Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Abe unilaterally declares summit with Moon
By Yi Whan-woo
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced he will hold a one-on-one meeting with President Moon Jae-on on Christmas Eve on the sidelines of a three-way summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Chengdu, China.
President Moon Jae-in, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe walks past each other during a meeting in Hamburg, Germany in July 2017. / Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
The announcement is seen as a rare diplomatic gesture, because the governments of Korea and Japan have been coordinating a summit between their leaders but were yet to officially confirm it.
The announcement ― made during a lecture in Tokyo on Saturday ― is fueling speculation about Abe's motives. With worsening ties, Moon and Abe have not had a bilateral summit since September 2017. They talked only briefly in November when they joined the ASEAN-hosted summits in Bangkok.
The Christmas Eve summit is especially drawing attention over whether it will lead to a breakthrough in tit-for-tat escalations over trade and historical disputes.
“I will attend a three-way summit in Chengdu on Christmas Eve,” Abe was quoted as saying by his press office. “On this occasion, I will meet Chinese President Xi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. I am also scheduled to meet President Moon.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Cheong Wa Dae official said talks were still underway about the schedule.
“We will make an official announcement when the schedule and other details are finally confirmed,” the official said.
Korea and Japan have been wrangling over the South Korean Supreme Court's ruling against Japanese companies linked to Japan's wartime enslavement of Koreans.
Japan introduced trade restrictions on high-tech materials to Korea, prompting Korea to consider ending their bilateral intelligence pact, GSOMIA.
Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, speculated that the Moon-Abe summit was not likely to result in a breakthrough on issues related to wartime slave labor.
He speculated that with Pyongyang ratcheting up military provocations, the conservative Japanese leader's Saturday announcement was to show how Tokyo was “trying to be faithful” to a three-way security alliance led by Washington.
The United States takes the trilateral security alliance as a serious component of its strategic interest in the region. For instance, the U.S. did not hide its discomfort when Korea sought to exit from GSOMIA in response to Japan's export controls.
“The Moon-Abe summit may help open a breakthrough in the trade dispute, but not for the slave labor-related issues, Shin said. “This would certainly take more time.”
The three East Asian countries have rotated a joint summit since 2008 to discuss regional cooperation on diplomacy, economy and other issues.
Meanwhile, Korea and Japan had planned talks between their foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Madrid, Spain, according to diplomatic sources.
Participants in the Madrid meeting slated for Monday to Tuesday included Korea's Kang Kyung-wha and Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi, who were to have discussed the latest bilateral issues ahead of the Moon-Abe summit.
But scheduling conflicts meant they would be unable to meet this time.