Anti-Japan sentiments

It’s a week old article which caught my eye on Japan Today.  It’s a Japanese article about Son-Ha Yoon , one of Gaikokujin Tarento(外国人タレント)  just like BoA in Japan.  According to the article she was bashing Japan and reflects her double stands attitudes. 

Here’s part of article,  

“I was a fan because I liked how she worked hard, but I was shocked when I learned what she thought of Japan,” said one fan. “I even started taking Korean lessons because of her. I feel betrayed.” Another fan said: “Her remarks in South Korea completely differed from what she said on Japanese TV and magazine interviews.”

These fans are talking about popular South Korean TV personality Yoon Son-ha. Yoon, 30, first came to Japan in 2000 and debuted on Japanese TV the following year as the heroine in the NHK drama “Moichido Kiss.” Her cute smile and comical character gained her a massive following making her a popular TV personality and leading to countless appearances on various TV programs.
But Yoon’s star has dimmed in Japan since she relocated back to South Korea after getting married to a South Korean businessman last year. It all started on March 20 when South Korean daily Dong-a Ilbo posted an article on its website with the headline “Distress over Japan’s distorted education on history.” According to Dong-a Ilbo, Yoon was quoted as saying: “My young Japanese friends do not know much about the brutal acts committed during the imperial Japan era that we learned when we were little in South Korea.” She made the remarks at a press conference she attended for the South Korean Drama “Koibito Yo.” “We grew up listening to our grandmothers telling us painful stories about sex slaves, but there were many of my Japanese friends the same age as me who were not aware of the fact.” 
She pointed out the different historical perception between the two countries. The most frequently asked question, she said, when she lived in Japan, was: “Why do South Koreans get so heated when it comes to playing against Japan in sports?” “If they had a better understanding of the history, then they would know the answer. I suffered a lot when one person suggested that it was due to an inferiority complex with Japan. That person knew nothing about history.”…In the past, Yoon has said otherwise. In an interview with a Japanese women’s magazine in 2003, she said: “I was a little fearful when I first came to Japan as my grandma used to tell me about Japan. But upon coming to Japan, I learned that there wasn’t any particular feeling among our generation. I learned that there are many people in Japan who are keen on South Korea. I realized the past is just the past.”… 

According to the daily Chosun Ilbo, Yoon was quoted as saying on a South Korean TV show: “I got really furious once while shooting a TV show in Japan. One person kept referring to my country as poor. He said it was a joke, but I was angry.” 

…
Although the relationship between Japan and South Korea has vastly improved due to the “Hanryu Boom” in recent years, it seems there still is a deep division between the two countries. (Translated by Toshiya Fujii) April 4, 2007

Has  she really revealed her anti-Japan sentiment with her statements? I don’t see much anti-Japanese sentiment from her comments.   Is she a right-wing nationalist? I don’t think so.  Again she is just a Gaikokujin Tarento in Japan.  Nationalism does exist in every country on planet Eearth.  It’s just lead to wrong direction when flamed by stupid politicians and media.  In fact, both countries share more in common than any other country and could move on to the future if politicians and media do not play nationalism cards.  Of course I wouldn’t give much credit to this article as it was featured on the Shukan post. And ironically, the author of article criticizing Yoon Son-ha with articles from biased right-wing Korean newspapers (Chosun, JoonAng, Dong A).

Read rest of Article and debate goes on here.