[Initial Perspective] Korea-Japan Relations, First Need to Let Go of Impatience

Nothing has changed in Japan, but it's being overinterpreted
Rushing to conclusions may backfire

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] #President Yoon Suk-yeol stated regarding the phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, "We agreed that if Korea-Japan relations quickly return to the good old days and exchanges between companies and citizens become smooth, it will greatly benefit the economies of both countries." (October 7)

#Yoon Deok-min, Ambassador to Japan, said at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's audit of the Korean Embassy in Japan, "I feel that Korea-Japan relations are improving," and "Changes are being witnessed through the meeting between President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida in New York." (October 9)

This is the recent public evaluation of Korea-Japan relations by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. As Prime Minister Kishida of Japan has continued to make friendly remarks regarding Korea-Japan relations, the presidential office and key diplomatic lines including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are showing confidence and expectations for the improvement of bilateral relations.

President Yoon held a brief 30-minute meeting with Prime Minister Kishida in New York on the 21st of last month, and on the 6th of this month, he had a 25-minute phone call at Japan's request, discussing North Korean missile provocations and other topics.

The presidential office views President Yoon’s gesture of visiting the building where Prime Minister Kishida was located during his New York visit as a consideration of Japan’s position, which led to Kishida’s friendly gesture.

After the phone call with President Yoon on the 6th, Prime Minister Kishida emphasized, "We must continue efforts to make Korea-Japan relations future-oriented," and "For this, it is important to communicate at various levels," which is being interpreted as a positive signal.

Under the trilateral cooperation framework of Korea, the United States, and Japan, the Korean and Japanese governments are strengthening their cooperative relationship more than ever regarding the North Korean nuclear issue. Security cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan has been emphasized in response to North Korean provocations, leading to closer communication between Korean and Japanese authorities.

Korean and Japanese diplomatic authorities are accelerating efforts to find a solution to the core issue of forced labor compensation. Both sides exchanged views that the forced labor issue should be resolved "within the Korean judicial system." This is interpreted as seeking solutions excluding arbitration procedures under the Claims Agreement, such as subrogation or concurrent assumption of debt.

However, some criticize that our government is too hasty in improving Korea-Japan relations. They argue that the Japanese government’s stance has not significantly changed, and only our government is overinterpreting and inflating expectations.

The differing expressions used by the two countries regarding the meeting between President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida in New York last month are a representative example. Our government called it a "meeting," while the Japanese side referred to it as a "talk."

The problem is that if the government’s will is too ahead, it is difficult to achieve results.

Although some Japanese media reported that Korea will produce a government plan related to forced labor compensation within this month, there is a perception that the government intends to conclude the matter early by focusing on a certain deadline.

In diplomatic circles, concerns are rising that President Yoon’s declaration to resolve all issues?including historical problems, Japan’s export regulations, the Korea-Japan Military Information Protection Agreement, and the Japanese patrol plane radar incident?through a "grand bargain" (comprehensive settlement plan) approach may cause other important issues to affect the solution to the forced labor problem.

"Yoksokbudal (欲速不達)." It means "Haste makes waste."

With the president’s approval rating not high, hastily handling the sensitive Korea-Japan relations and public sentiment could backfire. Now is the time not to focus solely on "resolving" Korea-Japan relations but to show a cautious approach by putting aside impatience.

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