ANTI-JAPAN TRIBALISM: THE ROOT OF THE JAPAN-KOREA CRISIS
Lee Young-hoon, Kim Nak-nyeon, and others
Anti-Japan Tribalism is a thought-provoking book that examines the deeply rooted anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea from a critical perspective.
Written by a group of South Korean scholars, the book argues that much of this animosity stems from nationalistic narratives and historical distortions perpetuated through education, media, and public discourse.
The authors challenge conventional views on sensitive topics such as Japan’s colonial rule, forced labor, and comfort women, suggesting that emotional rhetoric often overshadows objective historical analysis.
Through detailed research, the book calls for a reassessment of history and advocates for constructive dialogue between South Korea and Japan to foster mutual understanding and reconciliation.
Lee Young-hoon is a prominent South Korean economist and historian known for his critical approach to the study of South Korea’s modern history.
As a professor at Seoul National University, Lee has extensively researched economic development during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea, offering perspectives that challenge widely accepted narratives.
He gained significant attention as the lead author of the influential book Anti-Japan Tribalism, which critiques the origins and consequences of anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea. Through his work, Lee advocates objective historical analysis, emphasizing the need to separate emotional rhetoric from factual evidence.
His bold arguments have sparked heated debates, positioning him as an influential voice in South Korean academic and public discourse.
Anti-Japan Tribalism, authored by Lee Young-hoon and a team of South Korean scholars, became a bestseller shortly after its release. The book’s fresh perspective on South Korea-Japan relations, challenging conventional historical narratives, resonated with a wide audience. It sold over 130,000 copies in South Korea and approximately 200,000 copies in Japan within its first week, fueling intense public debate and cementing its position as a highly influential work.
INTERVIEW | Lee Young-hoon on the Evolution of the Comfort Women Issue
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As tensions persist between Japan and South Korea, Japan-related book titles have seen a surge in popularity in South Korea.