[이슈 In] NATO summit became a ‘big event’… Leaders of Korea and Japan, the beginning of a new era

Announcement of the attendance of President Yoon… Japan’s Prime Minister to hold summit meeting following 2 years and 7 months

“Even if the talks happen, it’s just the beginning… We need to separate the past and security issues”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong Yeol = The meeting between the leaders of Korea and Japan, which has been suspended for more than two years, is drawing attention as it is highly likely that the meeting will be held on the stage of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit to be held at the end of this month.

President Yun Seok-yeol and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan [연합뉴스 자료사진]

The summit between Korea and Japan was not held until December 2019 due to the deterioration of relations between the two countries.

However, in October of last year, Japan’s prime minister was replaced by Fumio Kishida, and in May of this year, South Korea’s President Yun Seok-yeol, who emphasizes improving relations between Korea and Japan, took office.

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As NATO invited the first non-member leaders of Korea and Japan to the summit to be held in Madrid, Spain from the 29th to the 30th, and President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida actively promoted their participation in the meeting, the possibility of the leaders meeting in Spain increased.

◇ 尹-Kishida seems to be meeting in Spain… Will the twisted thread be unraveled?

The Office of the President announced on the 10th that President Yoon will be the first South Korean leader to attend the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of this month.

President Yoon’s overseas visit is the first in more than 50 days since taking office on the 10th of last month.

In addition to Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand were invited to this NATO summit as partners for the first time.

Of particular interest to President Yun’s decision to attend the NATO summit is whether the Korea-Japan summit with Prime Minister Kishida will be successful.

In December 2019, the two leaders held bilateral talks between then President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Chengdu, China.

As President Yoon showed his desire to improve relations between Korea and Japan even before taking office, interest is focused on whether he will hold a bilateral summit with Prime Minister Kishida following two years and seven months of attending the NATO summit as an opportunity.

On the 9th, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported that, citing several South Korean government officials, President Yoon’s participation in the NATO summit was an opportunity to hold a Korea-Japan summit and boost relations with Japan.

A high-ranking South Korean government official said, “I want to build trust between the leaders through a formal meeting rather than standing and talking,” Asahi said.

As Prime Minister Kishida is also positively considering attending the NATO summit, it is highly likely that the first Korea-Japan summit will be held in Madrid following the inauguration of the new government.

G7 leaders having a conversation [AP=연합뉴스 자료사진]

Prime Minister Kishida is expected to move to Spain following attending the G7 summit to be held in Germany on the 26th and 28th, Kyodo News reported.

South Korea and Japan are finalizing plans to hold a meeting between Foreign Minister Park Jin and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Japan in the middle of this month. If the talks are successful, it seems that the main goal will be to adjust the agenda for the first Korea-Japan summit.

Asahi said, “The South Korean side will confirm the strong intentions of both sides to improve relations at the foreign ministers’ meeting and create an environment for realizing the first summit between the (Korea and Japan) leaders at the NATO summit.”

The Japanese media revealed a mixed view of South Korea’s new diplomatic line by citing Minister Park’s previous experience of studying at the University of Tokyo and his ability to speak Japanese.

The Financial Times (FT), a British daily, also reported that diplomatic efforts are underway in the direction of the two leaders attending the NATO summit and holding bilateral talks.

The FT reported that U.S. officials initially tried to meet with the leaders of South Korea and Japan during President Joe Biden’s Asian tour last month, but it was canceled due to opposition from Japan.

Japanese officials wanted to see how President Yun, who won the presidential election by a narrow margin, behaves once he takes office, the newspaper explained.

In other words, rather than hastily pursued a meeting with no guarantee of results, he tried to pursue bilateral talks following observing whether President Yoon was trying to keep his words during the presidential campaign even following taking office.

According to the FT, cautious Japanese officials were encouraged by the strengthening of Yun’s political position as the ruling party’s ruling party won a landslide victory in local elections held earlier this month.

The FT, citing officials and analysts, said, “Even if the three-party talks between the United States and Japan are held in Spain, this is only the beginning.” analyzed to be at risk of being hit by

◇ “The first priority is to restore trust between the leaders… Separation of past history and security issues”

South Korea and Japan have similar views on the need to improve relations between the two countries, which has fallen to the worst since normalization of diplomatic ties in 1965.

While South Korea is taking active steps to restore bilateral relations that were damaged in the early years of the Yun Seok-Yeol administration, the Japanese government is more cautious.

The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 10th that the Japanese side is taking the stance that it is cautiously judging whether to hold the Korea-Japan summit, which poses a political risk.

They say they feel burdened by a summit that will deal with politically sensitive historical issues between Korea and Japan ahead of the House of Councilors election early next month.

This atmosphere can be sensed in the fact that the United States promoted a trilateral summit last month following President Biden’s visit to Korea and Japan, but was canceled due to opposition from the Japanese government.

Quad leaders gathered in Japan [로이터=연합뉴스 자료사진]

In Japan, following the Moon Jae-in administration neutralized the comfort women agreement signed during the Park Geun-hye administration, there is a widespread view of South Korea as ‘an unreliable country that does not keep its promises’.

The dominant perception of Japanese LDP politicians is that even if another agreement or promise is made with the changed Korean government, there is no guarantee that it will not be overturned in the future.

Diplomatic experts see the loss of trust between the two governments and leaders as the biggest obstacle that makes it difficult to restore relations.

Jun-kyu Lee, president of the Korea Diplomatic Association, who served as ambassador to Japan, said, “With the launch of the Yun Seok-yeol administration, the leaders of Korea and Japan must open a channel for dialogue and build trust as soon as possible to find a solution to the pending issues. Efforts should be made to improve Korea-Japan relations as soon as possible,” he said.

Some argue that the past and urgent security issues should be approached separately.

“The South Korean and Japanese governments need to separate historical issues and economic frictions from mutual security interests,” former Army Special Warfare Commander Jeon In-beom told the FT. “Korea cannot win the war on the Korean Peninsula without Japan.”

In Japan, Prime Minister Kishida’s hasty easing of relations with South Korea ahead of the House of Councilors election in July might put him at political risk, the FT reported.

Junya Nishino, a professor at Keio University, an expert on Korean affairs, told FT, “It will be very difficult to resolve the dispute between Korea and Japan because strong leadership, including a sharp change in direction, is required.”

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2022/06/11 06:30 Send