I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 338



Only Noblemtl

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (338)

‘Japan is part of Asia? That’s funny.’

This is Hebei (former Hebei Province),

Wang Hui-jeong, a member of the National Assembly for the Habuk District of the Central New Party, scoffed at Japan’s attitude.

Japan now seems to want to break away from de-Aaron and be recognized as part of Asia, but from a continental perspective, that is absurd.

[Sun Yat-sen is a figure who defined Asianism as the antithesis of imperialism. He pursued the union of Korea, China, and Japan based on Greater Asianism, and in the process, Japanese scholars were also influenced.]

First, to delve into this issue, we need to look at Sun Yat-sen’s Asianism.

Sun Yat-sen emphasized solidarity among Asian countries to prepare for invasion by Western powers. So did Sun Yat-sen consider Japan an ally of China?

At the time, Sun Yat-sen had a high opinion of Japan, but on the other hand, he was wary of it.

“Japan is the most developed country in Asia, but it is up to them whether they will exploit their neighbors by imitating the Western powers or seek a path to develop together with the East. If Asia is to survive, it must unite with each other.”

This is a declaration issued by Sun Yat-sen while he was living in exile in Japan (1924).

At that time, Japan achieved successive victories over the Qing Dynasty and Russia, and gained hegemony over East Asia.

In the process, it is true that Taiwan, a fellow Asian country, was colonized by Korea. What would Sun Yat-sen have felt when he saw this?

He must have realized that Japan’s Asianism had already degenerated, and his concerns became reality with the Shanghai War and the Sino-Japanese War.

Would the continental people who followed Sun Yat-sen’s will regard Japan as part of Asia?

In a word, it’s impossible.

“Japan is an entity that is not included in the Asian tributary system.”

“An opportunist tightrope walker between Asia and the Western powers, Japan does not truly want to become part of Asia; it simply conforms to reality.”

This is the perception of Japan by continental people. While they accept that Japan is part of Korea, they oppose Japan being included in Asia.

The reason is Sun Yat-sen’s Greater Asia policy.

Sun Yat-sen believed that all those who historically cooperated with China’s tributary system were part of Asia and comrades of China.

The one who inherited this ideology was Chiang Kai-shek, the President of the Nationalist Party of the Republic of China. Why did Chiang Kai-shek support Korean independence activists and even provide operating funds to the provisional government?

According to Sun Yat-sen’s Asianism, Korea was part of Asia and part of China, and when Korea inherited the Chinese order, the continental people recognized Korea’s rule.

Historically, China has been ruled by the Xianbei, Khitans, Mongols, and Jurchens, so why would it reject foreign rule?

From an Asianist perspective, there is nothing strange about Korea’s rule over the continent.

But Japan is an exception,

Didn’t Sun Yat-sen make a speech warning against Japanese imperialism a year before his death? Wang Huizheng used that to incite the mainlanders.

“I am one of those who think that India can be included as part of Asia in a broad sense. But Japan becoming part of Asia? Do you think that is historically acceptable? I don’t think Japan has betrayed Asia. Because they have never been part of Asia.”

This claim shocked the Japanese people.

Who is Queen Hui-jeong?

He is a member of the National Assembly for the Centrist Party, the largest ruling party in Korea, and a big-time politician who governs an administrative district with a population of 25 million.

If it had been said that Japan had ‘betrayed’ Asia by invading Korea and China during the imperialist era, Japan would have something to say, but Wang Huizheng drew the line, saying that Japan had never been included in the category of Asia.

The content is also quite specific,

Wang Huizheng presented the rationale for why Japan should be excluded from Asia.

“After the failure of the Gapsin Coup, Japan’s Yukichi Fukuzawa advocated for the elimination of the Aryan ideology, providing a justification for Japan to invade the continent, and the Japanese government, which supported the reformist faction in Joseon, also found Kim Ok-gyun’s presence uncomfortable and exiled him.

Didn’t Kim Ok-gyun also go into exile in Qing China because he realized that Japan’s Asianism had become corrupted?

Is that all? When Ahn Jung-geun advocated for East Asian peace and solidarity, what did Japan do? They made Ahn Jung-geun disappear like the morning dew on the execution ground, and furthermore, they colonized Joseon. Next came the invasion of the continent, and in the process, 40 million innocent Chinese people died.

How can a country like this have the decency to preach Asianism?

As Korea unifies the continent, it seems like they are trying to sneak in here, but I really hate that opportunistic side of Japan. I think I finally understand why Sun Yat-sen hated Japan so much.

If you are a true Asian, can you have Japan as your neighbor? The Japanese are basically gloomy and opportunistic.

“I would rather be a dog of Korea than a friend of Japan.”

This statement won enormous support from continental people.

If you think about it, whose fault is it that the continent is in chaos?

If Japan had not started the Sino-Japanese War, Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang would have unified China, and Mao Zedong’s Communist Party would not have grown in power.

In the end, the culprit was Japan, and it was unpleasant for such people to be included in the same Asian framework as us.

The problem is how the Korean government will accept this.

Because these words were spoken by a member of the moderate party and not someone else, the repercussions were huge.

***

“I think you should refrain from doing this for the time being.”

“What do you mean? Self-restraint?”

“That statement means that it will do us no good.”

This is Gyeongseong,

Park Myeong-ui, the leader of the moderate party, came face to face with the person in question.

