by DONALD KIRK
SEOUL – No matter which way South Korea looks, the government faces tough new/old issues with the two enormous powers that have subjected the Korean Peninsula to pain and suffering over the centuries.
First, this week, the problem was with China after the skipper of a Chinese fishing boat stabbed to death the Korean Coast Guard commando who was trying to hold him for “illegal” fishing in Korean waters in the Yellow Sea.
Next came trouble with Japan after Korean groups campaigning on behalf of World War II “comfort women” implanted the bronze statue of a demure teenaged girl in traditional Korean hanbok across the narrow street from the rear of the Japanese Embassy.
For Korean leaders, the killing of the commando may actually be the easier of the two problems, at least politically, and at least for now. All President Lee Myung-bak had to do was come out with a get-tough statement promising “strong measures” against any Chinese fishing boats that come trawling within Korean territorial waters.
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The problem with Japan, however, is a little more subtle. How can any Korean government respond to Japanese demands for removal of a statue that so quietly, tastefully, artistically reflects deep-seated Korean resentment over not only the forced servitude of young Korean women as prostitutes for Japanese soldiers in World War II, but also a host of other bitter feelings?
President Lee will have difficulty avoiding the topic when he goes to Tokyo this weekend for talks with Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda that should normally deal with much more current topics, including common cause against North Korea.
Asia Times Online for more