Korea-Japan Treaty, Breakthrough for Nation Building
By Park Won-soon
Contributing Writer
The Korea-Japan Basic Treaty was signed on June 22, 1965, reestablishing normal diplomatic and economic relations 20 years after Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. The treaty was followed by five additional agreements covering specific issues: fisheries, the status of Koreans residing in Japan, property claims and economic cooperation, cultural matters, and the mechanism for settlement of disputes.
To be sure, tens of thousands of Koreans protested using slogans such as, ``Stop the Humiliating Diplomacy.'' In Japan too, opposition leaders held large anti-treaty protests. In retrospect, however, the treaty was a big breakthrough enabling Korea to move forward to a more pro-active nation building program, encompassing successful economic development. Korea became a major player in the Cold War alliance system in the next decades after settling many problems which had existed between South Korea and Japan since 1945.
Tortuous Negotiations
Since the first talks in March 1952, organized by the Supreme Commander f
Mar 19, 2010
