Japan changed from 'aggressor' to 'partner' with shared universal values: President Yoon

President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech during a ceremony to commemorate the 104th anniversary of March 1 Independence Movement Day at Yu Gwan-sun Memorial Hall in Jung District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

• Published Mar 1, 2023 4:55 PM KST
• Updated Mar 2, 2023 9:30 AM KST

Yoon extends olive branch to mend ties with Tokyo

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk Yeol extended another olive branch to mend relations between South Korea and Japan, saying Tokyo has “transformed from a militaristic aggressor into a partner” during his March 1 Independence Movement Day speech, Wednesday.

“Now, more than a century after the March 1 Independence Movement, Japan has transformed itself from a militaristic aggressor of the past into a partner that shares universal values with us,” Yoon said during a ceremony to commemorate the peaceful protest that took place in 1919 to resist Japan's colonial rule.

Yoon said the trilateral security cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington to counter North Korea's nuclear threats was one of the fields in which the two countries are working together to address global challenges, adding that South Korea should “stand in solidarity with countries sharing universal values.”

“This spirit of solidarity and cooperation is the same spirit that called for our nation's freedom and independence 104 years ago,” Yoon said.

In his speech, which lasted slightly over five minutes, Yoon did not make any remarks that could be interpreted as a demand for Japan's apology for its past actions.

This contrasts starkly with the Independence Movement Day speech made by Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae-in, in 2018, calling on Japan to issue an apology as a “perpetrator” of “crimes against humanity.”

Since Yoon took office in May last year, he has been making efforts to mend ties between the two countries, holding multiple summits with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

In line with this direction, Yoon also did not mention pending bilateral issues, such as compensating Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.

The forced labor issue is one of the key reasons that the two countries' relations deteriorated in recent years. In 2018, separate rulings by Seoul's Supreme Court ordered Japanese firms to compensate 15 Korean victims, but no payments have been made yet, causing bilateral relations to chill during the past five years.

However, since the inauguration of the Yoon administration, Seoul and Tokyo have held several rounds of working-level consultations on ways to resolve the forced labor issue, and the South Korean government dropped hints at a plan last month to compensate the victims through its own public foundation, instead of using funds from Japanese companies, despite outcries from some victims.

However, Japan has yet to show any progress in whether it will allow its companies to donate to the South Korean foundation or make repentant gestures. Due to this, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Feb. 13, “We have urged Japan to make political decisions in sincere response (to South Korea's efforts).”

Against this backdrop, Yoon's speech is interpreted as another conciliatory gesture to Japan and indirect pressure to influence Kishida's political decisions.

“During his speech, Yoon clearly stated his direction in terms of South Korea-Japan relations, but did not tap into delicate pending issues,” said Jin Chang-soo, the director of Sejong Institute's Center for Japanese Studies.

“Yoon seems to have decided not to mention the forced labor issue, because the working-level negotiations are ongoing and Yoon's detailed remarks on this issue during the Independence Movement Day speech may become an unnecessary influence on the negotiations. With daunting domestic tasks and diplomatic challenges surrounding him, a detailed commentary on pending issues may become an additional burden for Yoon.”

Although Yoon mentioned the importance of the trilateral security cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington to counter the North's nuclear threats, he did not call for Pyongyang's denuclearization nor stressed his “audacious initiative” of engaging North Korea in the speech.

Also on Wednesday, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) slammed Yoon's dovish approach to Japan.

In a statement on the 104th anniversary of the Independence Movement, the party said, “The Yoon government is maintaining a submissive stance before Japan under the pretext of improving bilateral ties.”

“The Yoon government is begging Japan to accept a plan in which [South] Korean companies are compensating forced labor victims instead of Japan. … This is shameful to our ancestors who fought for independence with their bare hands,” it said.

Meanwhile, Yoon had an awkward encounter with DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung during the ceremony. Yoon and Lee shook hands to greet each other, but did not exchange words.

It was their first encounter in five months, since both of them attended an Armed Forces Day event on Oct. 1 last year.

Lee, who competed against Yoon for the presidency last year, is engaged in a harsh confrontation with the current administration, as prosecutors seek to indict the main opposition party chief on various corruption allegations. Lee is accusing Yoon of political persecution.

Before attending the ceremony, Lee wrote on Facebook: “The Yoon administration is impairing the spirit of the March 1 Independence Movement with its submissive diplomacy.”