Smoldering Hatreds

For North Asia, it was supposed to be the year of living harmoniously. In January, South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun rang in the Korea-Japan Friendship Year in Seoul by announcing, "Let's be friends happily and head toward the future." This sunny message was an echo of the event's catchy theme song, Dance with Me , performed by Korean singer Lena Park and a Japanese band called Chemistry. China also picked up on the good vibes and was making efforts to put aside its long-standing antipathy toward Japan: a group of women climbers from Japan and China arranged to take on Mount...