Japan long colonized Korea, and during WWII, Koreans were forced to join the Japanese Imperial Army – a situation similar to that of Taiwan. But, whereas the struggle between China and Japan for dominance over Korea was the focal point of the East Asian drama, Taiwan was but a side-show, a mere outpost to the Imperial Qing Dynasty, while Korea was a vassal paying tribute to China.
卢武铉也公开指责日本不敢正视自己历史战争罪行的懦夫行为，说这种行为不配在联合国安理会获得一个席位。日本长期把朝鲜作为殖民地，二战期间，朝鲜人被迫参加日本的帝国军队——这与台湾的情况相似。但是，当朝鲜还是一个向中国进贡的臣属国时候，中国与日本有关朝鲜统治权之争是东亚之剧的焦点，作为清朝帝国的前哨地区的台湾仅仅只是一个小节目。