Psalm 107
23 Some went off to sea in ships, plied their trade on the deep waters.
24 They saw the works of the LORD, the wonders of God in the deep.
25 He spoke and roused a storm wind; it tossed the waves on high.
26 They rose up to the heavens, sank to the depths; their hearts
trembled at the danger.
27 They reeled, staggered like drunkards; their skill was of no avail.
28 In their distress they cried to the LORD, who brought them out of
their peril,
29 Hushed the storm to a murmur; the waves of the sea were stilled.
South Korea: Wagging the Dokdo Dog
April 25, 2006 16 09 GMT
Summary
South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun on the morning of April 25
delivered a special policy speech on Seoul's claim to sovereignty over
the Dokdo islets in the East Sea. In the speech, Roh called for a
proactive and strong South Korean policy to oppose any Japanese claims
to the islets, which Japan calls Takeshima, and linked the issue to
Japan's colonization of South Korea and Japanese government visits to
the Yasukuni Shrine. Roh knows this will only enflame the issue between
Seoul and Tokyo, but given his current political position, this is
exactly the outcome he is seeking.
Analysis
South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun delivered a special policy speech,
broadcast live on South Korean television the morning of April 25,
outlining South Korea's stance on the question of sovereignty over the
Dokdo islets in the East Sea, which are also claimed by Japan (and
known there as Takeshima). Roh's speech, which ended the country's
"silent diplomacy" over the dispute with Japan, follows heightened
tensions between South Korea and Japan over their competing claims to
the islets -- and thus the surrounding waters and resources.
Tensions between South Korea and Japan were on the rise after Japan
announced plans to launch a hydrographic survey in the waters around
Dokdo, a response to Seoul's moves to begin naming the unnamed
seamounts surrounding Dokdo. South Korea upped the stakes, deploying
coast guard vessels, and Japan stepped back, delaying the start of the
survey and sending a diplomatic envoy to Seoul. On April 22, Seoul and
Tokyo had apparently defused the rising tensions after a two-day
meeting between Japanese Administrative Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro
Yachi and South Korean First Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and
Trade Yu Myung Hwan, in which Japan agreed to withhold surveys of the
area if South Korea refrained from naming the seamounts.
With Roh's speech, this deal has been tossed out the window. Roh
started his live national address with the oft-repeated mantra in South
Korea: "Dokdo is our land." He then went on to link the dispute over
Dokdo to the fundamental aspect of South Korea's independence and
national identity, and to Japanese colonial rule and Japanese
officials' continued visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. Roh bluntly said
that "Dokdo for us (Korea) is not merely a matter pertaining to
territorial rights over tiny islets but is emblematic of bringing
closure to an unjust history in our relationship with Japan and of the
full consolidation of Korea's sovereignty."
Reversing Seoul's "silent diplomacy," which previously guided a quiet
and relatively nonconfrontational approach to Japan's claims on the
islets, Roh warned that any "physical provocations" (Japanese
encroachment on Korea's claimed waters around Dokdo) "will be met with
strong and firm response," adding, "This is a matter where no
compromise or surrender is possible, whatever the costs and sacrifices
may be."
For Roh, the rousing (as far as Roh's intonation can be called rousing)
nationalistic speech was an attempt to regain relevance inside South
Korea. The South Korean government system combines a parliament with a
president. Power is vested in the president rather than the prime
minister, but the president is allowed neither a vice president nor a
second term. Thus, about halfway through the five-year term, the
president shifts from a driving force to a lame duck and parliament is
left posturing over the next elections while the president is devoid of
any meaningful power.
Roh is attempting to reverse this course by playing on the very issue
that got him elected in the first place: Korean nationalism. It is no
coincidence that, while Japanese and South Korean officials were
meeting over the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute, South Korean and North Korean
delegates were meeting over bilateral issues. In those talks, North
Korea proposed working cooperatively with the South over the Dokdo
issue. It should be noted that North Korea has never taken a "silent
diplomacy" approach to the Japanese claims on Takeshima, and any
graphical representation of the Korean Peninsula always has a prominent
dot representing the islets.
For Roh, this is a potentially dangerous path, but one he feels he can
best harness. The six-party talks have stalled, undermining his plans
for closer economic cooperation with the North; the free trade
agreement negotiation with the United States is taking hits from all
political parties at home; the South Korean economy is starting to slow
in part due to the rising energy prices; and Roh is finding it
difficult to maneuver. Playing the Japanese card becomes a way to
refocus inter-Korean initiatives, rekindle the Korean nationalism that
brought him into power, and jumpstart his military modernization and
strengthening drive -- all during a time in his presidency when he
would normally be seen as powerless.
Such statements are bound to draw an equally bellicose response from
Japan, where the Dokdo issue and disputes with China over energy
deposits in the East China Sea are being used to raise the sense of
Japanese nationalism. Likewise, China and South Korea are playing on
these nationalistic issues, creating a situation driven by both emotion
and domestic considerations, and raising rhetorical tensions in
Northeast Asia. But these tensions may not remain rhetorical as each
nation begins deploying its coast guard and navy to the disputed
waters, a situation that invites accidents and over-reactions.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: South Korea: Wagging the Dokdo Dog |
29 Apr 2006 11:07:17 PM |
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I-*****-me wrote:
South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun on the morning of April 25
delivered a special policy speech on Seoul's claim to sovereignty over
the Dokdo islets in the East Sea. In the speech, Roh called for a
proactive and strong South Korean policy to oppose any Japanese claims
to the islets, which Japan calls Takeshima, and linked the issue to
Japan's colonization of South Korea and Japanese government visits to
the Yasukuni Shrine. Roh knows this will only enflame the issue between
Seoul and Tokyo, but given his current political position, this is
exactly the outcome he is seeking.
This character does not even know the issue.
President Roh did not linked Dokdo to Japan's occupation of Korea
and Japanese prime-minister's visit of Yasukuni. These were linked
from the beginnig, from the time very Japanese government refused to
account for the past. Presdient Roh just happens to where he is when
these issues were slowly forced upon by Japanese government in a
clear provocation to Korea and Korean people.
Such character coming with summary, analysis and whatnots is
clear indication what is deliberate actions by Japanese government.
This time, if it comes to shoot out, Korea will at least have chance
to shoot.
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