Published on August 29, 2019.
This article introduces an essay by Lee Woo-youn published in the monthly magazine Hanada, discussing South Korea’s reaction to Japan’s strengthened export controls, the Moon Jae-in administration’s political use of anti-Japanese sentiment, South Korea’s economic stagnation, the illusion of economic cooperation with North Korea, and the problem of anti-Japanese tribalism rooted in South Korean society.
It argues that the Japanese government must not make easy compromises and should maintain a firm position.

August 29, 2019.
Behind the fact that the South Korean people, poisoned by emotional anti-Japanese tribalism that unconditionally regards Japan as hostile, are rushing into extreme anti-Japanese actions such as abnormal boycotts and cancellations of trips to Japan, lies the devastation of the South Korean economy.
The following is from an essay by Lee Woo-youn, finally a proper scholar who has appeared in South Korea, published in this month’s issue of the monthly magazine Hanada in the all-out special feature “The Disease Called South Korea,” under the title “Moon Jae-in’s Anti-Japan Policy Will Destroy South Korea.”
It is an essay that Japan’s conscientious intellectuals and people around the world who have taken Chinese and South Korean propaganda at face value must read.
The fundamental and essential error of those who control the reporting departments of the Asahi Shimbun and NHK, which follows it, is that
they do not report at all that the root problem in Japan-South Korea relations is the fact that, for the seventy-four years since the war, South Korea has continued Nazism under the name of anti-Japanese education.
Even a mind at the level of a kindergarten child can understand that unless South Korea stops this Nazism, there can be no Japan-South Korea friendship.
I dare say that because I am a person who was given by God a mind with an IQ of more than 150, I understood everything about South Korea in one hour by searching the internet.
It is no exaggeration at all to say that the people at Asahi and NHK, who do not report this at all, have minds below the level of kindergarten children.
In that process, I also learned of the foolish acts in old age of Le Clézio, whom I had thought of as another me in this world, and now I even despise him.
When, several years ago, he suddenly won the Nobel Prize in Literature, I thought it was a matter for mutual congratulations, but in essence he was being flattered by South Korea, which is an ancient despotic state, and as a result he was praising South Korea.
Now I even think that perhaps South Korea carried out its favorite propaganda activities for him and led him to win the prize.
As for the award to Kenzaburo Oe and the case of Haruki Murakami, I also think that China and South Korea were probably strongly recommending them.
Now I even think that Le Clézio may have been provided with South Korea’s top actress and fallen into a honey trap.
The same could probably be said of all so-called intellectuals in Japan who are pro-China or pro-South Korea.
Moon Jae-in’s self-made drama.
The strengthened export controls carried out by Japan will have a fatal impact on South Korea.
South Korea has imported a wide variety of materials and components from Japan, incorporated them into products, and sold those products all over the world, but this will create obstacles to that process.
On the other hand, even if Japan does not export materials and components to South Korea, it has sales channels in other countries, so the impact will be slight.
President Moon Jae-in says things such as, “If a peace economy is realized through economic cooperation between North and South, we will be able to catch up with Japan’s superiority all at once,” but this is, like the “income-led growth policy” that the Moon administration has pursued until now, nothing but a complete fantasy.
The “income-led growth policy” is the idea that if people’s income is increased, consumption will increase, corporate performance will expand, and investment and employment will also increase; in fact, the Moon administration has raised the minimum wage.
However, the result has ended in a great failure.
South Korea once achieved economic growth of 5 percent, and in high times 10 percent, and the feeling was that “economic growth and air are things that naturally exist,” but since the Moon administration came to power, the economy has continued to stagnate.
Looking at the first quarter of this year, per capita national income decreased, and in the second quarter it rose slightly, but this was because the government somehow supported it through fiscal spending; if the government had done nothing, a further decline would have been inevitable.
In such circumstances, Japan strengthened export controls, and therefore South Koreans feel fear.
At the same time, they are shifting responsibility to Japan, saying, “The reason the economy has deteriorated this much is Japan,” and are increasing their anger toward Japan.
Behind the fact that the South Korean people, poisoned by emotional anti-Japanese tribalism that unconditionally regards Japan as hostile, are rushing into extreme anti-Japanese actions such as abnormal boycotts and cancellations of trips to Japan, lies the devastation of the South Korean economy.
President Moon is also inciting and using anti-Japanese actions.
With no progress being seen on the North Korean nuclear issue and no results being achieved, if he blames everything on Japan, he can not only hide his own policy failures but also raise his approval rating.
For President Moon, there is no cheaper, easier, or more effective means than anti-Japanism for maintaining his administration.
