Lee Jae-myung on Being Labeled a 'Radical Anti-Japanese Figure': "Abe's Fall and the Low Tactics of Japan's Far-Right Forces"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, recently issued a stern warning regarding the conservative right-wing in Japan portraying him as a 'radical anti-Japanese figure,' stating that there is a hidden malicious intent behind this.

On the 2nd, through Facebook, Governor Lee said, "Recently, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a leading economic newspaper in Japan, described me as a human rights lawyer who, during the 2017 presidential election, was nicknamed the 'Korean Trump' due to my straightforward speech and decisive actions that gained public support. However, they also mentioned that I referred to Japan as a hostile country (through past Facebook posts) and opposed the Korea-Japan Military Information Protection Agreement (GSOMIA)," adding, "They depicted me as a radical anti-Japanese figure."

He continued, "From the perspective of the Japanese conservative right-wing, I must be a very bothersome figure, and if you look only at the facts of the above report, there is nothing wrong. But I cannot dismiss strong suspicions about why such a report has come out at this particular time," he added.

In particular, he said, "I cannot help but ask Japan about the hidden intent behind deliberately dredging up my writings from four years ago, at a time when anti-Japanese sentiment was at its peak before the signing of the Korea-Japan Military Information Protection Agreement, to label me as an anti-Japanese figure. I am only wary of the Japanese conservative right-wing political circles that dream of rearmament and becoming a military power, but I have never harbored any resentment or hostility toward the Japanese people or Japan as a country, and I never will," drawing a clear line.

Governor Lee also offered his own analysis regarding the conservative right-wing in Japan recently emphasizing him as a radical anti-Japanese figure.

He said, "Japan is currently in a panic state due to the fall of the longest-serving Prime Minister Abe, who supported the far-right forces, as well as COVID-19 and economic recession. At a time when the Japanese far-right needs their traditional strategy of diverting the attention of their struggling citizens outward to create hostility and strengthen internal unity, the breakthrough chosen by the Japanese far-right in this crisis situation can only be to twist Korea-Japan relations," he diagnosed.

According to Governor Lee, what they ultimately desire is Korea-Japan conflict through the incitement of anti-Korean sentiment.

Therefore, he warned, "I issue a warning to the Japanese far-right: Stop misleading your citizens by inciting anti-Korean sentiment for the foolish desire of militarism and becoming a military power."

He also advised, "The normalization of Japan that it dreams of can only be possible based on national trust in peace and human rights, not money and Aegis ships. It must be remembered that national trust recovery begins only with reflection on the history of invasion and human rights violations and sincere apologies."

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