By Kang Seung-woo
When U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman visited Korea in January, she said that there was "no daylight" between Seoul and Washington.
Now, Sherman has driven a wedge between the two allies with controversial remarks that were interpreted here as the U.S. condoning Japan's wartime misdeeds.
Even though the U.S. State Department tried to undo the damage by restating the importance of the ROK-U.S. alliance, now it is a possibility that this issue will blow up in its face, according to experts.
"Should the U.S. take sides with Japan over an historical issue, it could bring Koreans back to the part played by the U.S. in the distortion of its modern history," said Lee Sang-hyun, director of Security Strategy Studies at the Sejong Institute. "That is one reason why the U.S. should urge Japan to settle historical disputes.
"There is no other issue to prevent the two nations from cooperating other than the historical one."
Prof. Kim Hyun-wook, of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, said the Sherman remarks showed that the U.S. gets its priorities in the wrong order.
"The U.S. knows well of Japan's colonial atrocities, but Sherman indicated that the U.S.-Japan alliance far outweighs historical issues to Washington," Kim said.
"Despite clear evidence manifesting Japan's past wrongdoing, Sherman held three countries equally responsible."
The concern is that the U.S. does not see a possibility of Korea-Japan antipathy going to the extent of the Israeli-Palestinian situation, despite both being based on history issues.
"There can't be any question about Japan being the aggressor in its history dispute with Korea," Kim said.
Already, there is a growing sense that Sherman was not taken out of context and her remarks reflected the atmosphere in Washington, D.C.
Rep. Shin Kyoung-min, of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, said Monday: "The government needs to devise a scheme to deal with such an issue."
A diplomatic source also said: "Unlike Japan, which lobbies U.S. academic circles as well as the U.S. government, our lobbying is far behind."
When U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman visited Korea in January, she said that there was "no daylight" between Seoul and Washington.
Now, Sherman has driven a wedge between the two allies with controversial remarks that were interpreted here as the U.S. condoning Japan's wartime misdeeds.
Even though the U.S. State Department tried to undo the damage by restating the importance of the ROK-U.S. alliance, now it is a possibility that this issue will blow up in its face, according to experts.
"Should the U.S. take sides with Japan over an historical issue, it could bring Koreans back to the part played by the U.S. in the distortion of its modern history," said Lee Sang-hyun, director of Security Strategy Studies at the Sejong Institute. "That is one reason why the U.S. should urge Japan to settle historical disputes.
"There is no other issue to prevent the two nations from cooperating other than the historical one."
Prof. Kim Hyun-wook, of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, said the Sherman remarks showed that the U.S. gets its priorities in the wrong order.
"The U.S. knows well of Japan's colonial atrocities, but Sherman indicated that the U.S.-Japan alliance far outweighs historical issues to Washington," Kim said.
"Despite clear evidence manifesting Japan's past wrongdoing, Sherman held three countries equally responsible."
The concern is that the U.S. does not see a possibility of Korea-Japan antipathy going to the extent of the Israeli-Palestinian situation, despite both being based on history issues.
"There can't be any question about Japan being the aggressor in its history dispute with Korea," Kim said.
Already, there is a growing sense that Sherman was not taken out of context and her remarks reflected the atmosphere in Washington, D.C.
Rep. Shin Kyoung-min, of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, said Monday: "The government needs to devise a scheme to deal with such an issue."
A diplomatic source also said: "Unlike Japan, which lobbies U.S. academic circles as well as the U.S. government, our lobbying is far behind."
