By Shim Jae-yun
Japan has taken issue with President Lee Myung-bak’s recent visit to Dokdo, Korea’s easternmost islets.
Tokyo is trying to make Lee’s visit look as if it were a violation of its territory, threatening to take the matter to the International Court of Justice.
Pity! Our neighbor apparently doesn’t have any sense of reality.
The President may visit it as part of his duty as head of state to take trips to parts of the nation and see if there is anything he can do to improve the people’s livelihood, while confirming the country’s territorial integrity.
In other words, he exercised his right at the same time as fulfilling his duty.
If Japan claims that Dokdo is theirs, the burden of proof is on them.
We dare King Akihito or Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to visit the Korean islets.
If they set foot on Dokdo without Seoul’s permission, it would subject them to a search and subsequent punishment under Korean law for the crime of entering Korea illegally.
If they are caught by the Korean police garrison stationed there, they may be treated as spies trying to engage in subversive acts against Korea.
If they want to tour the place, they have to declare themselves to the Korean authorities and obtain permission. Even if they were granted the right to visit, they would be tourists on a temporary visit to the islets.
Their status is different from Lee, the head of state of Korea to which Dokdo belongs.
Japan should not even think about calling Dokdo a disputed area.
Set aside old books and maps that prove Korea’s sovereignty over it for a while.
Japan is the third largest economy in the world following the United States and China. Its military, albeit small in numbers, is one of the most modernized armed forces in the world.
Besides, the U.S. has long acted as the region’s policeman with its significant military presence both in Korea and Japan.
Plus, history shows Japan is the aggressor and Korea the victim of its neighbor’s perpetual efforts to project its influence into China. At the turn of the 20th century, Japan ruled Korea as a colonial power for 36 years. Typical of its attitude regarding its misdeeds is the Japanese government’s refusal to recognize Korean women who its colonial predecessor forced to work at its military brothels.
Tokyo claims that the issue of former sex slaves was settled through the Treaty on Basic Relations signed in 1965 between the governments of the two countries. Koreans demonstrated fervently in opposition but the government pressed ahead for a handout for industrial development.
Before that, the old Japan repeatedly invaded during the Joseon era.
If anybody between Korea and Japan is a victim, it’s Korea. We know of the savagery of Japanese invaders, with one example being the “grave of ears and noses” cut from Koreans and sent to Japan as war trophies.
So Tokyo! Please stop acting as if you are the victim in the Dokdo issue.