During Kim's trip, Korea accepted Japan's apology for its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, and thereafter Korea virtually lifted its ban on the import of Japanese pop culture, including films. In particular, the heroic death of a Korean student, Lee Su-hyon, who met his fate while trying, in vain, to rescue a drunken Japanese man who fell onto the subway tracks in Tokyo, greatly touched the hearts of Japanese citizens. The Japanese reaction to Lee's sacrifice impressed Koreans very much. We don't want the good feelings of the two peoples to be hurt by the Japanese organizers absurd decision, stemming from a self-centered desire to sell more tickets or souvenirs. The life of sports is the rule.
Soccer is no exception.
The country that will co-host the soccer festival is not supposed to violate the rule. If it does, it is not qualified to stage the global event. An advanced country like Japan should fully realize that if it maintains its unacceptable position, it will only lose international trust. Korea and Japan are partners who have the joint foremost goal of making the world's sporting spectacular a tremendous success. Both have to do well.