President Moon's Visit to Japan, Domestic COVID-19 Resurgence as a Variable

Blue House Holds Back Comments but Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony Attendance Speculated... "Many Situations to Consider Including COVID-19"

[Asia Economy Reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Lee Ji-eun] As South Korea and Japan engage in a power struggle over President Moon Jae-in's attendance at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, the domestic resurgence of COVID-19 appears to be an unexpected variable in this issue.

On the 9th, when the government announced that social distancing measures in the Seoul metropolitan area would be raised to Level 4 starting from the 12th, the Blue House stated regarding President Moon's plan to visit Japan that "the situation has worsened."

A Blue House official said, "There are many situations to consider, including COVID-19, so nothing has been specifically decided."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Recently, Japanese media reports have continuously indicated that South Korea is probing Japan about President Moon's visit, and on this day, domestic media speculated that President Moon would visit Japan for about two days, coinciding with his participation in the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on the 23rd.

Earlier, the Blue House expressed that it is maintaining an open stance until the end and stated that the Japanese government should respond regarding the holding of a summit meeting.

In this situation, the domestic COVID-19 situation is also acting as a variable. Since social distancing has been raised to Level 4, a foreign visit by the president requires a clear justification as an 'unavoidable choice for national interest.'

Furthermore, there is analysis that even if the visit to Japan takes place, improvement in relations will be difficult unless a solution to issues such as the forced labor problem emerges.

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