OMG A KOREAN HISTORY ENTHUSIAST! HELLO and THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT!!! I do not care if it is a vent or anything you have real frustrations.
The blaring truth remains that more violent and privileged white powers (Britain and America as the top ones) have influenced and fanned a significant amount of Asian unrest. No, saying America and whiter colonial powers influenced such things wont erase or negate the bad decisions Asian countries have and continue to make. In order to prevent further damage from happening it is important to recognize that it is actually a very human response to go from a traumatized group of people to a group of people who causes trauma. To recognize the signs, feelings, and circumstances in which this happens and choosing differently is the only way to not repeat mistakes.
Although I am not as knowledgeable with Korean history as I am with Japanese/American history, North Korea is heavily influenced by the US/Korean war, and prior to that, the colonial impact of being occupied split between two larger powers after Japan's defeat to USA. (Soviets and the USA occupied the two halves of Korea as I read.)
And of course... USA looooves South Korea cause that's the slice of the pie they got in the agreement to chase the Japanese out of Korea and therefore were able to establish political changes that the USA wanted. And Haaaate North Korea cause that's the slice they could not get control over. Rolls eyes.
So basically USA comes to Japan to try and get military positioning benefits over China. Japan chases them out. They come back Again and Again with More Guns and Japan says yes. USA says we are the elite advanced race and you guys are barbarians. The weak die and the strong live.
Japan deeply internalizes this, and feels shame over their own ways of life and sees what the western colonial powers are doing to the rest of the world and decides to "evolve." They internalized the darwinistic belief brought over seas of "evolve or die, and if you are weak you are inferior are meant to die"
Japan becomes the devil. Seeing China lose the opium wars they apply "weak barbarians must die" to the asian continent. Koreans rightfully said "You wear the barbarian's clothes you have become the barbarian" to the Japanese. (Truth.)Japan continues to carry common western beliefs and commit mass genocide.
Japan gets bombed and put in place and demilitarized by THE SAME POWER THAT TOLD THEM TO CHANGE
Japan leaves all Asian territories they occupied, and in that aftermath, larger powers took that chance to grab whatever pieces they could that was relinquished when Japan left. One of those pieces is Korea. Korea went through a Lot and then stronger powers instilled different governments after having their people slaughtered from japan, and then the Korean War happened as a strong result of that trauma and then America comes in also during that time and does horrific things to Korea while there.
And frankly I cannot judge Koreans for going to such extremes in response from basically getting the damage from every side with no break. Korea was treated as a fun toy for every colonial power to do what they wanted with and with that in mind there comes a point where some people get sick and tired of being bossed around, killed, and be told what to do.
Anyway AUGH. for the USA to start pinning North Koreans as some evil backwards nation while simultaneously thinking South Koreans are soooo pretty and tame and domestic makes me angry beyond belief 💥💥 It's all USA propaganda to feel this way towards the the different Koreans and tbh most Asians in that regard. Regardless, it is ALL orientalism. And Yes Japan needs to own up to their asian neighbors for the awful things they did and NEED to ensure it won't happen again. but can the USA get their grimy hands out of everything in the Asian hemisphere for once as well while we are at it.
America encouraging Asian divide and trying to instill their own beliefs and politics in Asia leading to more Asian divide is nothing new it's been happening. North Korea is the Barbarian now? Oh Gee, this is such an Original Thought! Wow! Anyone who poses even a sliver of opposition against the western imperial agenda is a barbarian? I didn't know that! Barbarians deserve to die! (USA always said this to any asian that disagreed with them btw.) and then once often forced into compliance to western values, then it's "awww aren't they so cute and tame" (still racist btw)
(And THEN. Eastern technology scare racism. now that the "evolved" country sees the "unevolved" countries now advance and become technologically advanced queue the cyberpunk dystopia racist genres cause now asia is "evolving too far" and "will take over the world" 💀💥)
