Virginia governor deserves recognition

After much fuss about whether it is appropriate for a state legislature to intervene in what is a dispute between two countries, Korea and Japan, over the name of a body of water, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has finally signed into law the East Sea bill. Now the Sea of Japan will also be known as the East Sea, at least in Virginia.

More important than the governor’s reluctance to push the East Sea bill after the Japanese Embassy’s threat is his final judgment that a pledge he delivered to voters during his election campaign “matters.”

Gov. McAuliffe must have been under immense pressure due to the threat from the state’s biggest trading partner. His behind-the-scenes maneuver to kill the bill demonstrates the level of stress. However, he eventually lived up to his pledge. Man is judged by his final action, not his intentions. On that note, the Virginia governor deserves recognition.

Choi Si-young

Editing adviser, Yonsei European Studies at Yonsei University, Seoul