A parade of obscure accounts while receiving subsidies, and in the end, some groups are active once morest Japan
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(Masatoshi Muto: Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to South Korea)
President Yoon Seok-yeol clarified the priority issues for the Korean economy and society in 2023 through dialogue with the public and public-private economic conferences. These are the three major reforms of pension, labor, and education. Separately, however, President Yoon is pushing ahead with a fourth reform. That is the “reform of civic groups”.
From the point of view of the Japanese people, even if it is called “reform of civic groups,” they may wonder if it is such a big deal. In fact, however, South Korean civic groups have become an enormous obstacle to the improvement of Japan-South Korea relations.
The Moon Jae-in administration has let civic groups go unchecked
Many civil society organizations are doing healthy activities. But some have been accused of misappropriating government subsidies and citizen donations. There are also groups that advertise North Korea’s claims or engage in activities linked to North Korea that cause social chaos.
Among them, there are citizens’ groups that instigate anti-Japanese activities. By separating Japan and South Korea, they are responding to North Korea’s political intentions. The activities that have significantly damaged Japan-Korea relations have been carried out by the “Remembering Solidarity of Justice to Solve the Issue of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery” (abbreviated as Seiseiren, formerly known as the “Korea Council for the Issue of the Volunteer Corps”). ). Since the days of the Korean War, they held protests (Wednesday rally) in front of the Japanese Embassy every Wednesday, acting as if they were representatives of the former comfort women. hindered the reconciliation of
Looking back on past negotiations between Japan and South Korea on historical issues, even if an agreement is reached between Japan and South Korea, it is rare for the South Korean government to retreat from the proposed agreement and present new demands due to opposition from civic groups. I didn’t.
Moreover, during the Moon Jae-in administration, the government supported the activities of these civic groups, and did not check whether these groups were conducting appropriate activities in accordance with the law. Such an attitude of the Moon Jae-in administration further increased the number of civic groups and made them act as if they might do anything.
In the case of the forced labor issue, where Japanese companies’ assets are being turned into cash, groups supporting the forced labor force continue to oppose the South Korean government’s proposal for a solution. As long as these claims are accepted, there will be no resolution to the historical issues between Japan and South Korea.
