US-North Korea Human Rights, Japan's Historical Distortion Cause Rift in US-South Korea-Japan Alliance

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The trilateral foreign ministers' meeting between South Korea, the United States, and Japan, which the Biden administration is pushing to hold at the end of next month, is reportedly facing difficulties due to the U.S.'s warnings on North Korean human rights and Japan's historical distortion.

As the U.S. and Japan express views differing from the South Korean government's stance on North Korea and historical issues, it is interpreted that discord is arising even in the efforts to strengthen the trilateral alliance among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

According to diplomatic sources on the 31st, the Biden administration is consecutively pushing to hold the South Korea-U.S.-Japan security chiefs meeting followed by the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in Washington D.C. early next month.

This is a very unusual move as the U.S. is reluctant to have foreign dignitaries visit due to COVID-19. The purpose appears to be strengthening the alliance to address North Korea's denuclearization and to form a coalition to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Biden administration plans to finalize its North Korea policy, which has been virtually reviewed through two rounds of key foreign and security officials' meetings among the three countries, and to promote implementation measures under close trilateral cooperation.

Regarding the strategy to counter China, while the South Korean government is showing a cautious stance, it is interpreted that the Biden administration will engage in a full-scale confrontation with China based on Japan's full support.

However, in diplomatic circles, it is considered unlikely that the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting will proceed as scheduled, given the adverse factors that have caused cracks in the South Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance, such as the U.S.'s warnings on North Korean human rights and South Korea's leaflet ban law, and Japan's announcement of the approval of history-distorting textbooks.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 30th (local time), the U.S. State Department released the ‘2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,’ which included content on North Korean human rights and restrictions on freedom of expression such as South Korea's illegalization of leaflet distribution to North Korea, placing the South Korean government in a difficult position.

Additionally, the announcement the day before of the approval results for high school textbooks distorting history by marking Dokdo as Japanese sovereign territory has cooled relations between South Korea and Japan. Since his inauguration on the 9th of last month, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has not had a single phone call with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu.

Some predict that even if the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting proceeds as planned, it will be difficult for the three countries to reach consensus on North Korea's denuclearization, China issues, and North Korean human rights.

Regarding U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's statement in the human rights report that "human rights will be at the center of our foreign policy," concerns are raised that if North Korean and Chinese human rights issues are officially raised as agenda items at the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting, the South Korean government will face extreme difficulties.

A diplomatic expert said, “The U.S. urges both South Korea and Japan to improve relations and aims to use the trilateral framework, which has cooperated on North Korean issues, to counter China, so it is burdensome for our government to agree with this,” adding, “our government must speak out clearly with cool-headed diplomacy within the South Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance.”

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