Park Su-hyun, Senior Secretary at Cheong Wa Dae, "Significant Progress Made in Korea-Japan Negotiations... No Progress Due to 'Outrageous Remarks'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Park Soo-hyun, the Blue House Chief of Communication, revealed that although there were significant achievements in diplomatic negotiations between Korea and Japan, progress was halted due to the controversial remarks made by Consul Soma at the final stage, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the visit to Japan and the Korea-Japan summit.

In an interview with KBS Radio's "Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs" on the morning of the 20th, Chief Park stated, "It is not that there were no achievements at all or that Korea-Japan relations have ended; there were considerable achievements" regarding the negotiations with Japan.

Through diplomatic consultations between the two countries, there was substantial progress on various issues such as comfort women, forced laborers, export regulations, and Fukushima contaminated water. However, due to the controversial remarks by Consul Soma at the end of the negotiations, satisfactory progress was not achieved.

Chief Park said, "We could not ignore the impact of Consul Soma's remarks at the end of the negotiations on public sentiment," adding, "Japan's will is strong, and our will is fundamentally strong as well, so if an opportunity arises, there is hope for a summit between the two countries within President Moon's term."

However, when asked about specific issues where progress was made, he refrained from commenting, saying, "It is not proper to disclose the details of diplomatic negotiations between the two countries."

In an interview with TBS's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory," when the host asked, "Was the lack of progress due to the Consul Soma issue?" he responded positively, calling it an "accurate analysis."

The previous day, Chief Park had expressed President Moon's willingness to improve relations by mentioning "the better path rather than the easy path" in a media interview. Regarding this, he said, "It is a matter of dignity that not only President Moon but any president of the Republic of Korea has the will to resolve Korea-Japan relations," adding, "In that regard, the president has made strong efforts with determination."

Regarding the possibility of a future Korea-Japan summit, he said, "Although the situation has turned out this way, I hope the leaders of both countries will meet anytime," adding, "Since there has been progress, if foreign ministers continue their talks, I think there will likely be good results."

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