Dokdo is a very hot topic for Koreans so I’m going to tell what the situation is and leave it at that. Dokdo is the name of an island between Korea and Japan that the two countries constantly fight over. While Korea currently inhabits the island, Japan claims ownership of it. This constantly comes up in the news, so it’s something good to know about. Every couple of years there’s a report from Japan about how Dokdo should be considered theirs and Koreans everywhere continue to say ‘독도는 우리 땅!’ (Dokdo is ours!). This year I saw both of these happen.
If you’re interested, there’s a huge page on Wikipedia here.
Haha. I’m not so sure that the right thing to do is to just give the island to the USA, but it is an interesting proposition.
I, too, have heard alot about this whole Dokdo controversy since I’ve been in Korea. And, frankly, I don’t get it. It’s simply a meaningless island that has little practical value (though I’ve heard that there are a few good resources there). What it really seems to come down to is the emotional tie that Koreas have to what they feel is theres and their age-old dislike of Japan. Though they have no reason to hate current-day Japanese people, I constantly hear from my students that Japan is a bad place and that the Japanese are terrible people. I try to explain to them that they shouldn’t show hatred towards individuals merely because of what their ancestors did, but they just don’t get it. It seems like they are still tought Korean history in a way that shines a bad light on Japan.
So, the whole Dokdo controversy seems to have almost nothing to do with the island itself. It’s just one more piece in the Korean-Japanese rivalry (which seems to flow more in one direction than the other). It’s the principal, I guess.
Oh, and never call the ‘Yellow Sea’ the ‘Sea of Japan.’ This makes Koreans very angry, too.
Just a question here. Let’s say there is a guy named (A) living in your neighbor and he purchased a gun from the store and invaded your house then killed your parents and raped your sisters, can you still be friends with (A)’s kids even if this has nothing to do with (A)’s kids?
Just wanted to ask since you mentioned that “It seems like they are still tought Korean history in a way that shines a bad light on Japan”
Yes, I could be friends with guy A’s children. But then again, we’re talking about institutions. I think that institutionally family B couldn’t be friends with family A, so I see where you’re coming from. But, if you have an open heart time mends all things. It’s so interesting to see Koreans and Japanese students get along when they’re away from their home countries (AKA away from the institutions talked about above).
I hope your parents get killed and your sisters raped, Matt. Actually I don’t hope that at all, but you clearly aren’t understanding, meanwhile you have this “I am above it because I am understanding” attitude. If you had the issues that come with a family that suffers from tragedy, you might be able to speak. The people that suffer great emotional trauma, grow up with anger problems and all sorts of issues that build over a lifetime. It’s not the individual incident. It’s the life that’s been the result of it. Having a direction for your anger and issues is a good solution to the problem. Especially when that direction is justified. “if you have an open heart time mends all things” – your full of shit and you don’t know how these people feel or live.
People don’t get anger problems because two countries fight over an island.
There are two ways people can handle tragedy. In the first camp there are those that let the tragedy anger them all the time and let it direct their life. In the second camp they deal with it and move on without letting it define who they are.
You’re right, many people do grow up with anger problems. But there are also people who go through the same things and don’t. So don’t tell me I’m full of shit when you’re assuming everyone lets their anger define them. I know people from both sides.