South Korean government accelerates improvement in Japan-South Korea relations Domestic attention to Prime Minister Kishida's remarks

The Government of the ROK intends to accelerate the improvement of relations by confirming at the Japan-ROK Summit Meeting to be held on June 7 that it will strengthen cooperation in the field of security in response to North Korea. On the other hand, in South Korea, attention is focused on what Prime Minister Kishida will say about his recognition of history.

The Office of the President of the Republic of Korea considers Prime Minister Kishida's visit to the ROK to be a full-fledged "shuttle diplomacy" between the leaders.

In addition to strengthening cooperation in the security field, such as responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile development, the ROK intends to accelerate the improvement of Japan-ROK relations by confirming the expansion of cooperation in the field of advanced technologies such as semiconductors.

On the other hand, in South Korea, President Yoon Sung-yeol's visit to Japan in March has been criticized every day by the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, for failing to elicit a stance that has progressed from Japan on historical issues and that it is humiliating diplomacy.

For this reason, attention is being paid to what Prime Minister Kishida will say about his recognition of history during his stay in the ROK.

In addition, several South Korean media outlets have reported that the summit is expected to discuss a plan to dilute the treated water accumulated at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to a substandard concentration and release it into the sea amid concerns in South Korea.

Choi Eun-mi, a researcher at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies who is familiar with relations between South Korea and Japan, said, "The last summit meeting itself was meaningful, but this time it will not be the case, and everything from what kind of souvenirs Prime Minister Kishida brings to where he goes and eats during his stay will be closely watched."

In relation to the South Korean government's request for a "sincere response" to the Japan side regarding the issue of "requisition" during the Pacific War, he said, "The Korean people want them to sympathize with the pain suffered during the colonial rule era and understand that it was difficult at that time. I'm talking.

President Yoon Sung-nyeol of the Republic of Korea (ROK) drew attention for his remarks on Japan for about 3 minutes at a Cabinet meeting held five days after the Japan-ROK summit meeting in March, which was unusually long for an opening remark of a Cabinet meeting.

In relation to historical issues, he stated, "We must overcome the past with the present Japan, and if the ROK first removes obstacles to the normalization and development of relations, the Japan will respond," and emphasized his intention to steadily improve relations with Japan.

He added, "Japan has already expressed remorse and apologies for its past history dozens of times."

In an interview with a leading American newspaper last month, President Yoon said, "The idea that Japan has to kneel down and apologize for a century-old history is unacceptable," indicating that he will continue to build relationships with Japan with a future-oriented mindset.

President Yoon's stance toward Japan has been intensified, with the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, which holds a majority in the Korean National Assembly, criticizing it as "humiliating diplomacy" and calling for the withdrawal of the solution put forward by the South Korean government on the issue of "requisition" during the Pacific War.

At the summit meeting in March, Prime Minister Kishida stated that "the Japan Government confirmed that it has inherited the position of successive Cabinets on historical recognition as a whole, including the Japan-ROK Joint Declaration issued in October 3."

Regarding this, there were voices in the ROK that "the sincere response measures of the Japan side regarding historical issues were insufficient" and "President Yoon was unable to elicit a position that has progressed from the Japan side," and Prime Minister Kishida's response at this summit meeting attracted attention.

In the past week or so since the Japan-ROK summit meeting held in March, the South Korean government withdrew its complaint to the WTO = World Trade Organization in response to the Japan government's measures to tighten export controls to South Korea, and informed the Japan side that the ROK side had decided to normalize the Comprehensive Security of Military Information Agreement = GSOMIA, which the ROK side could abandon at any time. We have set out measures to improve relations.

Since the beginning of last month, we have decided to redesignate Japan as a country eligible for preferential treatment that can simplify export procedures.

In addition, Unification Minister Kwon Yong-se, a key minister, visited Japan in March to discuss with ministers on the abductions issue by North Korea and the nuclear and missile issues, and exchanges at the political level are also being resumed.

President Yoon Sung-nyeol is expected to reiterate his intention to further strengthen cooperation with Japan and the United States amid a series of military provocations by North Korea, based on his visit to the United States in late April and his meeting with President Biden.

On the other hand, regarding the issue of radar irradiation of Self-Defense Forces aircraft by the ROK military five years ago, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop repeated his previous assertion in the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea in March, saying, "Our position is that we did not irradiate the radar."