ED Abe in PyeongChang

Japanese leader’s visit should be occasion for closer ties

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Korea for the Feb. 9 opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday that the Japanese Embassy in Seoul made an official request to discuss Abe’s attendance at the ceremony. This will be the first visit to Korea in more than two years by the Japanese prime minister since the 2015 meeting of the leaders of Korea, Japan and China in Seoul during the previous Park Geun-hye administration.

In July 2017, Moon and Abe held a summit on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany, and agreed to improve ties. However, bilateral relations have remained tense due to the two countries’ differences over the 2015 agreement on Korean victims of wartime sexual slavery. Japan has been displeased with the way the Moon administration has seemingly undermined the deal reached between the ousted former President Park and Abe.

The decision to visit Korea is a positive sign for better bilateral relations. The Japanese leader is right to take part in the opening ceremony since Japan is a close neighbor and the country will host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Abe reportedly said that he hoped to meet President Moon and firmly deliver his position on the bilateral agreement. Many Koreans and victims have been strongly opposed to the deal, under which Tokyo provided 1 billion yen ($8.7 million) for a foundation to help the victims. After Moon took office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs set up a taskforce to review the agreement and concluded that there were procedural problems. On the other hand, Japan has been adamant that the agreement was “final and irreversible,” and has called on Korea to deliver on its side of the deal.

Abe should refrain from bringing up the controversial deal during his visit here. He said that he wished to encourage Japanese athletes by visiting PyeongChang. It is untimely to bring up the issue since the primary purpose of the visit is the Olympics. During a summit with Moon, Abe should focus on Olympic cooperation between the two countries and discuss ways to further cultural and sports exchanges on the rare occasion of being back-to-back Olympic hosts. The two countries should also engage in meaningful discussions on the North Korea issue.

Abe’s visit should serve as an impetus for developing future-oriented relations between the two countries.