Yoon Probes Attendance at Next Month's Quad Meeting... Will a Korea-US-Japan Summit Take Place?

"Hanil Talks May Be Difficult"

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking to reporters after announcing the second cabinet at the transition office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, on the 13th. He said he would take only one question before leaving for an external schedule. / Photo by Transition Office Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is exploring the possibility of attending the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among the United States, Japan, Australia, and India) summit scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan on the 24th of next month as an observer (a country that can participate and speak in the meeting but has no voting rights).

On the 14th, the Nikkei newspaper reported this citing a government official from one of the Quad member countries, stating, "This will be South Korea's first participation in a Quad meeting."

The Quad leaders are expected to discuss measures to counter China's hegemonic moves in the Indo-Pacific region and also address responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine during the meeting.

The Nikkei newspaper said, "If South Korea joins, the purpose of presenting the unity of the camp sharing values such as democracy to the international community will be further emphasized."

Since U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his intention on the 11th (local time) to visit Japan in late next month to attend the Quad meeting, attention is also focused on whether a South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit will take place.

The Nikkei newspaper stated, "President-elect Yoon aims to rebuild the deteriorated South Korea-Japan relations under the Moon Jae-in administration. The U.S. also urges improvement in South Korea-Japan relations," adding, "Options to hold South Korea-U.S., South Korea-Japan, or South Korea-U.S.-Japan summits are also being explored."

However, there are also prospects that holding a South Korea-Japan summit will be difficult due to conflicts between the two countries over historical issues.

The Nikkei newspaper said, "Although President-elect Yoon has made progressive remarks on improving relations with Japan, there are sensitive historical issues that provoke public opinion between the two countries," and "The timing for the liquidation of assets of Japanese companies in South Korea, which were ordered to compensate for forced labor, is approaching."

It also pointed out that the official inauguration date of President-elect Yoon (May 10) is only about two weeks before the meeting, which is a limitation. There is an opinion from the Japanese side that for the leaders to meet and hold talks, some level of concession from the South Korean side is a prerequisite, and since the meeting is right after President-elect Yoon's inauguration, preparation is expected to be difficult.

Because of this, there is also mention of the possibility that President-elect Yoon may not attend the meeting. The Nikkei newspaper said, "If President Biden visits South Korea before or after his visit to Japan, President-elect Yoon may prioritize a South Korea-U.S. summit and postpone attending the Quad meeting."

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