Jeong Eui-yong Talks with Japanese Foreign Minister 'Not Yet'... Opposition Foreign Affairs Committee "Concerned About Korea-Japan Relations"

Concerns Over Korea-Japan Relations and Impact on Korea-US-Japan Cooperation

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee raised concerns about the strained relations between Korea and Japan. There are worries that issues in Korea-Japan relations could potentially affect trilateral cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

At the full meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the 18th, Park Jin, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out, "Since his inauguration, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has spoken with ministers from the U.S., Russia, China, and the United Arab Emirates, but has not yet had a phone call with the Japanese Foreign Minister, right?" Minister Chung responded, "I expect to have a call soon," confirming that contact has not yet been made.

Following this, Park mentioned difficulties regarding Ambassador Kang Chang-il's credentials to Japan, saying, "There are difficulties," to which Minister Chung replied, "I am willing to have a call as soon as possible."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park stated, "There are issues between Korea and Japan, but there are criticisms that the Moon Jae-in administration's stance on Japan was inconsistent," raising responsibility questions for the current government. Minister Chung countered, "I do not agree with the assessment that the Moon administration's Japan policy was inconsistent," adding, "We have consistently sought to resolve historical issues through dialogue and maintained a forward-looking approach."

Park conveyed concerns from the U.S. about Korea-Japan relations, asking, "If this situation continues, it could negatively impact Korea-U.S. relations as well. Do you have any measures to address this?" Minister Chung responded, "I share these concerns," and said, "I believe that if the governments of Korea and Japan engage in close dialogue, the issues can be resolved, and I will persuade them in that direction."

Jeong Jin-seok, also from the People Power Party, said, "I was surprised to find in President Moon’s early-year press conference an acknowledgment that the 2015 comfort women agreement was an official government-to-government agreement," and questioned, "Two years ago, the president said there were serious flaws in the comfort women agreement. Has his position changed?" He also pointed out regarding Korea-Japan relations, "There has been no turning point yet."

Jeong added about U.S.-China relations, "Shouldn't we strive for strategic clarity rather than strategic ambiguity?"

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