The Ministry of Defense of South Korea released the "2020 National Defense White Paper": "Partner" Japan has become "neighboring country" and the "THAAD" contradiction between South Korea and China is deleted
[Global Network Report] Yonhap News, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense released the "2020 National Defense White Paper" (hereinafter referred to as the "White Paper") on the 2nd, referring to Japan as a "neighboring country" to replace the previous expression of "partner" and deleting South Korea and China. THAAD’s contradictory expressions.
According to reports, this is the second "white paper" issued by the Moon Jae-in administration since he took office.
In the chapter on national defense exchanges and cooperation with neighboring countries, the new "White Paper" reflects the cooling down of South Korea-Japan relations, lowering Japan’s ranking to second place after China, saying "not only the relations between the two countries, but also for Northeast Asia. As for the peace and prosperity of the international community, South Korea and Japan, as neighboring countries, should maintain cooperation."
Yonhap News Agency said that this is a big discount from the previous statement that “South Korea and Japan are geographically adjacent, similar in culture, close neighbors, and partners in the common commitment to global peace and prosperity”.
The "white paper" stated that some Japanese political leaders provoked the sovereignty of Dokdo (called "Takeshima" in Japan), the low-altitude flight of Japanese patrol aircraft in 2018 threatened South Korean warships, and the unilateral release of the inversion of the cartel seriously affected the national defense of South Korea and Japan. relationship.
Japan’s export restrictions to South Korea in July 2019 have become an important obstacle to the development of future-oriented bilateral relations between the two countries. The “white paper” also stated that in the future it will strictly respond to Japan’s misconduct of history and assertion of Dokdo sovereignty. The Japanese side continues to work to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and even in Northeast Asia.
In terms of cooperation with China, the report said that the new version of the "White Paper" deleted the content of conflicts between China and South Korea caused by the entry of the "THAAD" anti-missile system in South Korea in 2016, and added that "South Korea and China are in order to normalize bilateral relations. In 2017, Moon Jae-in held the South Korea-China summit in his first year in office."