd is Dishonest & Morally Bankrupt
• Remember World War II: Sea Shepherd Depicts Japanese As Uniquely Cruel & Dishonest
• “Divine Wind” – Sea Shepherd Leader Praises Typhoon That Killed Over 45 People
• Anti-Whaling Groups Display “Open Prejudice” Towards Japanese
• Profitable Activism: Sea Shepherd’s Skyrocketing Income
• Sea Shepherd’s Paul Watson – Interview With an Eco-Terrorist
• Japanese Professor Denounces “The Cove”

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Does K-Pop Group KARA Have Ties to North Korea?

Some Japanese netizens have a theory about this man, who has often been seen accompanying the South Korean pop group KARA:

They think he’s the same person as this ruffian who clashed with police outside the offices of Chongryon (Chosen Soren), an organization of pro-DPRK Korean residents of Japan:

They both share some facial features:

Those that see the “Korean Wave” in Japan as a fabrication are claiming that this is yet another example of how Korean pop culture’s popularity in Japan is part of an anti-Japanese conspiracy. They are not at all surprised that KARA would be seen associating with North Korean agents.

According to an article on the Rakuten/Infoseek Woman news site, the entertainment company that handles KARA has stated that the man is a “schedule manager” for the music group. They are looking into the accusations that he is a member of Chongryon.

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Korean Ultra-Nationalists Lobby Virginia: Demand Textbooks Use Korea-centric Geography (“East Sea”) @SenDaveMarsden

For the last several years, South Korean ultra-nationalists have been lobbying publishing companies and governments around the world, demanding that “East Sea” replace or be written alongside “Sea of Japan” in maps and books. They are angry about how people in other countries call the sea to the east of Korea by a
“pro-Japanese” name.

Although there are mountains of historical evidence that show widespread international use of the name predates Japan’s opening to the world in the 1850′s, these Korean ultra-nationalists insist that Japanese imperialists are responsible for the name.

As an alternative, they suggest that the entire world adopt the translation of their Korea-centric term for the sea: “East Sea.”

Their misinformation campaign appears to have gained some ground in areas of the United States with large ethnic Korean populations. Several days ago, they tried to trick the state of Virginia into requiring the use of “East Sea” in its textbooks. Luckily, the State Senate rejected their plan.

As reported by Korea’s Arirang News:

The Senate’s Education and Health Committee voted down the legislation 7 to 8, brought to a vote by Democrat Dave Marsden representing a constituency with a large Korean-American community.

The bill was strongly opposed by Republicans who called the measure “micromanagement” and raised concerns over possible strife and disorder that could arise from the legislation.

Korea argues that historically the more common name for the body of water between Korea and Japan is “East Sea” and NOT the “Sea of Japan.”

If you live in Virginia and would like to express your displeasure with Senator David Marsden’s blatant pandering to foreign ultra-nationalists, contact him via Twitter, Facebook, or his website.

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