Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Rival candidates seek different strategies to mend ties with Japan
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By Kwon Mee-yoo
This article is the fourth in a series about the 2022 presidential election candidates' campaign pledges. In this article, their pledges for Korea-Japan relations are examined and compared. ―ED
Lee pursues strategic ambiguity; Yoon eyes multi-level diplomatic efforts
By Kwon Mee-yoo
South Korea's relations with Japan, its closest neighbor geographically with the exception of North Korea, have been put to the test under the Moon Jae-in administration after sinking to an unprecedented low.
Two leading presidential candidates, Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), have presented starkly contrasting views of the causes of soured relations and how the two countries can mend the frayed ties.
The two sides also revealed significant differences in their diagnosis of the current South Korea-Japan relations.
Worst bilateral ties: undesirable vs. awfully wrong
Wi Sung-lac, former South Korean ambassador to Russia who is currently in charge of foreign policy at the Lee Jae-myung camp, said South Korea-Japan relations were headed in the wrong direction.
“It's true that South Korea's relations with Japan are at their lowest point since the two sides established diplomatic relations,” he told The Korea Times. “There's no doubt that the current situation is not desirable at all and thus must be improved.”
His counterpart, Kim Sung-han, a professor at Korea University and former vice foreign minister who is in charge of diplomatic policy at the Yoon Suk-yeol camp, however, assessed current bilateral relations very differently. Kim said current South Korea-Japan ties are “completely out of control, so much so that it's really tough to find a way out.” Kim added, “Bilateral ties are so troubled that we don't even know where to start to improve them,” he said when asked how he views the current relations.
After gaining independence from Japan's colonial rule in 1945, Korea established official diplomatic relations with Japan in 1965. Despite both being an ally of the U.S. and their geographical proximity, the relationship between Korea and Japan deteriorated considerably in recent years due to a number of disputes.
In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling that awarded compensation to laborers forced to work for a Japanese company during World War II. The ruling infuriated Japan, which claimed that the verdict violates the 1965 agreement on the settlement of disputes concerning property and claims between the two countries.
The following year, Japan imposed an export ban on semiconductor materials to Korea and the two countries ended up removing each other from their "whitelist" of preferred trading partners.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga even skipped a summit with President Moon during his tenure from 2020 and 2021, reflecting the icy relations between the two countries.
Lee Jae-myung, right, presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, shakes hands with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul in this Dec. 27, 2021 file photo. Korea Times file
Historical animosity vs. populism
The Lee and Yoon camps were miles apart on why South Korea-Japan relations had soured so much.
Wi said that the rekindled historical animosity has fueled the deterioration of bilateral ties.
"In addition to that, the Korean Supreme Court's ruling in favor of Korean forced laborers during the Japanese colonial period played a part to bring the issue back to the table. The two governments responded to each other in a hostile manner, making the situation go from bad to worse," Wi said.
DPK candidate Lee seeks to mend ties with Japan through a two-track approach ― the separation of historical issues and economic and diplomatic cooperation ― to pave the way for a better future for the two countries while resolving historical issues. Lee has reiterated the importance of pragmatism in diplomacy, but blamed Japan for historical issues, which could end up repeating what has happened during the current administration.
In a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi in late December, Lee said Korea and Japan should move toward future-oriented, cooperative relations. However, Lee has been rather firm about historical issues involving Korea and Japan.
When Japan placed a bid to enlist the Sado mine, where Koreans were forced into labor during Japan's colonial rule, as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Lee immediately criticized Japan's move.
"The Sado mine is evidence of wartime forced labor and a result of Imperialist plunder. Japan should stop distorting and sugarcoating the history of Imperialism... The Lee administration will make efforts to improve Korea-Japan relations, but won't overlook Japan's distortion of history," Lee wrote on his Facebook.
However, Lee's camp did not unveil specific diplomatic measures to deal with Japan.
“We are looking for ways to improve Korea-Japan relations. It is important to create an atmosphere to improve relations as many issues involving Korea and Japan are sensitive to public opinion. We will prevent unfavorable factors such as the Sado mine issue from popping up and interfering with communications between Korea and Japan,” Wi said.
"Under a more amicable environment, we can try new ways to solve problems. (An improvement of Korea-Japan relations) cannot be done at one, but can be achieved gradually if we take a small step and Japan takes another step in response."
Regarding the source of diplomatic friction, the Yoon camp blamed Korean politicians for using diplomatic issues to fan nationalist sentiment and bolster voter support, resulting in soured South Korea-Japan relations.
"The deteriorating relations have been escalated by the Korean administrations which used diplomatic feuds, especially those related to history, in domestic politics. We should separate history and security issues from domestic politics," said Kim at Korea University.
In protest against Japan's export restrictions of key products to South Korea, consumers in the South launched a boycott of Japanese products, representing an example of diplomatic relations getting entangled in domestic politics.
Kim emphasized that Japan is a key U.S. ally and an important partner in the US-Japan-South Korea trilateral relationship.
"South Korea is an ally of the U.S. Some may think that it would be okay to maintain good relations only with the U.S., but an amicable South Korea-Japan relationship is a must for smoother trilateral relations," Kim said. "Even if South Korea and Japan do not get along well, the two countries should cooperate on security issues continuously to pressure North Korea and eventually China with the U.S."
Yoon Suk-yeol, right, presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul in this Nov. 26, 2021 file photo. Korea Times file
Restoring relations
Kim said restoring diplomatic meetings from the working level to ministerial talks and summits is essential to rebuild trust.
"Korea and Japan are close and we can visit each other the same day. If we meet more often, we will find ways to resolve the feuds," Kim said.
During a televised debate on Feb. 3, the candidates were asked to set priorities of countries they would hold summits with if elected.
Lee remained discreet in the name of pragmatic diplomacy, saying "We don't have to determine the order now. Korea is a peninsular state where sea power clashes with continental power and practical diplomacy for national interests is the most important for us.”
While Lee remains rather firm on historical issues, Yoon favors friendlier ties with Japan, putting historical issues behind. The basis of Yoon's diplomatic policy on Japan comes from the 1998 joint declaration between then-leaders President Kim Dae-jung and Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.
Yoon clearly stated his priorities in order, saying he would meet the U.S. president first, followed by the Japanese prime minister, Chinese president and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"Under the DPK's rule, diplomacy leaned toward pro-China and pro-North Korea, damaging Korea-U.S. and Korea-Japan relations. Restoring relations with the U.S. and Japan should be prioritized," Yoon said.
Yoon's side suggests a comprehensive solution to resolve the protracted discord between the two countries.
"There are many pending issues between the two countries including wartime forced labor and sex slavery as well as export restrictions. Dealing these issues one by one will take a long time and the first negotiation might influence the next one and vice versa," Kim said. "Since all of these issues are closely interconnected, we will bring all of them to the negotiation together for a comprehensive solution in Korea-Japan relations."