China and Japan need to knock it off, Korea needs to just keep on keeping on.

On the theme of putting history in quotation marks, an opinion piece in the Korea Times titled "Northeast Asian Integration," about the need for those three countries to get along better to reap greater economic benefits. After laying out three . . . well, the author just puts numerical transitions in front of points, but when he eventually gets to number four:

Fourth, a mature and thoughtful political leadership must serve to rectify the perception of false history in the region, which has long plagued the peoples of the three states and retarded closer and stronger cooperation at the cultural and diplomatic level.

In this light, China must voluntarily backtrack on its controversial research program, the ``Northeastern Project,'' in which Chinese historians claimed that the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo belonged to China. And Japan must stop claiming that South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo are Japanese territory.

If the sacked Japanese air force chief had had the correct perception of the history of Japanese colonialism and its wartime atrocities, as well as the inhuman suffering of the Korean and Chinese people, he would not have come up with such an unfounded essay.

Last but not least, the perception of hegemony should be discarded. The increasing level of economic and financial integration will not let it work in any form. China and Japan need no longer think of hegemony, because both are in a closely connected network on multiple levels.

Korea is emerging to mitigate and obstruct the thinking of hegemony among the three at a time of necessity. Given this regional situation, the raging nationalism among the three peoples must be tamed and become thoughtful.

A continued strong perception of hegemony and nationalism yields evil rather than good. I assert that mature and thoughtful political leadership by the leaders of the three nations will certainly serve to promote the common good. This is the right way to Northeast Asian integration.

When Northeast Asians get talking about history it's always funny and sad at the same time. Funny that they're all three in glass houses throwing stones, and sad that it seems impossible for anyone to attempt to honestly and openly examine their countries' histories. I always chuckle when I hear about "Asia" this and "Asia" that, as if it's a homogenous place. These three nations in particular seem to thrive on hating one another, it's hard to imagine them voluntarily agreeing to coordinate anything.