The abandonment of the comfort women agreement, the radar irradiation incident, and the extremely rude remark toward the Emperor — the series of South Korean moves since last year can be seen as a “self-made drama” staged by President Moon and the ruling party in order to politically use anti-Japanism.
This does not mean that President Moon calculated and carried it out — President Moon is not such a strategist — it simply means that in South Korea, anti-Japanism is a quick and easy method that anyone can use politically.
Intentionally creating problems with Japan and criticizing Japan has become a political gain for politicians.
It can be said that Japan has been trapped by this.
The reason the president can lie.
Now even the opposition parties are rushing into anti-Japanism, trying not to be outdone, in order to raise their approval ratings and advertise their existence.
Among them are Diet members who understand that “even if we do such a thing now, it will not serve South Korea’s national interest,” but if they oppose anti-Japanism, their political lives will be ended, so they cannot easily criticize it publicly.
Ordinary citizens, too, cannot speak openly because they fear that if they object to anti-Japanism, they may be bullied.
The mass media, day and night, also carry reports supporting the Moon administration’s anti-Japanism and incite anti-Japanism.
Most reporters have not studied enough and do not even understand their own country’s economic situation, and they have not read any of the essays I have written.
Without reading, they merely criticize emotionally.
I hear that in Japan there is a derogatory term for the mass media, “masugomi,” or “mass garbage,” and in South Korea too there is a derogatory term, “journalist garbage,” a compound of journalist and garbage.
That is how terrible South Korean media reporting is.
Regarding Japan’s strengthened export controls, they calmly write lies such as “all we have to do is domestically produce the materials, components, and equipment imported from Japan,” or, like President Moon, “if we cooperate with North Korea, we can surpass Japan.”
They never answer the question, “Then why have you not domestically produced them until now?”
The answer is simple: because it is not profitable, and because they do not have the technology in the first place.
There will be a serious impact on the economy.
As for the basis on which South Korean media write that “if we cooperate with the North, we can beat Japan,” it is an outrageous story that does not even understand the basics of economics: “Japan merely has a large population and a broad domestic market, so if we join with the North, our domestic demand will also catch up.”
To begin with, North Korea has no purchasing power.
That is because it has no income.
Then what should be done to increase income?
Investment is necessary.
What is necessary for investment?
Needless to say, capital and high-quality labor.
However, North Korea has no capital, and the quality of its labor is not good.
South Korea also does not have surplus capital or labor that it can provide to the North.
In other words, even if South Korea joins with North Korea, only the population will increase, and the economic scale will increase only slightly, so per capita national income will certainly decrease.
Because the mass media and the majority of the people do not understand such basic economic theory, the president can lie without hesitation.
The South Korean economy cannot exist without Japan.
However, many South Korean people do not know this fact and hold the following view.
“Japan has only a slightly larger land area than South Korea, and only a slightly larger population.
Its economic scale is only slightly larger, and its per capita income is only slightly higher.
Therefore, if we make just a little effort, we can quickly beat Japan.”
Because such thinking is implanted not only in children but also in adults through education based on anti-Japanese tribalism carried out at daycare centers, kindergartens, schools, companies, and seminars by social organizations, they are unable to recognize the seriousness of the issue even when it comes to strengthened export controls.
From now on, if the economy is further devastated, they will blame Japan even more.
If the people think that way, politicians will further incite anti-Japanism in order to raise their approval ratings.
Originally, politicians should play the role of correcting the people’s mistaken perceptions and leading them in the right direction, but the Moon administration in particular is rushing into populism by riding on the people’s mistaken direction and fanning it.
Politicians should make efforts to raise national income even by 1 percent, but they are thinking only of raising their own approval ratings even by 1 percent.
South Korea will hold a general election in April next year, so President Moon will continue anti-Japanism until then.
That is because if he loses momentum before the election, there is a risk that his administration will collapse.
Even if Japan brings the matter before the International Court of Justice, he will refuse and stall for as much time as possible.
During that time, if Japan makes the next move, he will further incite the people’s anti-Japanese sentiment and raise his approval rating by saying things such as, “Look, Japan has again done something terrible.
We will fight resolutely!”
The problem is after the general election.
As South Korea pushes forward with anti-Japanism, its economy may suffer a serious blow and a visible impact may begin to appear in the lives of the people.
Only when that happens, that is, only when the situation can no longer be covered up by anti-Japanism, will it move toward normalizing relations with Japan.
Therefore, the Japanese government should continue to assert its position toward South Korea more strongly and resolutely.
It must never make easy compromises.
If it does, relations may temporarily “improve,” but the same kind of thing will certainly be repeated again.
For the Japanese government not to compromise here is indispensable for resolving the various issues between Japan and South Korea.
This article continues.