Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.
President Moon in dilemma over Japan trip
President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga / Korea Times file
By Kang Seung-woo
Japan lukewarm on summit ahead of Tokyo Olympics
By Kang Seung-woo
President Moon Jae-in has a hard decision to make on whether to visit Japan on the occasion of the Tokyo Olympics as the envisaged trip is drawing a mixed response.
Advocates for the President's participation in the opening ceremony of the quadrennial sporting event, which kicks off July 23, insist that he needs to go in order to break a deadlock in strained bilateral ties, but those critical of this say he should not travel to Tokyo as Japan is taking a lukewarm attitude toward a summit and not showing much resolve in addressing various disputes between the two countries.
Moon is making a last-ditch effort to normalize Korea's relations with Japan before his term ends in May 2022, as this could enhance trilateral cooperation with the United States. In that sense, the two neighboring countries have been in talks over Moon's attendance at the opening ceremony, which would lead to his first summit with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and a discussion about pending bilateral issues, according to the foreign ministry here.
However, Tokyo is seemingly unwilling to commit to a meeting, repeatedly leaking information on the negotiations to the media that deprecates a possible summit. Some media reported that any talks between Moon and Suga may last only 15 minutes due to time constraints.
“President Moon's attendance can be an opportunity to show his determination to improve Korea-Japan ties to neighboring countries as well as the Japanese people,” Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said on Facebook, adding that the normalization of relations between the two was a task that Moon must resolve before leaving office.
“The worst-ever relationship between Korea and Japan has continued and the problem is that has weakened the nation's overall diplomatic capabilities as well as ties between Korea and the U.S.”
Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, an independent lawmaker, also said on Facebook, “Moon should participate in the opening ceremony and hold a summit to make a breakthrough in the impasse.”
The two countries have been engaged in a feud over historical and territorial issues, with the latter dispute resurfacing after the Olympic organizer identified Dokdo, Korea's easternmost islets, as Japanese territory on an online map showing the route of the torch relay, drawing a backlash from Korea urging Japan to revise the map, but to no avail.
The map issue is further enraging the Korean side as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned South and North Korean athletes from marching with a flag of the Korean Peninsula depicting Dokdo during the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics due to a complaint from Japan, which claimed it was a political act contrary to the Olympic spirit. Korea accepted the IOC's call at the time.
Under the circumstances, critics are urging Moon to ditch the visit.
“The Dokdo issue has not been resolved yet, so why is the President going to Japan?” Yoo Seong-min, a former four-term lawmaker and presidential hopeful from the PPP, said on Facebook.
“Despite our goodwill (at PyeongChang) and calls for a revision to the map, Japan has still described Dokdo as its territory, a sign of its territorial greed. I hope that Moon will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics unless the Dokdo issue is resolved.”
Olympic banners adorn the main press center of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Monday. AP-Yonhap
A Japan expert, who declined to be identified, said, “Despite the government's suggestion of various solutions to pending issues, Japan has rejected all of them. In addition, Tokyo's stance is that Seoul should resolve them by itself, which is not the way diplomacy works.”
He also said the Japanese government's leaking of details of the negotiations on Moon's visit to Japanese media was aimed at framing Korea as yielding to Japan in their diplomatic spat, raising speculation that this high-handed stance may be a political maneuver to give Suga an advantage in September's general election.
“The government should not be in the frame,” the expert said.
The public is also against Moon's visit to Japan, with a poll released on June 28 showing 60.2 percent of 500 respondents disapproved of his trip.
A large number of opinions expressed online are also opposed to it, with one person saying, “His attendance would be a humiliation. Even if he does, it would be a disgrace as a citizen.”
Considering the negative sentiment, Cheong Wa Dae has made it clear that Moon's visit will only be made if a summit with Suga is assured, and results will flow from it.