Ross isn't British...or even European. Plus he saved Nakia's life.
My grandfather was tortured and imprisoned by the Japanese. I've never held any grudge against them...nor has my mom. And I find the Koreans who hold the past against Japanese who weren't even alive at the time...to be really petty. Judging someone for the sins of his ancestors in general I find petty and stupid.
He's white...she's the first white guy he talked to.
He's American ....does he look like a native? And she helped him--so, what is the problem?
Again, he's like the 2nd or 3rd white guy to ever be allowed into the country, and probably the first that she has talked to...what other reaction do you think would have been normal considering the history?
I actually live in Korea and am half japanese, so I hear about the past with Koreans a lot. A lot of young people don't care, and I get it, because it was a long time ago for them, but I understand why there are still sore feelings about it for the older people. It wasn't really that long ago.
But it has more to do with things like Yasukuni and that there are 'comfort women' that the Japanese soldiers used that are still alive, and less about people being angry over nothing. From my conversations with Koreans over the matter, they seem more upset wtih the government and their belief that their apology was insincere, and that crimes were not fully admitted, not that they hate Japanese people.
I went to school in Japan and didn't even hear about a lot of the history and things Japan did until I came to America, and then Korea. Everybody knows what the Germans did during the war, a lot fewer people know what the Japanese did--so, it makes sense why there would be some hard feelings still.