Rep. Eto’s statement that “Japan is like a big brother,” and the Yun administration that can’t move
(Mayo Haneda: Business Writer in Korea)
The remarks of Mr. Yoon Deok-min, who was appointed as the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Japan on July 16, 2022, have caused controversy in South Korea. This is because Ambassador Yoon said at his first roundtable meeting with Tokyo correspondents and others on August 8, 2022, that “the liquidation of assets by Japanese companies should be frozen.”
“If it is cashed, there is a possibility that business opportunities worth tens of trillions of won and hundreds of trillions of won (several trillion to tens of trillions of yen) between Korean and Japanese companies will be blown away,” he said. That is why he opposes cashing.
“If the money is cashed, Japan will retaliate and South Korean and Japanese companies will suffer enormous damage,” he said.
The “retaliation” that Ambassador Yoon points out probably refers to the measures taken by the Japanese government once morest South Korea in August 2019, such as the so-called “white country removal.” Three years later, and with a change of government, the measures still seem to have hurt South Korea considerably.
In fact, at the Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Cambodia on August 6, Foreign Minister Park Jin told Foreign Minister Hayashi, “In the process of South Korea seeking a desirable solution to improve relations, Japan We need to show a sincere stance by withdrawing export controls.”
After being excluded from the list of white countries, South Korea used to pretend that it had successfully escaped from Japan.
back to the topic. In response to Ambassador Yoon’s remarks once morest cashing, the Korean people responded, “Which side are you on?” I can’t believe it’s a statement made by someone who stood in the way,” said an angry voice.
However, there are quite a few people who agree with Ambassador Yoon’s opinion. Somewhat calmly, they said, “The ambassador is right. Cashing out might make a big difference. We should change the way we do things.” However, there are no voices saying that the issue should be resolved within one’s own country.
