[Exclusive] Kang Chang-il, Chairman of the Korea-Japan Parliamentary Union, Says "Abe's Self-Defeating Move... Considering Protest at the Union Level"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Kang Chang-il, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and chairman of the Korea-Japan Parliamentary League, is considering a protest at the league level against Japan's restrictions on Korean entry. The league is a representative parliamentary diplomatic channel with Japan.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 6th, Kang said in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "This measure is Abe's self-defeating move," and added, "We are considering a protest at the league level, including issuing a statement." He further criticized, "It is a short-sighted judgment that does not help resolve Korea-Japan relations at all," and said, "We should not exploit a neighboring country that we need to go together with."

Kang said, "The Japanese government is struggling due to its failure to respond to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), including handling cruise ships," and added, "The entry ban is a tactic to shift internal difficulties onto Korea or the outside."

He also pointed out, "Japan does not even have proper quarantine facilities prepared now, so I don't know where they plan to quarantine people for two weeks. It seems like an impulsive decision made without proper preparation."

Kang conveyed these opinions to the party leadership as well. It is known that during a closed-door speech at the Democratic Party's election countermeasures committee meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, he urged the party to take a strong stance against Japan and called for a party-level response.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.