What will happen to Japan-Korea relations with Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol, who was elected president of South Korea?

[NHK] In the South Korean presidential election, which was voted on the 9th, Yoon Seok-yeol, the largest conservative opposition party, won a 48.56% vote.

In the South Korean presidential election, which was voted on the 9th, Yoon Seok-yeol, the largest conservative opposition party, won a 48.56% vote rate, and Lee, the Democratic Party of Korea, is an innovative ruling party.・ We defeated Mr. Jae-myung (Lee Jae-myung) by a close margin of 0.73 points and won the election.

South Korea is expected to become a conservative government for the first time in five years.

Will it be an opportunity for the cold Japan-Korea relations to improve?

What kind of person is Yoon Suk-yeol?

What will happen to the whereabouts of Japan-Korea relations?

I will explain.

What is Yoon Suk-yeol?

Yoon Suk-yeol, the largest opposition party, is 61 years old from the capital, Seoul.

Yun, whose parents grew up in a family of university professors and studied at the prestigious Seoul National University, passed the bar exam and became a prosecutor.

His ability to thoroughly investigate the bribery cases involving former President Park Kune and former President Lee Myung-bak, who are conservative, was evaluated by President Mun Jae-in, who is an innovative president, and was selected by the prosecutor's president in 2019.

Then, as a result of pursuing the suspicion of Mr. Cho Kuk, who was appointed as the Minister of Justice by the president's aide, and forcing him to resign, the conflict with the administration deepened and he resigned from the prosecutor's office in March last year.

He joined the largest opposition party and was elected as an official candidate for the presidential election, as his long-awaited entry into politics grew with support for his direct opposition to the administration.

In the election campaign, he severely criticized the Mun administration and called for the realization of a change of government for the first time in five years, saying, "We will judge an incompetent government by changing the government. We will create a truly just society."

Policy toward Japan “Aiming for a comprehensive solution to concerns”

Regarding the current Japan-South Korea relations, he said, "Because the Mun Jane administration did not prioritize national interests but brought domestic politics into diplomacy, it fell into the worst situation after the normalization of diplomatic relations." Is criticizing.

On that basis, he is eager to improve the relationship, saying, "Imagine a new 50 years of bilateral relations that share values and interests and build trust."

Specifically, Japan has resumed "shuttle diplomacy" in which leaders visit each other's countries, issues related to comfort women and "recruitment", and Japan has tightened export control of semiconductor raw materials to South Korea. He emphasizes that he aims to comprehensively resolve the issues between the two countries.

After one night, Mr. Yun shows his thoughts on improving relations again.

Mr. Yun held a press conference from 11:00 am after being elected, saying that the relationship with Japan, which is chilling, will be promoted in a future-oriented manner. It is necessary to investigate and tackle the problems that each other organizes and solves with their knees. "

The Japanese side

It is a reaction from the Japanese side after Mr. Yun was elected.

Prime Minister Kishida "I want to have a dialogue with the new government"

Prime Minister Kishida said, "We welcome the election of President-elect Yun and congratulate you from the bottom of our hearts. The international community has been hit by major changes that will mark the times, and sound Japan-Korea relations are based on rules. It is indispensable for the realization of an international order and for the peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world. Cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea is also important. "

On that basis, "It is necessary to develop Japan-South Korea relations based on the foundation of Japan-South Korea friendship and cooperation that has been built since the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea in 1965. I look forward to the leadership of President-elect Yun. I would like to work closely to improve relations, "he said, and expressed his intention to work together to improve the chilling relations between Japan and South Korea.

In addition, when the reporters asked about measures to improve Japan-South Korea relations, "Japan-South Korea relations are in a very difficult situation, but we cannot leave it as it is. We will keep the promise between countries. That is the basis, and it is important to communicate closely with the new president and the new government in order to regain a healthy relationship based on Japan's consistent position. We will also look at the movement of the new government in the future. I would like to have a dialogue with the new administration. "

Chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentary Union, "I want to restore the cold Japan-Korea relations"

Former Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga of the Liberal Democratic Party, who is the chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentary Union, which is made up of bipartisan parliamentarians, told NHK, "I sincerely congratulate Mr. Yun on his victory. With the election as an opportunity, we agreed that we would like to restore the cold relationship between Japan and South Korea. "

In addition, Mr. Kaga said, "Recently, there has been no progress on individual issues such as the issue of'recruitment'and the comfort women issue, but I would like to discuss it positively in the future. We would like to strengthen cooperation between the three countries of Japan, the United States and South Korea. "

Komeito Yamaguchi "I want to make an effort to improve Japan-South Korea relations"

Komeito representative Yamaguchi said at the party's central secretariat, "I would like to respect the choices of the Korean people and strive to work together to improve Japan-South Korea relations. It will take some time before the administration appears. The unity of Japan, South Korea, and the United States is indispensable for regional stability. The situation in Europe is shaking the international order, and it is inevitable that it will affect Asia. It depends on regional stability and dialogue. It must play a role in paving the way for the solution of things. "

[Commentary by the Political Department] Many people think that the improvement of the Japanese government is unpredictable.

