Issues impeding the reconciliation of South Korea and Japan Research Paper

Issues impeding the reconciliation of South Korea and Japan - Research Paper Example For Hideyoshi’s army to mobilize easily to China, he had to pass through Korea. Hideyoshi deciced to claim Korea by conquest, but with the sole purpose of merely passing through and making the Kingdom of Korea serve under his rule. That expectation did not go as planned as the initially weak Korean defense stiffened as they became more organized and relentless. It is also noted that the Chinese Ming sent an army to support the Koreans in their defense when it was apparent that the Japanese really intended to make a push for China. This bogged down the Japanese’ first invasion attempt. The second attempt to invade Korea was far more brutal as it is noted here: His second invasion of  Korea  was more about saving face than conquest: he wanted to demonstrate to the Chinese that he did not fear them or feel subservient in any way. He also wanted to punish the Koreans for resisting him. In the first invasion he had hopes of winning them over, and thus had ordered his troops to treat civilians well so long as they were compliant. There would be none of this in the second invasion. Hideyoshi wanted the Koreans killed, soldiers and civilians alike, and evidence of the slaughter sent back to him in  Japan. (Hawley, â€Å"The Imjin War: Part 2†) Though the Japanese pushed further in their second invasion attempt, the combined force of the Korean and Ming soldiers halted them, and much of Japan’s defeat was due to the skillful and daring capability of the Korean navy. When Hideyoshi finally died due to illness, the invasion was called off. Centuries after, there was the Japanese imperial expansion prior and during World War II. When Japanese Imperial Forces marched through Korea, they pillaged cities and committed murder on civilian populations. Many Japanese soldiers, out of cruel whim, took many Korean girls and women for their own pleasure. As such, the euphemism "comfort women" (ianfu) was coined by