Even though many Korean tourists visit Japan on Independence Movement Day, can we really say that anti-Japanese sentiment has faded?

On the 1st of this month, South Korea celebrated the March 1st Independence Day, which commemorates the March 1st Independence Movement in 1919, which was a protest against Japanese colonial rule.
It was found that more than 230,000 people traveled between Japan and South Korea by air during the three-day holiday period that began on the 1st. Speaking of "March 1st Independence Day," it is also a day when anti-Japanese sentiment is on the rise, and people are traveling to South Korea around this day.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other organizations have also warned Japanese people to be careful when visiting Japan. Now, conversely, Koreans are taking advantage of the March 1st Independence Day holiday to visit Japan. The number of Korean visitors to Japan has been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number has been on a steady increase, and the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported that "this atmosphere appears to have continued without exception during the March 1st holiday."
March 1st was established as a national holiday in Korea in 1949.
33 independence activists represented the Korean people and declared their independence to the world. This triggered demonstrations calling for independence to spread throughout Korea. Japan used force to suppress the demonstrations and
The number of victims is said to have exceeded 7,500. "March 1st Independence Day" is a day to commemorate the independence movement carried out by citizens in resistance to Japanese colonial rule.
On this day, the Korean national flag, the Taegeukgi, is raised all over the city, and commemorative events are held to mourn those who lost their lives in the independence movement.
This year, a commemorative ceremony was held in Seoul. The March 1st Independence Day ceremony used to be a time when the president criticized Japan in his speeches. However, the speeches of President Yoon, who would later take a friendly stance toward Japan, were also held in Seoul.
・President Yoon Seok-yeol will take office in 2022, and critical content has disappeared from his speech. This year's speech also contained no criticism of Japan and sent a friendly message, but it was Yoon who delivered the speech.
That was not the case. Yoon declared "emergency martial law" for the country in December last year. Emergency martial law is a type of martial law stipulated in the Korean Constitution. It is used in times of war, incidents, and other emergencies when it is necessary for military purposes.
Martial law is issued by the president to maintain public order. The military takes control of administrative and judicial functions and is authorized to restrict freedom of speech, publication, and association. Martial law was first declared in 1987, when the country transitioned to democratization.
Although the state of emergency was lifted early, it caused turmoil in Korean society, and the political situation remains unstable to this day. Opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, have expressed their dissatisfaction with Yoon's comments that "the constitutional order is
The National Assembly submitted a motion to impeach Yoon, accusing him of violating the Constitution by "attempting to halt the current administration and seizing permanent power by committing an attempted civil war." The motion was put to a vote in December last year, with 204 votes in favor and 204 against.
The bill passed with 85 votes to one, and Yoon was subsequently suspended from his duties, with Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok now acting as president.
Speaking on behalf of Yoon at the March 1st Independence Day ceremony on the 1st, Choi said of Japan-Korea relations, "We need to effectively respond to the current severe international situation.
"For this to happen, cooperation between Korea and Japan is absolutely necessary," he said. He also expressed his hope that this year, which marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and Japan, will be an opportunity to "heal the wounds of the past and open a new chapter in Korea-Japan relations."
As in Yoon's previous speeches, there was no criticism of Japan. Every year on the March 1st Independence Day, the streets are filled with anti-Japanese demonstrations, but this year, there were demonstrations calling for or against the impeachment of Yoon.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a total of 120,000 people gathered at rallies by Yoon's supporters in two locations in Seoul, according to unofficial police estimates. Meanwhile, the opposition party's 5
A party-sponsored rally calling for Yoon's removal was attended by 18,000 people, according to unofficial police estimates. Separately, a civic group rally was held, which drew 15,000 people, according to unofficial police estimates.
In South Korea, there was a three-day holiday from the 1st to the 3rd of March 1st, and the number of passengers (entry and exit total) using routes to Japan from South Korean airports during that period was 231,956, down 10% from the same period last year.
This was a 2% increase, and 15.1% higher than the 201,467 people who visited during the March 1st Independence Day holiday in 2019, when Japan-South Korea relations were at a critical low.
Nowadays, in Korea, people can travel to Japan casually during the March 1st Independence Day holiday without worrying about it.
Was it something that bothered them? It doesn't seem to be the case. A survey conducted by the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo and other media in February last year targeting 1,500 men and women in their 20s to 60s found that 100% of people were concerned about the March 1st Independence Movement and Gwangbokjeol (Independence Day).
When asked how they felt about traveling to Japan on March 1st, 63% answered that it was "not desirable."
"What's the point of traveling?" On the other hand, 37% of respondents said they didn't mind. Yonhap News reported that "The popularity of Japan routes will increase from the end of 2022 when visa exemptions for Koreans are resumed.
"This trend appears to have continued on the March 1st Independence Movement," he said. He added that "high prices and a weak yen also played a tailwind."
A source told the newspaper, "There is a perception that the weak yen allows people to keep travel costs down, so travel to Japan is likely to remain popular."