No more 'no Japan'? Lee Jae-myung pledges stronger Seoul-Tokyo economic ties

Then-Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung, left, now running for president, shakes hands with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima at the National Assembly in Seoul, Dec. 26, 2024. Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwon

Stronger economic cooperation with Japan has emerged as an unexpected presidential election pledge by Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). The liberal party has typically taken a more hostile stance on the island country compared to its conservative rival, the People Power Party.

Broadly seen as anti-Japan but friendly to China, Lee recently extended an olive branch to Japan, as the Seoul-Tokyo partnership is increasingly seen as essential to counter Washington's protectionist trade policies.

The current front-runner in the presidential race said Thursday that he "completely agrees" with SK Group and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won's proposal for economic solidarity with Japan to counter global "rule-setters" like the United States and China. Amid the intensifying trade war between the world's two largest economies, Chey has repeatedly urged policymakers to consider forming an Asian economic bloc similar to the European Union by joining hands with Japan and Southeast Asian nations.

"I agree with the need for country-level cooperation with neighboring countries like Japan to jointly counteract U.S. foreign and trade policies," Lee said during a meeting with Chey and the heads of other major business associations.

In a written congratulatory message sent to a forum hosted the next day by another DPK lawmaker to discuss diplomatic relations with Japan, Lee emphasized the importance of maintaining strong ties with the country for both the economy and national security.

"With Japan being Korea's fourth-largest trading partner, bilateral security cooperation has served as the foundation for the trilateral security partnership involving the U.S., which has contributed to ensuring peace in Northeast Asia and Korea's prosperity," his message read.

Although Lee acknowledged the countries' historical disputes and Japan's release of radioactive wastewater from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, he called for "meticulous and sophisticated diplomacy" to strengthen bilateral relations and pursue national interest at this "pivotal moment of geopolitical transformation."

Former Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong, who oversaw negotiations for the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) in 2006 under the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration, also told reporters in Washington on Thursday (local time) that Lee is committed to strengthening ties between Korea, the U.S. and Japan. Kim is now advising Lee on diplomatic and trade affairs.

After meeting with senior White House officials, Kim said, "I told the U.S. side that Lee will maintain the Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperative ties and will seek ways to strengthen them even more."

The DPK is reportedly even considering pushing ahead with a Korea-Japan FTA if Lee wins the election. The plan has already been discussed by the party's special foreign affairs advisory committee, launched in February to provide Lee with policy recommendations.

"How about we take the initiative and propose a Korea-Japan FTA?" said Cho Hyun, the committee's vice chairman and former permanent representative to the United Nations.

In 2006, the two countries halted FTA talks begun in 1998 under the liberal Kim Dae-jung government. A three-way Korea-China-Japan FTA, pursued in 2012 under the conservative Park Geun-hye administration, collapsed in 2019.

Then-Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung, now running for president, speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul to condemn Japan's release of radioactive wastewater into the ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in this August 2023 photo. Yonhap

Under the liberal Moon Jae-in government between 2017 and 2022, relations with Japan deteriorated after Tokyo restricted exports of key materials and equipment to Korea in 2019 in retaliation for a Supreme Court ruling ordering Japanese companies to compensate South Korean victims of wartime forced labor.

At the time, Lee — then Gyeonggi provincial governor — supported a boycott of Japanese products.

In response to the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration's efforts to improve ties with Tokyo, in 2023 Lee urged the government to reconsider military cooperation with the country and condemned Japan's release of radioactive wastewater.

However, during a series of interviews with Western media earlier this year, Lee said Japan's enhanced defense capabilities do not threaten Korea and claimed his party has pursued a "pragmatic" approach.