This is Ilcheong Yi's Blog. Ilcheong is currently teaching at Kyushu University, Japan. Welcome all of you who have an interest in development studies, international develoment projects, social policy, and such countries as Korea, Japan,Mongolia, Malaysia, Laos, Norway and England.
I could not realize that it would be the first lecture in Korean since 1996. I was invited to Korea for special lectures and conferences but they were conducted in English. The thing I found from this lecture in Korean at Shilla University, 26th of April, 2007, was that it was not easy at all to talk about something even in your native tongue. I really appreciate the offer of Professor Park, Shilla University and those students who were forced to attend and listen to my somehow out of touched lecture.
The issue of comfort women has been one of the most difficult ones to solve to both Koreans and Japanese in many senses. It is similar to many other issues related to the past which in particular have victims calling for comfort. As other historical controversies, it may be debatable according to the historical perspectives and the historical facts those arguments are based on. However, sometimes this kind of matter does not need conventional historical investigation. Since this matter affects more than those who know or do not know the historical facts. We need much more simple but effective solution to this debate and it can be from the conscience rather than the hitorical facts, and from the warm humanism rather than the cold scientific analysis.
The summary of Cat Saunders' article about the four princiles of true apology has the following relevant part to this issue. In 1990, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reported a story about theEast Germany's first freely elected governemnt's admittance about the war crime against the Jews. It quoted the statement of the East Germany's parliament that "We feel sad and ashamed and acknowledge this burden of German history….We ask the Jews of the world to forgive us." Following this statement the East Germen Government offered to give persecuted Jews asylum in their country, and financial compensation to holocaust victims for their material losses. Obviously, it was impossible to compensate for the pain and horror experienced by those who suffered at the hands of the Nazi regime but East Germany's apology provided a powerful move toward healing for both sides. The apology of the East Germany Government was to acknowledge the nature and extent of the victims' suffering, to take the whole responsibility regardless of nitty gritty details of the history, to ask for forgiveness without expectation or demand, and to make amends and followed through on this commitments. (http://www.drcat.org/dchh/html/apology.html)
Is it right to talk about the historical facts as the PM Abe and other ministers have often said? Is it right that we have to wait until the exact historical facts are found to prove who were responsible for this? I am sure that those victims of the Comfort Women do not want to even remember all those happend during that horrible period. All they need is the comfort for them who happened to be the worst victims of the history not only from Japan but also from all of us as human beings. The best format of the comfort from Japanese Government to these women would be the sincere apology which has the same nature of East Germany's government's. Of course, we need to think about our way to comfort them too.
If you want to see the music video style film recording our activities, click on the above.
I have finalized the poverty research funded by Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in March 2007. The above video is one of the products from it. I wonder whether our research can contribute to reducing the poverty of those living in Kampung Gana, Sabah, Malaysia. I have almost cried when I saw the the film clip showing the innocent children living there, without thinking the reality they will face in near future. All the participants and I did our best but there were limits to us. We are still waiting for the positive answer from many parties involved.
The ICSD Conference (The Best Conference Ever) (18-20 October 2006)
It was my first participation in this conference and I found this kind of conference had a competitiveness!. It was the symposium in real sense which Plato wanted to have. There was a intense discussion, joyful recreation, serious field visit and of course, wine. I really enjoyed it and I will definitely go for next one.
Governing Global Social Policy in East Asia (International Conference at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, Korea)
I have been feeling that I am drifting away from the social policy field over the past three or four years. I did not follow up the issues I dealt with during my doctoral course and post-doctoral position but intensively engaged myself in development studies and international cooperation. I actively participated in academic events organized by international social workers and practical development projects here and there. Although I was excited with new territory I found I had a bit of concern on my being away from my major field. The conference organized by real social policy person, Prof. Kwon, relived me since we talked about the possibility of Global Social Policy which can deal with the issues I am concerned with now. An addition gift is I have got a first (and possibly last) audience of this blog. She whipped me to update this blog in a very much gentle way. Thanks Christine.
Center Examination (National University Entrance Examination)(センター 試験) (21st of Jan, 2007)
I remember it was quite cold and windy when I had the National Entrance Examination in Korea. The high school where I had my exam which I don`t remember the name anymore, became a bustling place for all the family members and juniors of the examinees. In Japan they were much quieter and more tone-downed. It reminds me of my old days and puts a whimsical smile on my face.
Yasukuni Shrine has been a hot issue between Korea and Japan. Since I arrived in Japan, I was asked about the Shrine so many times from so many persons from different background, also wanting to have different answers, I tried to control the level of my remarks on Yasukuni. The only reason was that I could not see it as it was. The opportunity came when I had a meeting with JBIC personnel in December. I used one day-off of our seminar for the visit to Yasukuni Shrine. It looks much bigger than other shrines I often see in Fukuoka. Full of self-justifications of the War, stories of mythicized war heroes and shattered prides they want to keep for the next generation. I instantly noticed that the purpose of this shrine was not for preventing the repetition of the mistakes. It would contribute to preserving the causes of the mistake they had done and might make another ground for more miserable stories. Every war memorial hall in Japan has the story of the atomic bombed cities and their victims. It is the horrendous memories to all Japan but plays a role in preventing them from being mobilized by such an evil. At the hall called Yushyukan where the war related remains were displayed in chronological order I could not find anything about the victims of atomic bombed cities in Yasukuni Shrine. It seems to me that they may not want to show the miseries of the war done by the evil to the visitors. Socrates said to Glaucon in the Republic that ''We need not say yet whether war does good or harm, but only that we have discovered its origin in desires which are the most fruitful source of evils both to individuals and to states''. I cannot tell clearly yet whether the War the Great Empire of Japan initiated was justifiable or not, it is true that it became great evils to Japan and neighboring countries. You cannot find any notion of this in the Shrine. Then what do THEY think about when they pay homage to it?
