Enough is enough! Obviously, the political leadership in Tokyo and Seoul never learned about the First Rule of Holes: When you find yourself in one, stop digging. Each side seems to be going out of its way to make a bad situation worse, even while providing private assurances that it won't let the situation get too far out of hand.

I wish I could be that confident. It's my perception that significant damage has already been done to public support for South Korea-Japan relations in both countries, and it's getting worse by the day.

In all likelihood it is probably impossible to start making significant repairs until after upcoming elections: December in South Korea and who knows (but probably sooner rather than later) in Japan. But the least they can do is stop making matters worse before the hole gets too deep.