A few days ago, Seishiro Weito, former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet and member of the Liberal Democratic Party, made controversial remarks on Japan-South Korea relations, claiming that Japan had colonized South Korea, so it was similar to "South Korea's big brother.", and he also said that Japan-South Korea relations were not unequal, and Japan should be in a leading position.
According to the Korean media "JoongAng Ilbo" Japanese version of the local time reported on the 8th, Choo Kuo-deok, a professor at Korea University, posted a counterattack on social media, criticizing Wei Teng's statement as a "proposition without common sense". He said that since ancient times, culture has been introduced to Japan from the Korean Peninsula, and according to Seisero Weedo, Korea is the "ancestor" of Japan.
According to South Korean media reports, the 81-year-old Seiseiro Wei was born in Kangjin County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea during the Japanese occupation period, and moved back to Japan after World War II. He is also a permanent officer of the Japan-Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union, an organization that promotes exchanges among Japanese and Korean parliamentarians aimed at promoting friendly and cooperative relations.
However, Seishiro Weito, who should be committed to the friendship and unity of Japan and South Korea, recently said at the LDP meeting and press conference on Japan-South Korea relations that Japan once colonized South Korea, and in a sense, Japan is like a "big brother" to South Korea, and should work closely with South Korea and build bilateral relations "with a broad mind to protect South Korea and guide South Korea."
He also claimed that Japan-South Korea relations are not equal and that Japan should be in a leading position. As for the reason, Seishiro Wei said it was because Japan was ahead of South Korea in every way, whether it was economic strength, postwar Japan's international status, or its position in international organizations.
Seisero Weito Infographic
On the 8th, Seo Koku-deok, a professor at South Korea's Sungshin Women's University, posted on his personal social media about the matter, criticizing Seiseiro Wei's statement as "an assertion without common sense." He said that since ancient times, culture has been introduced to Japan from the Korean Peninsula, and according to Seisero Weedo, Korea is the "ancestor" of Japan.
"The words that came out of the mouths of 13-time elected senior politicians are nothing more than that, and you can imagine the future of Japan," Xu said. South Korea's cultural content has swept the world, and people all over the world are paying more attention to South Korea, which is just a kind of 'pulling and stepping' out of a sense of great crisis. ”
He also said that in the face of such a "non-conceptual" politician as Japan, he called on the South Korean people to "face Japan's distorted history with a more mature posture."
Seishiro Weedō's speech made South Korean public opinion fry. A number of South Korean media reported that his remarks came at the time of a visit to Japan by a delegation of South Korean parliamentarians to participate in the joint officer meeting of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians Union. South Korean lawmakers have protested.
The East Asia Daily reported that Lee Yang-so, a member of the South Korean delegation to Japan and a member of the South Korean ruling National Power Party, said that "this is a very inappropriate statement and needs to apologize for it" and that "if South Korea and Japan want to enhance friendly relations, politicians should be more cautious in their words and deeds after careful consideration."
Yoon Ho-jung, secretary general of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarian Union and member of the Opposition Common Democratic Party of South Korea, said: "[Seisero Weedo] made a very regrettable statement. As for whether to ask the Japanese side to apologize, he said, "a decision will be made after discussion."
Korean media angrily criticized Wei Teng Seishiro for "nonsense"
Up to now, Seishiro Weito has not publicly apologized for his inappropriate remarks, and this matter has also aroused the attention of many countries.
On August 9, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said when presiding over the regular press conference and related information, we were shocked by the relevant remarks of the Japanese side, and also noticed that the Japanese remarks caused a backlash in South Korea, and some South Korean parliamentarians strongly protested.
Wang Wenbin pointed out that in international relations, all countries are equal regardless of size, strength or weakness, rich or poor. Some Japanese politicians are not ashamed of the disgraceful history of their own aggression and colonization, but are proud of it, and to this day they still display an arrogant attitude of being condescending and commanding, which is disgraceful. This reflects Japan's long-distorted view of history from one side, and the deep-seated reasons and potential negative impacts behind it deserve the consideration and vigilance of the international community.
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