Cho Tae-yong "Normalization of Korea-Japan Relations... Japan Must Now Do Things That Help Korea's Interests"

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Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Security Office, did not confirm the specific schedule of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to South Korea on the 1st, but said, "I think Japan should do things that help Korea's interests."

Cho appeared on YTN that day and said about Prime Minister Kishida's visit to Korea in early May, "Not only our government but also the Japanese government has not confirmed it," expressing this view.

Japanese media such as Kyodo News and Jiji Press reported on the same day, citing Japanese government officials, that Prime Minister Kishida's visit to Korea is confirmed to be a one-night, two-day trip on the 7th and 8th of this month.

However, Cho pointed out that the two countries are coordinating the schedule, and that Prime Minister Kishida's visit should include the normalization of shuttle diplomacy and aspects that Korean citizens can feel regarding the normalization of Korea-Japan relations.

Cho said, "Before the Group of Seven (G7) summit, Prime Minister Kishida is visiting several countries to listen to opinions and discuss matters, and it would not be unreasonable to see his coming to Korea as a sign that he respects and listens to our views."

Regarding whether Prime Minister Kishida should apologize for issues related to Japan's colonial rule and forced labor compensation, Cho showed a cautious stance but said, "Since Korea-Japan relations have normalized, I think Japan should now do things that help Korea and are beneficial to Korea's interests."

Cho emphasized, "There are past issues, but there are also present and future matters. It is important to maintain an overall balance," and added, "We will do our best so that the public can feel that with the normalization of Korea-Japan relations, good things like this are happening."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He saw a high possibility that the leaders of Korea, the U.S., and Japan would meet on the occasion of the G7 summit. However, regarding the prospect that the three countries would issue a joint statement, he warned that it was "premature reporting."

Cho said, "Through the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), it is a priority to establish, stabilize, and develop detailed agreements on the bilateral system between Korea and the U.S. for nuclear weapon operation," adding, "We can have an open stance on other countries participating, but that is a matter for the next step. Talking about it now is very premature."

Regarding the strong backlash from China following President Yoon's interview with foreign media, Cho said, "We oppose unilateral changes to the status quo by force; this is an international law principle," and added, "China's hypersensitive and excessive reaction is not good diplomacy and is a major diplomatic faux pas."

Cho stated, "The Yoon administration is also trying to develop Korea-China relations based on mutual respect and common interests," and regarding concerns about possible economic retaliation from China, he said China should make a cautious judgment.

On the possibility of China's economic retaliation, he said, "If China were to carry out economic retaliation, our people’s perception of China would become very negative," adding, "That would greatly hinder the development of Korea-China relations."

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