[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]Colonization was a crime

A recent article in a Japanese magazine by retired Korea University professor Hahn Sung-joe, in which he argued that Japan’s occupation of Korea had been beneficial in some ways, caused an uproar of protest.
To be frank, I also recognize that the Japanese occupation had certain positive effects, but there weren’t enough to justify praise of their colonization of our country. I wonder how conservatives can be so misguided.
It is like a father praising the rapist of his daughter, thanking him for making the young woman understand the meaning of sex. The conservatives in Korea seem to be saying that criminals are fine as long as they have something to teach us.
They believe that if they are happy, there is no need to worry about someone else’s pain. The conservatives also say we have to stick with America because doing so brings economic benefits. Any attempts to change the relationship is denounced as an evil conspiracy against conservatives.
It is a shame to share this country with conservatives who only have their self-interest in mind, and not the suffering of others.

by Kim Joo-young