Following South Korean leader Lee Myung-bak’s unprecedented visit to the disputed islets of Dokdo (known as ‘Takeshima’) two weeks ago, diplomatic tensions between Japan and Korea have been running high.
Tokyo temporarily recalled the Japanese ambassador to Korea in response to the visit and Seoul has refused to accept Japanese requests to take the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute to an international court.
Below high-level politics, a Korean footballer ruffled feathers by holding up a banner saying “Dokdo is our land” at an Olympic game and a South Korean actor, famous in Japan, has been banned from visiting Japanese fans for his part in a protest swim from the Korean mainland to Dokdo, an action that was followed swiftly by a Japanese right-wing activist sticking posts with “Takeshima is Japanese” on the Northeast Asia History Foundation building (Korea is also not the only place undergoing a competition for claiming rocks with the cunning use of flags) and the attempted suicide of a Korean man who consumed a bottle of weed killer in protest, “urging the need to ‘stand up against’ Japan’s claims.”
Meanwhile, the Korean government has announced an increase in funding for advertising Korea’s claim to Dokdo internationally. Naval defense drills in the seas around the islets have also been announced and a group of school children recently visited Dokdo to play Basketball in order to send a message that “Dokdo is [Korean] territory in a sincere and peaceful way.”
As nationalists on both sides continue to provoke, online anti-Japanese sentiment among netizens (these comments do not represent the attitude of all Koreans) therefore appears to be on the rise. While small, less-serious, earthquakes in Japan occur relatively frequently, they rarely get much attention in Korea. However, the below article about an earthquake hitting the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido was yesterday’s most-discussed article on Korean portal site Nate, attracting a substantial amount of negative comments (these were the most up-voted at the time of writing).
From NEWSis:
Hokkaido Hit by Earthquake Magnitude 6.0
The Hong Kong Meteorological Agency has announced that Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture has been by an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 on the Richter scale, at 11:16 PM on the 25th August.
However, the USGS’s Digital Line Graph recorded an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 in Hokkaido.
The earthquake was recorded at 42.35 degrees North, 143.01 degrees in longitude, at a depth of 44.60 km.
Comments from Nate:
주미경:
That was weak.
김동일:
Last time, when some people said that we shouldn’t raise funds or offer donations, I remember there were some empty-headed bastards who said we needed to help the Japanese as fellow Asians and humans. Go and drown in the sea so you stop thinking about helping the Japanese.
차지숙:
In such a suffocating world, it’d be good to see more great articles likes this one more often.
김백평:
With all these natural disasters, can’t there be one where only Japanese ultranationalist sons of bitches die?
윤성욱:
How good would it be if instead of Hokkaido, other places such as Tokyo and Kyoto were hit – along with all those ultranationalists…
김동주:
What a beautiful and heartwarming article…
김문섭:
From now on if you dare bring up the whole ‘donations please’ thing, we’ll slit your throats. Fuck’s sake! [Korea was the first country to help Japan after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake]
신호진:
Don’t those idiots know by now that whenever they talk bullshit, an earthquake happens?
김형석:
I wanna turn that number ‘6’ upside down…
양윤식:
Amongst all the articles with the 日 Japanese character, this one is the most heartwarming LOL [in Korean headlines, articles about Japan are preceded by the Chinese character 日, short for 日本, ie Japan].
천성광:
Victory~~~~~~~~
김주현:
Strike Tokyo with a 12.0 earthquake!
차태휘:
More more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more
유리나:
This kind of article is so heartwarming.
박선영:
A 6.0 earthquake doesn’t mean much to Japan so ,instead, Mt. Fuji should just erupt. And instead of harming our country, just fuck off under the sea you bastards.
장영재:
The earthquake is a celebration of Shinji Kagawa’s goal [Kagawa scored his first goal for Manchester United on the 25th August].
유정현:
Saying things like “isn’t this a little over the top?” and “no matter how much friction there is between Korea and Japan about comfort women and Dokdo, we shouldn’t be like this when a natural disaster leads to human loss” etc is total bullshit. This happened to the island monkeys. Nice.
유경선:
Music to my ears~~~^^
김동일:
The best-case scenario would be if both a tsunami and an earthquake overlap each other so that the Japanese nation loses control and the Japanese monkeys triumphantly come to Korea as slaves.
강지훈:
You’re doing well [but] try a little harder next time!
박혜경:
Hey Earthquake: don’t just hit in dribs and drabs, strike Tokyo in one massive bolt. And my friends Typhoon and Tsunami, you come out and play together too.
전경진:
Don’t put out an article unless it’s a 9.0 earthquake.
유현수:
ㅡㅡ Hey Mt. Fuji, what are you doing? Just erupt.
강미정:
That’s it, Mr Earthquake, you can do it!!!! And soon Mr Tsunami Park will arrive, go for it!!!! [Names written based on Korean celebrities names Ji Jin-hee (sounds like jijin-ssi, meaning ‘Mr Earthquake) Park Hae-il (same pronunciation/spelling as ‘Tsumani Park’)].
민승기:
It would be good if a fast-spinning typhoon just carried Japan away ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke
이승룡:
What a heartwarming article.
차영빈:
Heartwarming article.
송세영:
Hey Mt. Fuji, what are you doing? Stop playing around.
송재훤:
Dear Planet Earth, please exert more force next time ^^
이지혜:
We’ll be hearing very good news soon.
