Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Cheong Wa Dae unhappy about Japanese media reports on Moon's Tokyo visit
In this Sept. 24, 2020, photo, President Moon Jae-in holds a phone conference with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae
By Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
Cheong Wa Dae appears to be unhappy about continued Japanese media reports about President Moon Jae-in's visit to the Tokyo Olympics, which portray the Japanese government's skeptical views on a summit between Moon and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday that it is “open” to all possibilities regarding Moon's visit to the Tokyo Olympics, without elaborating whether he will attend the Games' opening ceremony or hold a meeting with Suga.
The presidential office has been maintaining this stance for weeks despite continued reports from Japanese media outlets alleging that the Moon administration is in talks with Japanese government officials about visiting Tokyo during the Games. But it remains uncertain whether the two leaders will have a summit.
Citing a Japanese government official, Jiji Press reported Thursday that Moon and Suga are expected to meet at “a reception” during the Olympic Games.
Two days earlier, Kyodo News reported that the two countries are negotiating Moon's visit to the Tokyo Games, but a summit between Moon and Suga remains uncertain. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper also reported quoting a Japanese government official saying that talks between the two leaders is an issue that is separate from Moon's attendance at the Games.
As similar reports continue, sources are saying that the presidential office is growing increasingly impatient with Japan's use of media reports to dodge a summit, despite Korea's repeated approach to hold a summit to settle contentious issues between the two countries.
During a radio appearance last week, Lee Cheol-hee, a senior presidential secretary, said Tokyo is “exploiting Korea to settle Japan's domestic problem” and Suga is using “the same tactic” as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in order to dodge domestic problems.
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attends a news conference on Japan's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, at his official residence in Tokyo, June 17. Reuters-Yonhap
Against this backdrop, Korean newspapers are also reporting that Moon may not visit Tokyo if there is no summit with Suga. JoongAng Ilbo reported Wednesday citing a senior government official that there is “almost no chance of Moon's attendance” at the opening ceremony.
Multiple diplomatic sources also said that there will be no reason for Moon to visit Tokyo unless there is a meeting with Suga.
In recent months, Seoul has been approaching Tokyo to thaw chilled relations between the two countries due to their protracted historical disputes and Japan's territorial claims.
During the Group of Seven summit earlier this month, the two sides made efforts to hold a short meeting between Moon and Suga, but their encounter in the U.K. ended up in a short exchange of greetings.
In an SNS message after the summit, Moon recalled the encounter, saying “it was a precious time that could bring a new start in Korea-Japan relations,” and he “regrets” that the encounter did not result in a meeting.