Minister Cho Hyun Admits Shock at Seeing Anti-Korean Book Display in Japan, Calls for China–Japan–South Korea Dialogue

According to The Financial News, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun revealed that he was once shocked to discover an "anti-Korean books" section in a major Japanese bookstore. He made the remark in a keynote speech at a special session of the Seoul-Tokyo Forum on the 17th, held at the invitation of Nakasone Hirofumi, chair of the Nakasone Peace Institute, and Ryu Jin, chair of The Seoul Forum for International Affairs (SFIA).
Cho Hyun said, "Before I became minister, I visited a large bookstore in Tokyo and was quite shocked to see what was called an anti-Korean books section, something you rarely see in other countries." However, he added, "I have recently heard that this anti-Korean books section has disappeared and that a Korean-language book section has been set up in its place."
He went on to say, "We cannot conclude that all of these changes are solely the result of summit diplomacy," but added, "I do not think there is any better example of how, when the atmosphere between countries changes, the social climate and the scenes of everyday life change along with it."
President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi have been pursuing close diplomacy, including a surprise drum performance together immediately after their summit in Nara Prefecture on the 13th. Minister Cho stated that not only South Korea and Japan but also the three countries of China–Japan–South Korea need to identify as many commonalities as possible and continue to communicate and cooperate together.
Cho Hyun said, "Just as South Korea and Japan are neighboring countries that cannot move away from each other, the same is true of China," and urged, "The three countries of China–Japan–South Korea clearly have differences, but they must pursue dialogue over confrontation and connectivity over disconnection."
He assessed that relations between states do not exist only in diplomatic documents or summit photographs, but permeate the social atmosphere and the daily lives of citizens, exerting influence there as well.
To explain this phenomenon, Cho Hyun cited the concept of the "social gene" from the meme theory of Professor Richard Dawkins. Just as animals have genes, societies also possess socio-cultural genes—namely values, norms, and political habits—and these genes, he said, are what shape the character of a society.
Such social genes, he argued, become the collective habits that determine what choices a society makes in moments of crisis and conflict, and in which direction it corrects its own course.
Cho Hyun said, "Prewar Japan chose military expansion, and that choice led to tragic consequences. However, postwar Japan made a completely different choice in the form of the Peace Constitution and became a country that appeals to the world for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law." He assessed that this was not a mere policy shift, but a choice that showed Japan’s social genes had changed. He added that this choice by Japanese society also formed an important basis of solidarity during South Korea’s democratization process.
He further noted, "South Korea and Japan have had different historical experiences, but they share the commonality that, in times of crisis, their societies have developed the ability to correct themselves—in other words, they have come to possess a democratic gene."

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter