Asan Institute chair calls for closer Korea-Japan ties

Chung Mong-joon, founder and honorary chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, delivers a welcoming speech at the Korea-Japan Policy Dialogue in Tokyo, Wednesday. Courtesy of Asan Institute for Policy Studies

Cooperation between Korea and Japan is no longer a matter of choice but a necessity amid the swiftly shifting geopolitical landscape, Chung Mong-joon, founder and honorary chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said Wednesday.

Speaking at the Korea-Japan Policy Dialogue in Tokyo, Chung emphasized that both nations should take a leading role in building a collective security partnership in the Indo-Pacific region to address growing security challenges.

"Sixty years ago, intense protests erupted in Korea opposing the establishment of diplomatic relations with Japan. Yet, political leaders made a difficult decision to normalize ties, opening a new chapter in the history between our two countries," Chung said during his welcoming remarks.

“Today, Korea and Japan have become inseparable neighbors in areas such as the economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges. In recent years, mutual favorability and closeness have steadily increased."

Stressing the need to increase collaboration on the security front, he suggested joint efforts by Seoul and Tokyo to strengthen their nuclear potential, highlighting growing public sentiment in Korea on obtaining its own nuclear weapons.

The Korea-Japan Policy Dialogue is an annual platform jointly hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies and Japan’s Asia Pacific Initiative, aimed at fostering discussion on bilateral relations.

This year's event was held under the theme "60 Years of Korea-Japan relations: Retrospect and Prospect," commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalization between the two countries. Among the attendees were former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Hyuk and former Deputy Foreign Minister Shin Kak-soo.