Wang Hui-jeong is now a politician who forms one axis of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, and each of her statements has a tremendous impact on Korean politics.

If you know that, you should be careful what you say, but the atmosphere became awkward when one politician said something wrong.

Do you think South Korea signed the EAEC because it likes Japan?

It is not that we favor a particular country; we simply do not regard Japan, the world’s third largest economy, as an enemy.

That’s what a leader should be like,

Park Myeong-ui explained why Korea should embrace Japan.

“As you said, Japan is a criminal who invaded Korea and China. And yet, it is disgusting to see them shamelessly shouting about Asianism. However, the situation is different now than it was then.”

“What is the difference?”

“At that time, neither Japan, China, nor Korea had the power to realize Asianism, because they were all too busy prioritizing their own positions. But that’s not the case now. Korea has the power to realize Asianism.”

Sun Yat-sen expected Japan to play a leading role in bringing peace to Asia.

If China had power, would they have said such regrettable things?

It was because we were weak that we demanded peace from the powerful countries. This was also the case with Ahn Jung-geun, the author of the Oriental Peace Theory.

Because Joseon had no power, they expected Japan to play a peaceful role, but Japan had neither the power nor the will to make that happen.

So, the war that was chosen resulted in Japan being hated by Koreans and the continental people.

So how should modern Koreans and continental people view Japan?

Even if we only look at the difference in national power, Japan cannot deal with the continent alone.

Japan’s population is 130 million, while the continent’s population is 530 million, a difference of a whopping 4 times.

Military power? Economic power? If Japan cannot become part of the West, it will have to become part of Asia.

So, the fact that Korea abandoned its isolationist policy and joined the EAEC is proof that Korea has the power to integrate Asia and create a balance with the West.

Then, is there no reason to reject Japan?

Above all, Wang Huizheng’s remarks did not match the will of the head of state who was trying to realize Asianism.

“I know the enemy well, and I don’t really trust Japan, but sometimes you have to wear a mask for the sake of a greater cause. How much does Korea gain by embracing Japan? We’ve gained control of the Pacific. Isn’t that enough?”

“It’s not that I don’t understand what you’re saying. But I couldn’t stand by and watch CEO Lee Yeon-soo gain power.”

“Representative Lee Yeon-su? What are you talking about?”

“The Marshal is trying to put that woman in the Prime Minister’s seat. Aren’t you okay with it?”

Here, the real reason why Wang Huijing shot Japan was revealed.

Lee Yeon-soo, the representative of the Women’s Peace Party, visited Japan and promoted the signing of the EAEC, and thanks to her outstanding performance, she won the favor of the head of state of Korea and was promoted to the position of prime minister candidate.

Then what will be the position of the Centrist Party, the largest political party in Korea?

Queen Dowager Yi Jeong was aware of this and targeted Japan. In reality, Koreans and continental people were also secretly wary of Japan becoming a part of Asia.

If this happens, CEO Lee Yeon-su’s position will be shaken a bit. In the end, Wang Hui-jeong’s remarks were an internal strife with political objectives.

A development that does not help Korea’s national interests at all.

Park Myeong-ui made his position clear.

“Have you forgotten how my father was driven out? Do you intend to make me suffer the same fate as him?”

“No… That’s what I meant… .”

“Remember, I didn’t become a politician to fight factions. How would you look at me if you stirred up trouble because you didn’t like Representative Lee Yeon-soo becoming Prime Minister? That would be worse than helping Representative Lee Yeon-soo improve Korea-Japan relations.”

Park Myeong-ui had no intention of confronting CEO Lee Yeon-su.

Now, supporting Representative Lee Yeon-soo’s policies is the way to get points from the head of state.

Now that we have explained it to you enough to understand, we have announced our official position.

“Representative Wang Hui-jeong’s remarks are merely her personal position and have nothing to do with the party’s public opinion. We, the New Center Party, hereby promise to cooperate with the Women’s Peace Party’s policies to realize pan-Asianism.

Some will say that pan-Asianism is an illusion.

I won’t tell them to just wait and see. In the past, Asia did not have the power to realize Asianism, but now it is different. Ahn Jung-geun’s theory of East Asian peace is no longer an ideal but a reality.

Please watch over me. I will definitely do it.”

Representative Park Myeong-ui’s remarks once again shook public opinion.

Rather than rejecting Japan, wouldn’t it be the right way to show off Korea’s national power to embrace it as part of Asia?

It is easy for a powerful country to bully a weaker country. If Korea wants to become a true leader in Asia, it must first realize pan-Asianism.

Knowing that, the Korean leader also prioritized the establishment of Asianism over the establishment of a world government.

The Moderate New Party and the Women’s Peace Party recognized Japan as part of Asia.

As there is talk of going, there is talk of coming. Japan has admitted that the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere pursued by the Japanese Empire in the past was an illusion.

He acknowledged that it was not pan-Asianism, but rather a pretext for invading the continent, and that true Asianism had only been realized now.

If we acknowledge that Korea is playing a leading role in East Asia, then Japan’s invasion of Korea and the Sino-Japanese War will no longer have any justification.

It’s all just Japan’s dark history. The Japanese Empire never wanted to be the leader of Asia; its goal was simply to invade.

Emperor Akihito also emphasized this point, saying that he grew up watching that dark history with his own eyes, so there was no need to romanticize the past.

In this way, Korea has established itself as a leader in Asia.

Now that we are the leader in Asia, we are aiming at the world.