The antagonistic relationship between the two nations began back in 1910 when Japan colonized South Korea. Japanese oppression pushed Korean men into forced labor, required every Korean to rename themselves in Japanese, and punished Koreans for speaking Korean. During WWII, Japanese occupation grew worse when Japan objectified Korean women as their “comfort women”—a translation of the Japanese ianfu, euphemistic for “prostitute”—under the name of soldier motivation. Innocent teenagers were taken away from their homes and raped by Japanese soldiers. Continue Reading