hankyoreh

The South Korean Embassy in Tokyo

The South Korean Embassy in Tokyo disclosed that it recently received a threatening letter with a bullet enclosed. The writer of the anonymous letter claimed to have “several rifles” and to be “hunting Koreans,” while demanding that “Koreans get out” of Japan.

As South Korea and Japan’s economic quarrel intensifies, the delivery of a threatening letter to the embassy shouldn’t be taken lightly. It may as well be a threat to all Koreans in Japan. The Japanese government must thoroughly investigate this incident and hold the guilty person responsible in accordance with international conventions mandating that states guarantee the safety of diplomatic personnel.

This wasn’t the first time that the South Korean embassy was attacked or threatened. Two days earlier, a leader of a right-wing organization in his 60s was arrested for punching the mailbox on the embassy wall, leaving a dent. A similar incident of vandalism occurred in March, committed by a male in his 20s. We hope that the Japanese authorities will swiftly take measures to guarantee the safety of South Korean diplomats and diplomatic missions and to ensure that such incidents don’t happen again.

Signatories of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which entered into force in Apr. 1961, are obliged to guarantee the safety of diplomats agents and missions. “The premises of the mission shall be inviolable,” Article 22 of the convention states, adding that “the receiving State is under a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage.” Article 29 goes on to say, “The receiving State [. . .] shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on [a diplomatic agent’s] person, freedom or dignity.” It goes without saying that no state should tolerate illicit threats to the life or safety of anyone, even if they’re not a “diplomatic agent” protected by an international convention.

The recent series of threats against the South Korean embassy is apparently due to the wave of anti-Korean sentiment that’s sweeping Japan. The escalation of the two countries’ dispute has unleashed a flood of anti-Korean media; in the publishing industry, people are even saying that an anti-Korean book is a surefire success.

This trend in Japan is both regressive, and extremely worrying. But one hopeful sign is that quite a few Japanese intellectuals are bucking that trend. When Japanese weekly tabloid Shukan Post printed a vulgar attack on South Korea in a feature called “We don’t need Korea” a few days ago, several famous writers announced they were cutting off ties with a publisher that incited hatred and joining the opposition to anti-Korean agitation. That’s a fortunate development, and we urge Japanese society to return to its senses.

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

Caption: The South Korean Embassy in Tokyo