On the Topic of Yumi, Akiko, and Greater Implications...

I'm not entirely sure how the quotes relate to any relationship between Korea and Japan. In the case of the first quote by Yumi, her statement indicates that she holds no love for Korea due to the stigma the race has held throughout her life, and while she loves Japan, Japan and its populace does not reciprocate her appreciation. This fits in line with what we know of Yumi as a character, as her Korean mother was a gambler who abandoned her and her sister. As Yumi had lived in Japan for either the majority of or all her life, her abusive mother coupled with the general racism towards Koreans at the time would lead her to dislike Korea extensively. On the other hand, Japan had given Yumi the opportunity to provide for herself, and so although Japan would bare its fangs against her on account of her race, she would still prefer it over Korea as a consequence of the opportunities it afforded her. Of course, this does not indicate a greater relationship between the two nations, as it indicates the worldview of an individual under specific circumstances that, although not rare, are not indicative of the whole picture.

In the case of the quote for Akiko, her character is, again, what seeps through, with no greater reflection of the relationship between Japan and Korea being showcased. The quote is not from Akiko, but from Noa immediately after their falling out, as he realizes that she does not love him, but loves his race in order to take a moral high ground against other Japanese. This indicates in how Akiko, in her desire to go against the grain, is unable to understand the feelings of someone she supposedly cares for, leading to a bitter and swift breakup. Now, the only possible venue for this situation to connect to the relationship between Korea and Japan is that because Akiko is going against the grain by loving Koreans, the norm was to loathe them instead, which is something that we already knew.

Of course, the two siblings' relationships do relate to their mother's relationship with Hansu, being an odd collage of the two. A focal point in the relationship between Mozasu and Yumi's relationship is how Mozasu is uncompromising when it comes to the family staying in Japan; following Yumi's death, Mozasu is crippled with regret about not taking Yumi to California. Much in the same way, Hansu never really considers what Sunja wants, only what he believes that Sunja needs. This is apparent from when he tells Sunja to move to the countryside to work on a farm he vouches for, even though he is aware that Yoseb will not comply, and also when he wanted Sunja to be his lover in Korea.

Unlike Sunja and Hansu, however, Yumi was understanding of Mozasu's stalwart desire to stay in Japan, as his income was rooted in Japan after a long duration of hard work. Sunja does not understand many of Hansu's headstrong actions, which is completely understandable, as nearly all of Hansu's actions are done in his own self-interests.

Akiko and Noa's relationship was superficial, and fell apart because Noa felt/realized that Akiko wanted him as a trophy rather than an individual. This realization is similar to the one Sunja had about Hansu, being that she felt used exclusively for lovemaking as opposed to lifelong commitment. Although, as omniscient readers, we are aware that Hansu did feel some sort of love for Sunja, while we are not certain as to whether or not the twisted affection that Akiko held for Noa was actually love.

Now, the statements about Yumi and Akiko do reflect their personal emotions concerning colonialism. As stated earlier, Yumi saw colonialism as a positive good, as she was given opportunities in Japanese culture that her abusive Korean mother could never give her. On the other hand, Akiko adored Koreans much in the same way that people can enjoy watching endangered animals in zoos. She wanted to go against the societal grain, using Noa's status as a Korean to take a stance of moral superiority over her fellow, xenophobic Japanese citizens. Akiko viewed colonialism as an evil, but the view was rooted in an odd, self-persecution mindset.