Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Tangible outcomes expected from Moon-Abe summit
Kim Hyun-chong, second deputy director of the presidential National Security Office, speaks during a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
Japan partially lifts export curbs
By Do Je-hae
The leaders of Korea and Japan will resume summit diplomacy at a trilateral meeting in China next week, raising expectations for a breakthrough in improving ties that have been strained under disputes over their shared history, as well as trade and security.
Cheong Wa Dae officially announced Friday that President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a one-on-one summit on Dec. 24 in Chengdu, China, after the two participate in a trilateral summit with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang earlier the same day. This marks the first official summit between the leaders of Korea and Japan since September 2018 during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The two leaders met briefly in a “pull-aside” format during an ASEAN event in Thailand early last month, but that was not an officially arranged summit to discuss core topics of bilateral interest.
Further heightening expectations, Japan lifted curbs on exports to South Korea of photoresist, one of three materials that had been subject to recent restrictions.
“This is the first Korea-Japan summit in 15 months. When reflecting on the difficulties in bilateral relations, the summit has a huge significance,” said Kim Hyun-chong, second deputy director of the presidential National Security Office (NSO). “We look forward to the opportunity to maintain the momentum for dialogue between the two countries and to provide an opportunity for improving Korea-Japan relations through this summit, following their conversation during the ASEAN+3 summit in Thailand on Nov. 4.”
Given the wide gap in the two countries' positions on outstanding bilateral issues, there are concerns that the highly anticipated summit will have limited impact on mending their strained ties.
But Cheong Wa Dae sees the meeting itself as a step forward, given that Abe had been refusing to meet Moon until Seoul “rectifies the breach of international law.” The Japanese leader did not meet with Moon during the G20 meeting in Osaka in June.
“A meeting between heads of states is bound to lead to results,” a South Korean senior presidential aide told reporters, Friday. “The summit is important because it creates momentum. There have been some working-level and director-general-level talks between the two countries regarding the trade regulations and the trade partner whitelist. So there have been some improvements. Personally, I wish to see more speed in the negotiations.”
One of the most contentious issues that Abe has raised is Korea's October 2018 Supreme Court ruling which recognized the legal responsibility of Japanese firms in compensating surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor. Tokyo has been adamant that all wartime compensation issues were completely resolved through a 1965 bilateral treaty which normalized relations. But Cheong Wa Dae has also been unrelenting in its position that the court ruling must be implemented. The presidential office distanced itself from a bill proposed by National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang to compensate the victims through fundraising from the companies and peoples of the two countries. “Cheong Wa Dae's position on this issue has been consistent. The most important thing is that the 2018 Supreme Court ruling must be upheld. The victims' views are also important. We need a solution that encompasses our principles and the position of the victims,” the aide said.
Bilateral tension had peaked ahead of the Nov. 22 deadline for renewing a bilateral intelligence-sharing pact, which Seoul threatened to abandon in response to Japan's export regulations on three key materials crucial to the nation's high-tech manufacturing industry. But Seoul announced its decision at the last minute to conditionally renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). Following the new decision on GSOMIA, both countries have started negotiations on resolving the trade dispute.
Another highlight of Moon's Dec. 23-24 visit to Chengdu is his Dec. 23 summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Moon will also discuss ways to increase cooperation in various areas, including economic and cultural sectors, during the trilateral meeting on Dec. 24, Cheong Wa Dae said.