Korea vs Japan

Few weeks ago, my mom told me that she was affected by a trade war that Japan started by blocking chemicals being exported into Korea. I didn't really think much of it back when she told me since I kind of separate myself from politics and also foreign country matter since it's usually depressing stuff. I really should've stayed that way. I made the mistake today of looking at an article about an island in Japan that's gone down in tourism due to this 'trade war'. This sparked some curiosity as it seemed extreme. Koreans were boycotting Japan tour completely. I looked into it.

'Apparently'. I have to emphasis this 'apparently' because it was such a petty fight back from Japan for such a small thing that Korea has done.

So a few month ago Korea has made a verdict that a company in Japan, Mitsubishi, needs to pay Korean slaves from WW2 as much as 100,000 USD for each individual involved. A few weeks later, Japan, decided to stop(or limit as some news outlet lays) exportation ease to Korea from Japan. Now, Koreans in retaliation, started a huge protest and have banned themselves from buying Japanese products or travelling there... 

Both reactions are just pathetic as fuck. I teach children. This is what children do.

Just to make things clear, I want to point that there's nothing wrong with Koreans who were slaves and families who were affected wanting compensation. Totally normal and they should demand it. What is wrong, is for the Korean government to ignore the treaty made between Japan and Korea and just charge an individual Japanese company willy nilly out of .

The treaty that was signed and settled included this

"1 The High Contracting Parties confirm that the problems concerning property, rights, and interests of the two High Contracting Parties and their peoples (including juridical persons) and the claims between the High Contracting Parties and between their peoples, including those stipulated in Article IV(a) of the Peace Treaty with Japan signed at the city of San Francisco on September 8, 1951, have been settled completely and finally."

I live in a country, New Zealand, where 'treaty' is a continuous point of argument and problem. But luckily, both parties work towards a settlement even when there are individuals that are unhappy about the settlement or treaty at times. Yeah it's easy when we're all in the same country, but still, there's always a level of professionalism when there are discussions around the treaty.

In any case the Korean government could've done a hundred other things, including pointing out to the treaty and actually paying the affected themselves which should've been included in the settlement, rather than just charging a Japanese company for enslavement, but they have not.

Japan... oh boy... also have not retaliated well. Japan could've easily played the bigger man and came up with a better solution. I've read in comments that Japan tried to open up conversations? But I can't seem to find any evidence in that. It's hard to assume that they didn't, so they probably have. However, obviously that didn't work and Japan had a hundred different way to protect Mitsubishi and keep the peace between countries. But they decided to play petty. Blaming it on another hundred reasons, they decided to restrict exportation privileges to Korea. Their excuses included unrelated subjects such as "Oh we don't really know where these chemicals are going... They could be going to North Korea??" 

So now we're here with the mess. Koreans, as patriotic as the typical American red neck with a confederate flag, are doing all these protest that... to the international eyes... look very very pathetic. They've stopped using, buying Japanese products and stopped travelling to Japan. Which is fine and all, but the citizens themselves are blindly defending their president and the decisions made by the high court that has blatantly ignored the treaty and charged a Japanese company. Then now they're saying "Oh, it's not about the money or the compensation, it's about Japan owning up."... No... Japan has owned up and paid. The only protest there should be is not them defending their stupid president or the high court system, they should only protest about Japans history books and education system. Not to mention how this 'hate' is the most ineffective way of proving a point and making changing. Hate just breeds hate. Now Japanese people who were ok with Koreans, hate Koreans for being petty. 

The saddest part is that I'm Korean and I am embarrassed by what our country has done. I am annoyed at the Japanese governments decision to stop trade sanctions as a sort of retaliation, but this whole retaliation from both sides are so pathetic and disgusting. Go on any youtube comments on the matter, Koreans are getting such a bad light. No one is siding with Koreans because they've realized a treaty was broken and they're just out there protesting and spreading hate when the world is (well at least trying to be) at a peaceful age after the WW2.

I just want to add one last thing
We as a human species ALL have less than 1% difference in DNA with one another. We're basically family. Stop hating each other!!