NBC has fired one of its Olympic analysts after he inexplicably said Koreans are grateful for Japan’s role in their economic development while ignoring Japan’s one-time brutal rule of the country. Japan ruled Korea from 1910 to 1945 in a bloody occupation. Joshua Cooper Ramo was hired as a commentator for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Pyeongchang on Friday. He said, “Every Korean will tell you that Japan is a cultural, technological and economic example that has been so important to their own transformation.” Ramo sits on the board of board of Starbucks and FedEx and is also co-CEO of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s consulting firm. Originally, The Korea Times reported that the network had planned to use Ramo for other Olympic events, but then after the comment, was forced to fire him. Ramo made the comment after noting that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was attending the Games. NBC said Pyeongchang’s organizing committee has accepted their apology. The network apologized in writing and on television. NBC anchor Carolyn Manno read a statement on air Saturday. Japanese domination of Korea is still a sore point between the two countries. Two years ago, Tokyo offered a formal apology for the sexual enslavement of thousands of Korean women during World War II.
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