There are voices from within the government that accept it relatively favorably.

In his election campaign, Yun has shown his willingness to cooperate in the three countries of Japan, the United States and South Korea in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile issues.

Japan-South Korea relations have been cold enough to be said to be the worst since the normalization of diplomatic relations over the issues of "recruitment" during the Pacific War and the comfort women issue during the current five years of the Mun administration. It seems that there is a sense of expectation that the stance of will change.

As the security environment becomes more severe, the government thinks that relations with South Korea are important, and would like to take the opportunity of the change of government to improve relations. There are many views that it is unpredictable whether to improve.

Some governments have pointed out that it is not easy for Yun to change the route because the innovation system is affected by the Diet of the first party and the domestic public opinion that was divided in the election campaign.

In addition, a foreign ministry official said, "After the presidential election, we have been building relationships by dispatching special envoys to each other, but at this stage, nothing has been decided." You can see the harsh current situation of the relationship.

The government is likely to seek to improve relations while carefully assessing the response of the new government, such as whether the South Korean side will take appropriate measures regarding the issue of "recruitment."

[Commentary by the International Department] It is not easy to find a clue to improve relations.

Mr. Yun has resumed "shuttle diplomacy" by the leaders, issues related to the comfort women issue and "recruitment" during the Pacific War, and measures to tighten export control to South Korea. We are aiming for a comprehensive solution by putting such things on one table.

The change of government in South Korea can be an opportunity to break through the current situation.

However, in South Korea, it is said that "Japan-South Korea relations are also'domestic affairs'."

While the procedure for "monetization" of Japanese companies' assets in South Korea is proceeding in the trial over "recruitment", it is not easy to persuade the worsened public opinion toward Japan and find a clue to improve relations, and the difficult phase continues. It is also expected.

On the other hand, for North Korea, which is accelerating the development of nuclear weapons and missiles, we would like to strengthen deterrence in cooperation with our allies, the United States, and neighboring countries, Japan, while pushing for denuclearization by leveraging sanctions.

However, while there is a possibility that cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea over security will progress, it is undeniable that North Korea may stiffen its attitude and the North-South relations may become tense again.

Reactions from all over Japan and Korea

It is a reaction in Japan and South Korea.

Expectations for improving Japan-South Korea relations in Korean Town, Osaka

Near Korea Town in Ikuno Ward, Osaka, there were voices hoping for an improvement in Japan-South Korea relations.

An 83-year-old woman living nearby said, "I have a lot of Korean-registered friends and I live with them on a regular basis. Japan and South Korea are next to each other, so I want them to get along as much as possible."

A 66-year-old man who lives nearby and is a third-generation Korean resident in Japan said, "I want the new president to improve Japan-South Korea relations. Also, there are disparities in Korea, so try to eliminate such dissatisfaction. I want you to make an effort. "

Parents and children of 44-year-old and 13-year-old women who visited from Izumi City, Osaka for sightseeing said, "I came to play because I like Korean culture such as Korean idols and gourmet food. I want you to get along with any country, including South Korea. "

Korean media "Listen to the voices of unsupported people"

In an editorial on the 10th, South Korea's leading newspaper, JoongAng Ilbo, said that Yoon Suk-yeol, the largest opposition party, won the presidential election by a small margin, which is rarely seen in history. It must be tilted and reflected in national affairs. "

In addition, the news agency's coalition news said that the change of government for innovation and conservatism that had occurred every 10 years has occurred in 5 years. I'm telling you.

On the other hand, the Hankyoreh newspaper, which is an innovative newspaper, mentioned that the current ruling party "Democratic Party of Korea" occupies the majority in the Diet. Must be. "

Seoul citizen reaction

In the capital city of Seoul, there were voices expecting to respond to soaring real estate prices.

A male college student in his twenties who voted for Yun said, "I am satisfied with the result. I want you to work on solving the problems of employment and real estate that we younger generations have."

A man in his 60s who also voted for Yun said, "I thought this was a public opinion because there was no difference of 1 point and the result was very close. I built good relations with neighboring countries such as the United States, Japan and China. I want you to proceed with diplomacy in a well-balanced manner. "

A male office worker in his thirties said, "I would like you to work hard on security policy in response to the situation in Ukraine as well as real estate issues."

On the other hand, a woman in her 60s who voted for Mr. Lee of the ruling party said, "I'm sorry for the result, but I want Corona to calm down quickly and regain the day when she can live without a mask." ..