From the Korea Herald:
"There is no Sea of Japan in the world," said the ad, sponsored by a group of South Korean activists angry at the newspaper's use of Sea of Japan in its article, "In North Korea, Missiles Herald A Defiant 4th," dated July 5. "It only exists in the thinking of the Japanese government in its attempts to distort history."
The ad coincides with the anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, which falls on Saturday.
The ad expressed regret that the article had "a small but significant error," saying, "This body of water has been referred to as the East Sea by many nations over the past 2,000 years."
The Korean government has been lobbying foreign governments and various international organizations to adopt the name East Sea. Some have begun to use the Korean version concurrently with the Sea of Japan in their publications in recent years.
Major U.S. newspapers, however, appear to be an exception.
"We decided to run the ad as we could not find any article of The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post that used the words East Sea (as an alternative to the Sea of Japan) for the past 10 years," said Seo Kyoung-duk, visiting professor of Sungshin Women's University in Seoul. "We want to correct the errors in those newspapers."
"There is no Sea of Japan in the world." Except in popular usage. If you're so keen to "correct" our language, why don't you start with the ridiculous English we find in Korean songs, in Korean textbooks, on Korean TV, on Korean advertisements, and in practically every bit of English produced here. Otherwise, butt out, and take your arrogance somewhere else, k thx.
17 comments:
I wonder how many of the "activists" involved are fluent in English. Judging from the clumsy phrasing of "There is no Sea of Japan in the world," I'd guess not many. I don't say that to make fun of anyone, but simply to point out how ridiculous it is to criticize word usage in a language that you can't read, write, and speak fluently.
With the anniversary of liberation coming up, I'd say this is an attempt to make Korea seem like a tough country that doesn't take any crap from anybody. In my eyes, however, it looks like bullying, pure and simple.
//If you're so keen to "correct" our language, why don't you start with the ridiculous English we find in Korean songs, in Korean textbooks, on Korean TV, on Korean advertisements, and in practically every bit of English produced here.//
The English language is full of mis-corrections made by the irregular spelling system. The English language needs desperate corrections right now.
//In my eyes, however, it looks like bullying, pure and simple.//
In my eyes, Japan is overshadowing East Asia. Pure and simple. When will the Western world admit that East Asia is not all about Japan. Sad indeed because as a Westerner, we are the ultimate fools no better than the Asians.
-a self-hating Westener-
Oh historically Japan is a "Pacific Ocean oriented" country. Just consider which body of water do the capitals of Japan in the past are adjacent to? Pacific Ocean. Not to mention the five main trade routes of Edo Japan are all near the Pacific Ocean. Of course, it's quite obvious that Japan's public and cultural consciousness is directly oriented to the Pacific Ocean symbolically, not to other bodies of water.
Japan 'symbolically' exercising absolute power over the sea surrounded by Russia, Korea(s), and Japan could be a very bad thing for Japan and the Japanese people in the long run.
Having lived in Japan before, it's like Japan's political and public mentality is planning to commit a suicide.
Two things are always in my manbag whenever I travel: a permanent marker (for those things that can be corrected), and a camera (to document those things that can't)...
Maybe their money will help stimulate the US economy.
Let this guy's stupidity be its own reward. People will laugh at the childishness, audacity, expense, and awkwardness of the text, and probably end up siding with Japan... That is, if the WP's readership doesn't just brush it off entirely.
Just who does he expect to convince?
"This body of water has been referred to as the East Sea by many nations over the past 2,000 years."
Name them. In the meantime, let me guess: Goguryeo, Baekje, Shilla, Goryeo, Joseon ...
China already has an East Sea. The Mongols, during the time they ruled Korea? The Manchus? I'd like to know. Seriously.
I'll paraphrase something I wrote when one of those old French maps surfaced last year used to bolster Korea's claim to Dokdo. Yeah, it puts Dokdo in Korean waters (but calls the water Mer du Japon). But a lot of the geography depicted on the map is inaccurate by today's standards, and a good bit of the east coast looks chopped off . . . which makes me wonder why people will trust a map's veracity on one point (Dokdo or East Sea) but tolerate errors and inconsistencies in others.
It's entirely possible that the "Japan" in this geographical reference doesn't refer to the political entity, but to the geographical one. Because of the Japanese islands - and South Koreans do still call them "Japan", right? - a sea exists and not just the flank of the Pacific Ocean. It's not the Sea of Korea, because the peninsula is part of the mainland, or Russia, or Vladivostok. East Sea is a relative term, also, which only serves to publicize Koreans' chauvinism. Why, even if South Koreans are right to highlight Japanese national arrogance, are we to trade one pack of jerks' opinion for another?! How about Sea of Discord, Invasion Road #1, or the olive branch choice, Our Sea - sure to cause as much rancor but easier for cartographers to deal with political fads. Why not, the Romans did it with "mare nostrum"? That's much easier than spelling "Mediterranean"! I'll just be relieved when South Koreans achieve a level of maturity and confidence and don't feel compelled to politicize every issue at the world's expense.
I don't know if anybody knew, or realise..... It's true, at least in the Chinese point of view, It's called the East Sea... but Japanese people, use to be called, The East Sea People.... so in my opinion, its normal to call it the Sea of Japan
Why don't they tray to get the French to change "Mer de Japon" or the Germans to change "Japanisches Meer"? It would be easier because they have centralized language academies that regulate their respective languages. But they won't because they don't like outsiders telling them how to conduct their languages.
I hope that the media in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada do not cave to their PC instincts. They should have some balls to tell language meddlers like these moronic Korean nationalists to f*ck off.
Again: Long live the Sea of Japan, Mer de Japon, and Japanisches Meer
An interesting site with maps of areas referred as"East Sea"
http://www.geocities.co.jp/WallStreet/4076/index.en.html
Another site that strikes at the heart of this revisionism:
http://www.saveseaofjapan.com/english/index.html
They are a group that is "concerned about the rising nationalism in South Korea and how it is being abused by the South Korean government to baselessly attack anything and everything Japanese in order to distract from it's own faults."
if by "many" you mean "two" nations: north and south Korea, yes, I see your point.
BTW: isn't the Washington Post the paper owned by the moonies? Korea's own, mis-naming the sea of Japan?
tsk tsk
that Mer du Japon map must be fictional. As you know, there is no Sea of Japan in the world.
No, the Washington Times is owned by the Moonies.
//They are a group that is "concerned about the rising nationalism in South Korea//
This is a joke, right? Half of those prominent political "Nationalists" in South Korea are really secretly pro-Japanese and pro-American. It's interesting to see that a lot of foreigners don't even have any clues what's going on in South Korea. Sheer pity, I should say.
This is all leading to increasing rationalization of all geographical terms in the known universe by a UN-designated nanny organization. Why should the planets be named after Roman gods? Indeed why should Greek dominate scientific terms?
Perhaps, allowing these fringe elements to knock themselves out with meaningless bluster over the rocks is better for public safety than any other ideological equivalent. Democracy disappoints, but it's still the best alternative, paraphrasing Churchill. And, although self-mutilation is contemptible, these cretins aren't holy warriors for their local and national cults. And, considering how apathetic many herd animals are, such zeal is actually commendable, if misguided.
Keith
well said. take a bow.
Radical Contra
"Invasion road"
So funny.
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