Korea vs. Japan

Last night I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing yet another lamentable loss by the Korean national football team. The venue: AFC Asian Cup 2011 Semi-finals at Doha.

There are only a handful things more important to most South Koreans than beating Japan in a globally televised sporting event, including but not limited to, North Korea, comfort women, the Dokdo islets (Liancourt Rocks/Takeshima), and the naming of the East Sea (Sea of Japan), not in any particular order. While I hope to go into detail on the above topics in future posts, in this post, I want to focus on why every such sporting event is a "must-win" game for Korea.

First of all, the results. Japan defeated Korea 3-0 on penalties, 2-2 a.e.t. (after extra time). Korea struck the first goal after Park Ji-Sung earns a penalty for Ki Sung-Yueng in the 23rd minute. Japan is able to draw in the 36th minute, thanks to Maeda's goal. In the second half, Korea concedes a penalty to Honda in the 97th minute, who has his shot blocked by Korean keeper Jung Sung-Ryong, only to have Hosagai power in the easy rebound. Korea then stages a dramatic comeback at the last minute of the 2nd overtime with a frantic goal by Hwang Jae-Won. The match then proceeds to penalties.

Unfortunately, this is where things fall apart (Chinua Achebe, anyone?) for Korea. The Korean players either all miss their mark on their shots or have their shot saved by the Japanese keeper. On the flip side, Japan is able to find the net on three of their four chances, undoubtedly made easier from Korea missing their penalties. Korea is then left to once again consider whether they can honestly call themselves one of the best soccer teams in Asia.

More Koreans were probably angered by this loss than to the loss to Uruguay in the World Cup in South Africa 2010. Why? Simply because Korea can afford losing to Uruguay, despite it being the World Cup, the biggest and greatest sporting event in the world. Korea, however, cannot afford to lose to Japan. They are our quintessential rivals, from electronics, car manufacturing, and to sports. Many people were overjoyed yet disheartened to learn that Korea would jointly host the 2002 World Cup with Japan. Overjoyed because the World Cup would come to Korea, but disheartened that she would have to share the glory with its eternal rival.

If you ask the average Korean citizen why Korea cannot lose to Japan, they will most likely be unable to provide a solid, fact-based reason why Korea should win. Most of them will speak from their heart, and from what has been ingrained into their heads from an early age.

"Japan is Korea's enemy and rival, and that is the reason why Korea should win."

This is faulty logic. Yes, it is probably good to defeat your rival or enemy. However, one must first explain why Japan is Korea's enemy or rival to make the argument plausible.

So why do Koreans think of the Japanese as rivals (and in some cases, enemies)?

The answer can be found in the roots of history. While I won't go too much into the lengthy history between the two countries, I will point out two major historical events which will always affect Korean-Japanese relations.

1. The Japanese invasions of Korea between 1592-1598. The Japanese invasion left Korea in dire financial straits, with limited arable land, infrastructural damage, the destruction of Korea's main palaces, not to mention the loss of a significant portion of Korea's population as well as the loss of cultural and artistic artifacts.
2. The colonization or forced occupation of Korea by Japan from 1910-1945. If you have been attacked more than once by another country, you can bet that the country that attacked you will never be completely trusted again.

Because of these two historical events, many Koreans harbor an almost inborn tendency to distrust or even dislike Japan. I have found this to be true even among the young generations, who have never directly witnessed Japanese aggression as their forefathers once did. That is why I think it is in the blood of Koreans, even though I know this cannot be true. The expression that comes to mind is that the dislike of Japan is "in the air," meaning that the general atmosphere in the homes, workplaces, and schools is anti-Japan. 

The media plays a huge role in fostering this anti-Japanese sentiment. At least once a week, a news segment will have an update on the status of Dokdo, and these days it is not uncommon to see commercials that exploit the Korean's overzealous affinity for the aforementioned disputed islets. 

There is no sweeter victory than that of vanquishing an old foe who has crushed you in the past. That, is actually the gist of why Korea must defeat Japan in sports. Since it is highly implausible to exact revenge on Japan through sheer force and war, Korea must grasp the bittersweet victory that comes from defeating Japan in the next best acceptable method: sports (as well as economics: think Samsung vs. Sony). It is like saying, "you may have defeated me in the past, but now I stand victorious, no longer under your control. Look at me now."