January 9, 2023
Soul – South Korea needs to use its growing cultural presence to rally an international audience against Japan’s “revisionist history,” according to outspoken campaigners. Promotion of Korean culture.
The Japanese government has repeatedly denied its role in forcing Koreans into sexual slavery and forced labor during World War II, but the United Nations is urging the Japanese government to face the past.
“We need to engage a wider international audience to see wartime abuses for what they are, that universal values like human rights are at stake. It’s the perfect time to do so,” activist Seo Kyung-deok said in a recent interview with the Korea Herald.
Seo — a professor of general education at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul who teaches about defending national interests by strengthening ties with the outside world — has made a name for itself in South Korea thanks to K-pop sensation BTS and the recent Netflix megahit. Emphasized that it draws on a broader perception of culture. squid game.
“What if we use webtoons to talk about sex slaves and forced labor? Will this get the world’s attention? I am convinced that it is more attractive than publishing the uploaded paper.”
The activist – who gained prominence in 2005 with an advertisement in the New York Times about Dokdo, a group of islands between South Korea and Japan claimed by South Korea and Japan – was in World War II last November. Referencing the cup match, the organizers interrupted the Japanese fans. From displaying the “rising sun” flag, a military sign almost as aggressive as Nazi symbols such as the swastika.
“I have repeatedly told FIFA that the flag is at least inflammatory. Imagine being with a Webtoon outreach is the kind of story that can percolate through international conversations,” said Seo.
He welcomed the government’s move to establish an agency to oversee the approximately 7.3 million Koreans living abroad.
“Every day, I am contacted by many Korean young people both at home and abroad. It will help streamline the exchange,” Seo said.
When asked about the government’s response to the 2015 Sexual Slavery Pact, it was essentially put on hold after South Korea called it half-hearted, reflecting the voices of victims. An openly inflammatory statement that denies any promise to help restore ‘dignity’.
But pointing to current settlement talks going on behind closed doors between senior officials in Seoul and Tokyo, Seo said the South Korean government clearly doesn’t know what victims have to say about their forced labor. A 2018 South Korean Supreme Court ruling ordering Japanese companies to pay damages prompted negotiations. Japan protested the court’s decision and implemented export restrictions.
“We all know that ultimately the government will lead the discussion, but we were able to let the victims know that it was being discussed from the beginning, no matter how small. I will.” Together with the victims, we will not repeat the same mistakes in 2015.
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul is scheduled to hear public opinion on the matter this week, and this could be the last time, so the compromise is nearly complete, leaving little room for last-minute changes. The Korean victim, who was scheduled to appear at the public hearing to file a complaint, is growing dissatisfied.
“Diplomacy is not just about emotion, but it has to reflect it to some extent. When that is next to impossible, it is the job of the government to ensure that those affected by the negotiations are fully heard.” said Seo.
Seo, 48, has spent the past 18 years dedicated to raising awareness of South Korea and correcting “historical distortions” involving Seoul and Tokyo. He has advised government agencies and state-run groups on projecting South Korea’s national identity onto the international stage. Grassroots campaigns have a bigger role to play in guiding the world to a better understanding of South Korea, he says.
