Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Japanese Foreign Minister allegedly describes Korean counterpart Kang as 'decoration'
Seen above is Japanese weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun's Nov. 28 report. According to the report, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha does not have any leverage to influence Cheong Wa Dae's decision-making process, claiming she is "a decoration." / Yonhap
By Jhoo Dong-chan
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi described his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha as “a decoration,” according to a Japanese weekly magazine report.
The Shukan Bunshun magazine reported in its Nov. 28 publication Motegi said South Korean foreign minister “does not have any leverage” to influence Cheong Wa Dae's decisions.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha
“[Her influence] won't work in Cheong Wa Dae,” it reads citing sources familiar with the matter. “Kang is a decoration. President Moon Jae-in pays little attention to thoughts and observations on key issues by Foreign Minister Kang no matter how much she tries.”
Motegi immediately denied the allegations.
“It's untrue,” he told reporters in a media briefing. “Please provide any evidence if you believe I said so.”
Along with its report on Motegi, the weekly magazine also reported that the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) was renewed last month.
The bilateral intelligence-sharing pact between Seoul and Tokyo was set to expire on Nov. 22, with Cheong Wa Dae expressing no intention to renew it. However, the presidential office reversed course at the very last minute because of “pressure from the United States,” it added.
Shukan Bunshun also claimed Vice Foreign Minister Cho Se-young managed all communications and relevant measures with Japan regarding the GSOMIA issue instead of Kang.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi
“Cho was the only high-ranking diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs that continues to have close ties with Japanese officials,” it reads. “Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba and Cho go back a long way. It was the classified communication channel to discuss the termination of the intel-sharing pact between Seoul and Tokyo.”
Seoul's foreign ministry declined to comment on the Shukan Bunshun's report as the allegations weren't found to be true, but the official said it would have been a “diplomatic discourtesy” if true.
The foreign ministers between South Korea and Japan held discussions regarding the GSOMIA and the issue of compensation for surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor on the sidelines of November's G20 Foreign Ministerial Meeting held in the Japanese city of Nagoya.
“The current biggest and most fundamental issue is concerning forced laborers from the Korean Peninsula. We'd like to keep demanding that South Korea eliminate the situation that violates international law as soon as possible,” Motegi said after the meeting with Kang, adding the extension of the GSOMIA was because it was necessary for Seoul to keep the momentum of the trilateral security cooperation with the United States and Japan alive.