US pivot to Asia corners Korea

By Chung Min-uck

Washington’s apparently closer security ties with Japan, in its effort to check China as part of its so-called “pivot” to Asia, are pushing Seoul into a deeper dilemma.

U.S. President Barack Obama supported Japan’s move toward lifting its self-imposed ban on exercising the right to collective self-defense following a summit Thursday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The right, when put into action, will allow Japan to send troops abroad to support its allies when they are under attack.

Washington’s approval is considered as a step forward for Japan in reviving its military might, which is unwelcome for most Koreans who share painful memories of Tokyo’s wartime atrocities during colonial rule (1910-45).

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo currently remain at a low ebb because of Japan’s attempts to whitewash its wartime wrongdoings and challenges to Korean sovereignty of its easternmost islets of Dokdo.

“The U.S., due to budget constraints, is undertaking a strategy of sharing its role in the Northeast Asian region with allies such as Korea and Japan to contain the rise of China,” said Paik Hak-soon, a senior researcher at the Seoul-based Sejong Institute, Friday.

That is the main idea behind the U.S. pivot to Asia, and Japan’s collective self-defense is part of the move, Paik said.

“Faced with the implementation of the U.S.-led anti-China defense system, Korea has less choice but to follow suit. The best Seoul can do is to hold talks with Japan and assure that Tokyo’s rearmament will not be a threat to South Korea’s security,” the researcher added.

Meanwhile, Seoul and Washington, in a joint fact sheet released following a summit, Friday, have “recognized the importance of trilateral information sharing” which includes Japan.

Seoul, in 2012, held off signing a military-related information sharing pact with its former colonial ruler, following a strong backlash from civic groups and political parties here.

Washington has the agreements already signed with its East Asian allies, and considers the Seoul-Tokyo pact a missing link in advancing trilateral cooperation.

Korea has yet to sign a military agreement with Japan because of Koreans’ resentment associated with the former colonial ruler.

Regional rivalry gains steam

Obama openly said Thursday that the U.S. would defend Japan against Beijing over the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, indicating intensified regional rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

Following the summit with Abe, Obama said that the Senkaku islands, which Japan and China both lay claim to, were included in the U.S.-Japan security treaty and so the U.S. was obliged to defend them.

China responded by saying U.S.-Japan military ties should not target China.

“Conflict between Washington and Beijing is bad for Seoul which needs to cooperate with both countries, especially when resolving North Korea’s nuclear provocations,” said an analyst asking not to be named.

Moreover, he said the U.S. could push for Seoul to join its missile defense system, which on the surface is to deter North Korean provocations, but apparently is also targeting China, he said.

However, Korea can ill-afford souring ties with China, its largest trading partner that also has the strongest political leverage in dealing with the unpredictable Kim Jong-un regime.

“If South Korea decides to join, its ties with China will suffer serious damage. Seoul is in a very delicate, tricky situation,” the analyst said.