Ambassador Kang Chang-il to Japan: "Kishida Cabinet, Difficult to Expect Changes in Korea-Japan Relations"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Ambassador Kang Chang-il to Japan stated on the 6th that although the Kishida Fumio Cabinet in Japan has newly launched, it is difficult to expect rapid changes in Korea-Japan relations for the time being.

Ambassador Kang said during a work report at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee’s audit conducted via video conference on the same day, “Prime Minister Kishida has served as Foreign Minister for a long time and has emphasized the importance of dialogue in diplomacy, so I believe he is open to efforts to improve Korea-Japan relations through high-level talks.”

He added, “I think rapid changes are difficult to expect for the time being,” and “Our government will continue to cooperate with the new cabinet for the future-oriented development of Korea-Japan relations.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding past issues and other Korea-Japan matters, Ambassador Kang emphasized, “We will continue to make efforts to resolve problems through dialogue and consultation with Japan,” and “We also intend to work towards strengthening practical cooperation and future-oriented development between Korea and Japan.”

Concerning one of the contentious issues between Korea and Japan, the Japanese government’s decision to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, he explained, “We have clearly conveyed the concerns of our people and the government’s opposition stance, and have requested the Japanese government to withdraw the discharge decision.”

Regarding the response by the Embassy in Japan to the contaminated water issue, Ambassador Kang said, “We have consistently communicated with Japanese figures who oppose the ocean discharge of contaminated water to build consensus on our position, collected opposing arguments, and reported them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters to support strengthening our stance.”

Meanwhile, during the National Assembly audit of the Embassy in Japan on the same day, a tense atmosphere arose between opposition party lawmakers questioning Ambassador Kang’s qualifications and the ambassador himself.

People Power Party lawmaker Cho Tae-yong (proportional representation), a former first vice minister of foreign affairs, criticized Ambassador Kang’s qualifications as ambassador by bringing up past statements of Kang that caused controversy, including the fact that since his appointment in January, he has not met with the Japanese Foreign Minister or Prime Minister.

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