Ruling Party: "Resumption of Shuttle Diplomacy with Japan-South Korea Summit" vs Opposition: "Concerns Over Repeat of Empty-Handed Diplomacy"

People Power Party "Democratic Party Only Uses Political Attacks"
Democratic Party "Substantial Japanese Reciprocity Is Important"

On the 6th, a day before the South Korea-Japan summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the Democratic Party of Korea expressed concerns that a "repeat of 'empty-handed diplomacy'" might occur.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kang Sun-woo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated at a National Assembly briefing, "The Presidential Office announced that 'Prime Minister Kishida decided to make a return visit as a gesture of gratitude to President Yoon,'" emphasizing, "What truly matters is not the 'return visit' itself but the substantive 'gesture of gratitude.'"

She continued, "Japan responded to the Yoon administration's 'third-party payment proposal' (a solution for compensation for forced labor during Japanese colonial rule) with provocations instead of reflection and apology," adding, "This includes the announcement of plans to discharge contaminated water from Fukushima, approval of history-distorting textbooks, territorial claims over Dokdo, and Prime Minister Kishida's offering of tribute to the Yasukuni Shrine."

She also pointed out, "It should be made clear that the principle of not discharging Fukushima contaminated water must be upheld unless its safety, which is directly related to the safety of our people, is verified."

In response, the People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party for attempting to use Prime Minister Kishida's visit to South Korea as a political offensive.

Yoon Hee-seok, spokesperson for the People Power Party, commented, "With the resumption of shuttle diplomacy, a symbol of friendship between South Korea and Japan, after 12 years, a sincere platform for dialogue and communication to resolve the numerous pending issues between the two countries has opened," adding, "The public's mandate is to produce results for national interest and the future."

He further stated, "To the Democratic Party, this seems to be just another opportunity for political attacks," criticizing, "They are even calling for the suspension of trilateral military cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan. Ultimately, it will be our people who suffer from the Democratic Party's prioritization of political strategy over national interest."

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