|
|
| A white wooden stake claiming Japan’s territorial rights over the Dokdo islets was placed next to a historic monument at Palisades Park in New Jersey on Friday. Dokdo “is Japanese territory” is written in bold black characters. The monument was installed in October 2010 to commemorate the Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. [JoongAng Ilbo] |
A white wooden stake claiming Japan’s ownership of the Dokdo islets, Korea’s easternmost territory, was found at the entrance of the Korean consulate in Manhattan on Saturday, following a similar case at a monument in Palisades Park, New Jersey, the previous day.
According to the Korean consulate in New York, officials found the wooden stake with “Takeshima [Japan’s name for the Dokdo islets] is Japan’s territory” written in bold black letters at the entrance of the building.
The consulate reported the incident to the New York Police Department.
“We have requested that the police find the culprit and strengthen vigilance near the consulate area,” the consulate said.
On Friday, a sticker with the same message in Japanese and English was also found underneath the entrance signboard of the Korean consulate.
On the same day, a one-meter-long stake was found next to the monument in New Jersey installed in 2010 to commemorate “comfort women,” a euphemistic reference to Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.
Korean American Civic Empowerment, a U.S.-based civic group, reported the incident to police immediately and the authorities have begun an investigation.
“If this event turns into some sort of racist crime or some sort of biased crime, there would be investigation going on, and the perpetrator or perpetrators will be prosecuted in the event that turns out to be true,” said James Rotundo, mayor of Palisades Park.
Similar acts of vandalism occurred in Seoul and Tokyo this year.
In mid-June, Nobuyuki Suzuki, a 47-year-old right-wing Japanese activist, planted a wooden stake claiming Japan’s territorial rights over the Dokdo islets in front of the Peace Monument near the Japanese Embassy in Junghak-dong, central Seoul. The monument was installed in December of last year.
A similar stake was found in front of the War and Women’s Human Rights Museum in Mapo District, western Seoul, in June and in front of the Korean Embassy in Tokyo in March.
Amid rising tensions between the two nations, President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit to Dokdo in August, which prompted Japan to request that Korea take the territorial issue to the International Court of Justice. Seoul has rejected the request.
By Lee Eun-joo [angie@joongang.co.kr]
한글 관련 기사
계속되는 日 '말뚝 도발', 이번엔 또…
●뉴욕총영사관에도 또 '말뚝 도발'
●'독도는 일본땅' 말뚝 발견
뉴욕총영사관에도 또 '말뚝 도발'…'독도는 일본땅' 말뚝 발견
일본 극우파의 소행으로 추정되는 ‘말뚝 도발’이 뉴욕에서 계속돼 파장이 확산되고 있다.
‘글로벌웹진’ 뉴스로(www.newsroh.com)는 27일 맨해튼 파크애버뉴에 있는 뉴욕 총영사관 민원실 앞에서 ‘다케시마(竹島·독도의 일본 이름)는 일본 고유의 영토’라고 일본어로 쓰인 흰색 말뚝이 발견됐다고 보도했다.
뉴욕 총영사관 민원실은 전날 입구 현판 아래에 ‘일본국 다케시마’라는 스티커가 붙은 것을 민원인이 발견해 경찰에 신고한 바 있다. 또한 같은 날 오전엔 뉴저지 팰리세이즈팍의 위안부기림비 옆에 ‘다케시마는 일본땅‘이라는 흰색 팻말이 발견됐다.
뉴욕 총영사관은 이 말뚝이 전날 팰팍 위안부 기림비 옆에서 발견된 말뚝과 동일한 종류라고 확인했다.
이틀 연속 ‘말뚝 테러’가 자행됨에 따라 뉴욕 한인 사회는 깊은 충격과 분노를 감추지 못하고 있다. 김양재씨(뉴저지 팰팍)는 “어제 위안부기림비와 뉴욕 총영사관에서 발생한 사건으로 깜짝 놀랐는데 오늘 또 이런 일이 벌어지다니 어이가 없다. 동포 사회가 강경한 대응을 할 필요가 있다”고 주문했다.
일부에서는 뉴욕 경찰이 전날 사건 신고를 받고도 주변 경계를 소홀히 해 이런 일이 거듭되고 있다며 경찰 당국의 강력한 조치를 촉구했다.
총영사관은 이번 사건에 대해 깊은 유감을 표하고 경찰 당국에 범인 색출과 주변 경계 강화를 재차 강력히 요청했다고 밝혔다.
Write a comment