Korean tourists visiting Takeshima (Photo: YONHAP NEWS / Aflo)
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(Kim Wan-seop: Author and critic)

Korean people lack a sense of the world at large

Dokdo is a Korean territory, but Takeshima is a Japanese territory.

Katsuhiro Kuroda, who has worked as the general manager of the Seoul branch of the Sankei Shimbun and is currently one of the newspaper's guest editorial writers, uses these words seemingly as a last resort. Whenever he appeared on TV stations in Korea to discuss the issue, he would always state this, and it made an impression. Most Korean people are aware of what Mr. Kuroda thinks about the Dokdo issue. In spite of this, the above was all he could say about Takeshima, and what this means is that there is no foundation for proper discussion in Korea.

Sohn Suk-Hee, the president of JTBC, is known as the fairest debate moderator in Korea, and even he has never invited anyone who says Dokdo is a Japanese territory・onto his program, not even once. What this means is that a fair debate of the Dokdo issue with representation of both sides has never been conducted in Korea.

It seems common sense that a debate should consist of two individuals with opposing viewpoints responding to each other's opinions. Normally, there should be two people with differing positions on the issue discussing the theme of is Dokdo a Korean territory or a Japanese territory?

However, this concept never takes shape in Korea. Instead, the thinking is Dokdo is our territory, and this is an obvious fact known to God in heaven and other gods as well, so a debate based on an incorrect premise is out of the question.・Accordingly, any discussions on the Dokdo issue which do occur are limited to themes such as What should be done about Japan's Dokdo provocations? or Why is Dokdo Korean territory? People with the same perspective gather together and discuss these topics all night long.

This is a frank expression of how primitive and Third World the country of Korea is. Even though it is a recognized as a developed country based on the strength of its economy to the extent that there are plans to invite Korea to join G10 along with India and Australia, the people lack a sense of the world at large and in terms of this embarrassing mindset, the country is a primitive one.