Tag: Japan

Kamakura is a beautiful area of Japan filled with various temples and shrines. It is not surprising to me that they would have a Korean shrine there as well. Good to hear the shrine is returning to its original home in Korea:

A building believed to be a royal shrine from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) has returned to Korea, about 100 years after it was taken to Japan.

The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation announced Tuesday that they had received parts of the structure, known as Gwanwoldang, under an agreement reached a day ago with Kotoku-in, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Japan. 

The return was made possible through the decision of Takao Sato, chief priest of the temple, who concluded that the shrine should be preserved in its original home — Korea.

It marks the first time an entire Korean building located overseas has been repatriated. Previously, in 1995, 110 tons of remains from Jaseondang Hall of Gyeongbok Palace, discovered in a garden path at Tokyo’s Okura Hotel, were returned. However, those remains consisted mostly of stone components, such as stylobates and cornerstones.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

President Lee maybe talking nice about the Japanese now, but we all know how this is going to end. When Lee inevitably begins to slide in the polls or some scandal pops up, be prepared for the latest Dokdo or comfort women crisis to happen:

 President Lee Jae-myung on Monday called for South Korea and Japan to join hands for a better future, casting the two neighbors as important partners bound to work together amid a rapidly changing global environment.

Lee made the remark in a congratulatory video message at the start of an event hosted by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, which falls on this Sunday.

“South Korea and Japan are key partners who must cooperate closely in responding to a rapidly changing global landscape. Let’s join hands and move toward a better future,” Lee said.

The phrase “join hands and move toward a better future” is the official slogan for the 60th anniversary of the normalization of the ties. Korea was under Japan’s colonial rule from 1910-45

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.