President-elect Yoon to Untangle the Complex 'Hanil Gwan-gye' This Time

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Attention is focused on whether President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol can untangle the tangled Korea-Japan relations like a skein through proactive diplomacy with Japan.

It is expected that sending a Korea-Japan policy consultation delegation to Tokyo on the 24th and delivering a letter containing shuttle diplomacy between the Korea and Japan leaders, including past historical issues, could provide an opportunity for negotiations between the Korean and Japanese governments.

원본보기 아이콘

Jung Jin-seok, the head of the delegation and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, said to reporters immediately after arriving at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in the afternoon, "I think this letter contains President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's will and expectations for a new Korea-Japan relationship, expectations for Japan's positive response, and such meanings," which is the background for this.

President-elect Yoon sent a delegation to Japan following the United States before his inauguration because Korea-Japan relations have been entangled with various issues such as past historical problems including Korean court rulings on forced laborers and Japanese military comfort women compensation, Japan's export restrictions on Korea, and the military information protection agreement, failing to find a clue for resolution.

Since his presidential candidacy, Yoon has raised critical voices that the Moon Jae-in administration has failed to resolve Korea-Japan relations due to past historical issues.

Moreover, with North Korea's continued military provocations, the Ukraine crisis, and economic security issues, the United States is demanding the strengthening of trilateral cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan, making the improvement of Korea-Japan relations an urgent task from the Korean government's perspective.

Communication between Korea and Japan, including Korea-Japan summits, has also significantly weakened. The Korea-Japan summit has not been held since December 2019, and Kang Chang-il, the Korean ambassador to Japan, has not met with the Japanese Foreign Minister or Prime Minister since his appointment in January last year.

Accordingly, the delegation plans to focus on directly meeting Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio during this visit to Japan to convey President-elect Yoon's intentions. Head Jung explained about the meeting with Prime Minister Kishida, "We are expecting meetings with key figures and are in a position to wait for a response from the Japanese side."

However, the delegation does not intend to conduct specific negotiations with the Japanese government on current issues such as past historical problems. Jung said, "The primary goal of the visit is to convey the President-elect's vision, will, and intentions for a new Korea-Japan relationship," adding, "We are not approaching this with negotiation or bargaining rights on recent urgent issues between Korea and Japan."

In this context, it is expected that discussions will be held on restoring government relations between Korea and Japan, including resuming high-level exchanges such as Korea-Japan summits.

The delegation is expected to meet various Japanese figures, including Prime Minister Kishida and Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, to explain the new government's mid-to-long-term cooperation direction and willingness to restore relations.

There is also a possibility that the attendance of Japanese high-ranking officials such as Prime Minister Kishida at President-elect Yoon's inauguration ceremony will be coordinated during this visit to Japan.

Regarding this, when asked whether Prime Minister Kishida would be invited to the inauguration, Head Jung said, "Usually, the attendance of heads of state at inaugurations is decided by their own countries," adding, "Although we have not received a final decision, if any head of state from around the world expresses their intention to attend our inauguration, we are prepared to welcome them with the best hospitality," leaving the possibility open.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.