[yongjik]

Not commenting on the article itself, but in general Joong-ang Ilbo is right in the center of conservative, pro-chaebol, pro-trade political section. It's owned by members of Samsung's royal family.

If anything, I'd expect Joong-ang Ilbo to be biased toward Japan.

[rayiner]

> but in general Joong-ang Ilbo is right in the center of conservative… If anything, I'd expect Joong-ang Ilbo to be biased toward Japan.

That’s not how conservatism works. The in-group bias overcomes common alignments on other issues. E.g. Muslims and evangelical Christians agree on a lot of things, but they certainly don’t get along.

[yongjik]

In general, you're right, but the difference is that evangelical Christians normally don't go around telling how Muslims are their brothers in the holy fight against the evil of atheism.

One of the historical core tenets of South Korean conservatism is that the Free World(TM) should stand together against the evil of communism, which is going to enslave all of us "any time soon," unless we stay eternally vigilant. And by the Free World(TM), they mean South Korea, America, and Japan.

[naniwaduni]

... as opposed to Japan, which concretely did inflict national traumas that broadly the entire rest of East Asia aren't really over?

Banding together and liking the fact that you have to live in the same tent aren't quite the same thing.

[yongjik]

Eh, I'm not trying to defend the conservative position, I'm merely explaining what they are. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Apocryphon]

The Cold War realigned many realities.