Koizumi's samurai pose spooks S Koreajapantoday > commentary by Heup Choi / October 18, 2004On New Year's Day, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made his annual visit to Yasukuni Shrine.....
In years past, whenever Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine, he wore a swallow-tailed coat. This year, though, he showed up in the traditional Japanese formal attire known as "haori" and "hakama." Korean newspaper editors seethed when they saw these clothes, and harsh words flew back and forth." This is provocation against Korea and China,"they said.
In Korea, to wear the traditional national costume known as "chima chogori" means to show a kind of determination. The implicit message is,"Normal people put on a suit, but I'm a patriot who loves my country. So I'll wear the national costume rather than foreign-made clothes."...
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Heup Choi is the Tokyo correspondent for the Korean-language Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
