User blog comment:ItsukoChan/Petition for Im Yong Soo?/@comment-173.70.89.253-20111202074043

I am an American-based Korean. I've been living in the States for over 20 years now, and am an avid fan of APH. Or most of APH. I will admit that I do try to look the other way whenever Korea is involved anywhere.

I believe I can shed some light as to why Koreans are taking to this series so violently. Or not taking to, as the case may be.

For one, the way Korea is portrayed is quite wrong, from the way Yong Soo dresses to certain aspects of his personality. And it's not just a little wrong - it's EXTREMELY wrong. Yong Soo looks like he's wearing a dress, with a woman's top/vest fitted over it. There is absolutely no hanbok of such a design in any of the dynasties in Korean history. If Himaruya researched just a bit more, then he would have found out where he went wrong with the design and could have fixed it - if not the strips that he'd already illustrated and sent out, then at the very least those afterwards. It isn't so hard to give a character a new outfit, especially if it's to correct an earlier mistake; it's the honest and responsible thing to do.

Wardrobe aside, let's discuss the personality. Why Korea would be carrying around a flag of Japan is still a mystery to my own self; after the history it's had with Japan, not just with the occupation in the 20th century but also the invasions (with intent to conquer) in the 16th century that escalated to full out war, Korea has far too much bad blood to so easily carry a Japanese flag like some sort of fanboy. And if we were to discuss how Korea likes a lot of Japanese things - and I will admit that we do, as much as fans of any other nationality would - then we should also be discussing how they are going absolutely -mad- for Korean celebrities over there as well.

As for Korea claiming that everything originated from Korea - I don't really see how that particular stereotype ever came to be (and if someone could back it up with facts and logic I will be much obliged). Much less Japanese things. Japan itself is responsible for stealing artifacts and ripping entire buildings from Korea and relocating them to its land - and that is merely the tip of the iceberg.

Here I will list several of the atrocities committed by Japan against Korea, merely during the occupation in the 20th century:

Japan has also been responsible for trying to eliminate the use of the Korean language by changing the school curriculums to teach solely in Japanese; for assassinating Korea's queen and then desecrating and burning her body so that we could never retrieve it, and still yet adding insult by setting the blade used to kill her on display in Japan; of drafting Korean men into its army and labor force and the women to be camp followers and comfort women; of forcing Koreans to change their names from Korean names to Japanese names; of forcing Koreans to go worship at a Shinto shrine (which led multitudes of Korean Christians to rebel, subsequently leading to arrests and beatings), a place of Japanese religion.

The above mentioned are simply what I can recount off the top of my head. Doubtlessly there will be countless other stories of personal experiences in each family of Koreans; after all, it hasn't even been a century since the occupation, and many people are still around to tell their sad tales to their children and grandhildren. Rest assured, Koreans have a vindictive memory when it comes to wrongs like these.

I cannot seem to recall any other colonizations and occupations that humiliated the victims in such a manner to such an extent. And if there has been, then I doubt there has been very many.

To rub salt into the wound, Japan has not given any apologies for these atrocities. It refuses to acknowledge such has ever happened. Its own school textbooks conveniently omit these truths so that its students believe such horrible deeds were never committed by their own nation.

There has been no closure to this matter. So, no, this cannot simply be swept under the rug saying "but that's all in the past now," because it is still a very much ongoing hatred that has never even been given the chance to be put to rest.

If this were a German animated series, and it portrayed Jewish people with offensive (and incorrect) stereotypes with no remorse, then I do not think it would be accepted so easily by the latter either.

Nor would other people find their angry retaliations so very funny/stupid as people seem to think the Koreans' reactions are right now.

Until I find that the mistakes with Yong Soo that reflect Japanese prejudice against Koreans has been rectified, I will not be signing any petition or movement to bring Yong Soo into the animated series. I am Korean, and I love Korea to death, and I love Yong Soo to death, but I also love him too much to allow him to become a tool for incorrect and offensive stereotypes against Koreans be spread further into the world.