From: yeonwook@hardy.u.washington.edu (Mark Choi)
Subject: Re: What do most of Japanese think of Korean (Re: An open letter..)
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 15:52:41 GMT

In article <2444@aegis.or.jp> davidg@aegis.or.jp (Dave McLane) writes:
>kim@magneto.physics.auburn.edu (Han-jung Kim) writes:
>
>[* preceding stuff omitted *]
>
>>As a korean, I understand why majority (probably 60-70% of all koreans?, just 
>>guess) of koreans have bad feeling about Japanese as well as Japan herself,
>>and how much they feel good whenver korean atheletes
>>defeat Japan. 
>
>>Becasue Korea has been once occupied by Japan and suffered.
>
>Yeah, sort of easy to understand.

The prejudices go back further, probably back to the Hideyoshi invasion.

>>However in my feeling and from the side news or whatever, most of Japanese
>>have a bad feeling against Korean too. 
>>
>>This is the point I can not understand so far. Koreans did some harm to
>>Japanese? or Japanese has found something they dislike in korean, such as 
>>not well educated, filthy etc.
>>
>[* details omitted *]
>>
>> Really I do not have any base which can make me understood.
>
>Perhaps what you are missing is that Japanese only like Japanese!
>
>Let me explain: According to what I understand, there are no "human
>beings in Japan". By that, I mean that in the prevailing rehtoric,
>there are only "Japanese" and "Gaijins". When I've asked people I
>know if there is some term in Japanese that means "human being"
>(without any particular cultural/poltical position) they said yes,
>but they don't use it. 
>
>I hope you're following so far as it's kind of hard to put into words.
>
>So the Japanese "map of the world" can be drawn with Japan as a
>circle in the middle called "Japan", in which live "Japanese". The
>rest of the world is in the space outside, and is called "Foreign
>Countries" in which live "Gaijin". Within the general class of
>"Gaijins" there are basically two kinds, WASP-like Gaijins (meaning
>White Anglo-Saxon Protestants or something similar) and the rest. 

Hmm, they copy Chinese! =). I've always thought Japanese called Koreans
"chosen-jin", maybe I am mistaken? However, I know for a fact that there
is a name for Koreans and Chinese, and it isn't just "Gaijin".

>While WASP-like Gaijins are, in general, looked up to, Koreans,
>Chinese, ... Singaporeans, are all non-WASP Gaijins and from what I
>have heard, given equally poor treatment. We hear most about how
>poorly Koreans are treated but I think that's only because there
>are a lot of them. For example, according to a booklet published in
>1889 bye Kyoto City International Foundation, of the 41,927
>foreigners registered in Kyoto, 37,288 are Korean. Then come
>2,187 Chinese and then comes U.S.A. with 886 and then the rest.

Yes, however, most are not first generation Koreans or Chinese in Japan.

>>Would you give some back ground story happening in Japan of today. 
>>The more honest, the more valuable to me.
>
>I don't know many back ground stories because I meet few Koreans
>where I live. There was one guy I used to eat breakfast with at
>MacDonald's (I was addicted to scrambled egg breakfast :) and he
>told me how many of the place names near here were orginally Korean.
>He wasn't particulary distressed at being a Korean and excluded from
>Japanese life, as he didn't want live the Japanese style life anyway. 

No doubt many Japanese last names are of Korean and Chinese origin,
considering the historical interraction between the three nations.

>As for the rest of your questions, I'll let somebody else try and
>provide you with some information....
>
>Thanks for such a calmly written post, I enjoyed reading it!
>
>Dave
>
>--
>Dave McLane 
>JUNET: davidg@aegis.or.jp (ONLY within Japan: post otherwise)
>Nagaokakyoshi, Kyoto Japan Tel: +81-75-951-1168 Fax: +81-75-957-1087


-- 
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  --|--|      | Mark Yeon Wook Choi             |
   /.\ |      | yeonwook@hardy.u.washington.edu |
  --|--|      +---------------------------------+  
Xref: sparky soc.culture.japan:6872 soc.culture.china:23250 soc.culture.hongkong:9895 soc.culture.taiwan:12044