Nominee for South Korean Premier Exits Over Colonization Remarks

choi

Choe Sang-Hun, 韩国总理候选人因亲日言论放弃提名. June 25, 2014
cn.nytimes.com/asia-pacific/20140625/c25skorea/

, which is translated from

Choe Sang-Hun, Nominee for South Korean Premier Exits Over Colonization Remarks. New York Times, June 25, 2014.

Quote:

The nominee, Moon Chang-keuk, was "once a well-known conservative newspaper columnist.

"The post of prime minister is a largely ceremonial one in South Korea.

Controversial remarks are mined in "a 2011 lecture he had given at his Presbyterian church in Seoul. 'We may protest, "Why did God make this nation a colony of Japan?" But as I said earlier, there is God’s will in it,' Mr Moon, an elder at his church, said from the pulpit, according to the video, which circulated widely online.

"Mr Moon also said that the Korean elite had been hopelessly corrupt and inefficient before colonization began in 1910. 'Laziness, lack of independence and a tendency to depend on others were in our national DNA,' he said in the speech. God’s message, he said, was 'you needed hardship,' in the form of colonization.

My comment: I disagree with the title of Chinese version, specifically "亲日"言论. There is no dispute over the title of the English version. You read it and make your own judgment.