By Park Si-soo





Masatoshi Muto

The former Japanese ambassador to South Korea has stirred controversy with his book titled "I'm happy because I'm not born Korean."

The book written by Masatoshi Muto will hit Japanese shelves on June 1. It's uncertain why Muto, once regarded as a pro-Korea Japanese diplomat, penned the controversially titled book, in which he reportedly describes South Korean President Moon Jae-in as "the worst president ever elected in South Korea."

Recollecting his meeting with Moon, apparently before his May 9 election, Masatoshi wrote, "North Korea was the only thing he (Moon) had in his head," according to South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo, which reviewed the book.

The diplomat also laid bare his acrimony against Moon, calling him a "populist" and saying Moon will push forward with anti-Japan policies if it helps bolster his popularity.

This is not his first time to openly express anti-Korea sentiments. In February, he wrote an op-ed piece with the same title as the book for a Japanese weekly magazine. In the article, he wrote: "I'm happy because I'm not born Korean," referring to various social headaches including the super competitive race to enter a good university and land a high-paying job, as well as the high suicide rate.

Muto served as Japan's top envoy to Seoul for two years from August 2010. He is fluent in Korean because he stayed here for 12 years. He received an order of merit from the Korean government in 2013 for his dedication to improving Seoul-Tokyo ties.