My friend Michi blogged a pretty bizarre incident that happened at Komaba International House where I had lived until only two days before the incident.
Tempted by all the hype about the two young Akutagawa prize winners, at last I bought one of them: 『蹴りたい背中』The Back One Wants to Kick. Compared with such previous winners’ works as 『飼育』（Kenzaburo Oe）and 『岬』（Kenji Nakagami）, this novel obviously lacks the power to shake up the whole spirit of readers. But nevertheless, I think Lisa Wataya, who has just turned 20, in her own right, successfully portrays the world in the eyes of a high school girl which is small but far from simple. Above all, the first seven lines depicting a science class and the heroine’s alienation are truly impressive and worth reading aloud.
“寂しさは鳴る。耳が痛くなるほど高く澄んだ鈴の音で鳴り響いて、胸を締め付けるから、せめて周りには聞こえないように、私はプリントを指で千切る。細長く。細長く。紙を裂く耳障りな音は、孤独の音を消してくれる。気だるげに見せてくれたりもするしね。葉縁体？ オオカナダモ？ ハッ。っていうこのスタンス。あなたたちは微生物を見てはしゃいでいるみたいですけど（苦笑）、私はちょっと遠慮しておく、だってもう高校生だし。ま、あなたたちを横目で見ながらプリントでも千切ってますよ、気だるく。っていうこのスタンス。”
It's been six days since I moved in this new place, but I haven't seen the landlord yet. Do I have to call or visit him (although I don't even know where he lives) and say, "hey, I am your new tenant. Thanks for accepting me a foreign student, and I promise to live quietly and not to make any trouble to anybody living in this mansion. By the way, there seems to be some problem with the flushing system in the bathroom. Well, it doesn't work. so I've got to run to school when I feel it!"?
----The Chosun Ilbo
During a plenary session Tuesday, the National Assembly passed a special act that allows investigation into pro-Japanese activities during the Japanese colonial period. With 163 out of 271 legislators attending, 151 voted in favor of the bill while two legislators were opposed. 10 lawmakers cast blank ballots.
In accordance with the bill, a pro-Japanese activity fact-finding committee will be established around September. The committee will be composed of nine members who are appointed by the president with the recommendation of the National Assembly.
The committee will operate to gather information on pro-Japanese and anti-national activities, write reports and compile historical records for three years....
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Just wondering how much the lost legitimacy of the country will be restored through this official probe. Hopefully, this act won't be creating another cleavage among the Koreans.