By Yi Whan-woo
The United States backs Japan's two landmark apologies on its wartime atrocities and aggression amid Tokyo's move to change wordings of the 1995 Murayama Statement, according to Washington's top envoy to Seoul, Tuesday.
"We in the U.S. continue to have expressed support for the Kono and Murayama statements and continue to believe that those are important statements that undergird this issue," U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert said in an interview with reporters at his residence in Seoul.
Lippert's remark came after Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe hinted Japan would modify the wordings of the Murayama Statement.
Named after former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, it offered an apology for the colonial occupation. It has been a key element in relations between Seoul and Tokyo, together with the Kono Statement.
In a TV interview, Sunday, Abe said he may not use the wording that his predecessors repeatedly used in his statement to be released on Aug. 15 on the 70th anniversary of the end of the WWII.
His approach triggered criticism from many opposition leaders amid speculation that it would deepen disputes with East Asian countries, including South Korea and China over historical issues.
Lippert said he recognizes the need to improve frayed Seoul-Tokyo ties and enhance trilateral cooperation with the two countries and Washington.
"They're two very important countries, and the relationship is important. We in the U.S. recognize that this is a very difficult, very tough issue.
"Our role is not to mediate, to play a formal mediation role, but to encourage two great nations with two democratically elected leaders to come to a resolution on this," he said.
Lippert, who has close ties to U.S. President Barack Obama, turned down speculation that Seoul and Washington may be at odds over their policy toward North Korea.
President Park Geun-hye has been calling for inter-Korean dialogue, including a summit, while Obama has been geared toward imposing additional economic sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime.
"We do not have concerns with the speed or scope of the inter-Korean dialogue as proposed by President Park," Lippert said. "We're quite comfortable there is no daylight between us, and we have a lot of confidence in the government of the Republic of Korea on this issue."
The U.S. envoy, however, pointed out that the dictatorial regime instead has been "putting caveats and conditions on the dialogue."
In relation to possible deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system, he said it is "not a zero-sum game" between the United States and China here in Korea.
"We very much want and support a good relationship between Beijing and Seoul. It's in everybody's interest that there are good relationships between Seoul and Beijing, Beijing and Washington and Washington and Seoul."
China has asked South Korea to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which Beijing is pushing to establish this year.
If set up, the new multilateral bank will rival established institutions, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, which are under the sway of the U.S. and Japan.
It would be up to Seoul to decide whether to join the AIIB, according to Lippert. He said the bank, however, will need to have certain level of standards to compete on the international stage.
"This is a decision that is to be made by the ROK," he said.
"The U.S. stance on the bank is that the important thing here is to maintain the high standards with other multilateral banks, on the environment, on transparency, on some of these core principles that other multilateral development banks have so that investments are responsible, sustainable and appropriate going forward."
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| U.S. Amb. Mark Lippert |
"We in the U.S. continue to have expressed support for the Kono and Murayama statements and continue to believe that those are important statements that undergird this issue," U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert said in an interview with reporters at his residence in Seoul.
Lippert's remark came after Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe hinted Japan would modify the wordings of the Murayama Statement.
Named after former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, it offered an apology for the colonial occupation. It has been a key element in relations between Seoul and Tokyo, together with the Kono Statement.
In a TV interview, Sunday, Abe said he may not use the wording that his predecessors repeatedly used in his statement to be released on Aug. 15 on the 70th anniversary of the end of the WWII.
His approach triggered criticism from many opposition leaders amid speculation that it would deepen disputes with East Asian countries, including South Korea and China over historical issues.
Lippert said he recognizes the need to improve frayed Seoul-Tokyo ties and enhance trilateral cooperation with the two countries and Washington.
"They're two very important countries, and the relationship is important. We in the U.S. recognize that this is a very difficult, very tough issue.
"Our role is not to mediate, to play a formal mediation role, but to encourage two great nations with two democratically elected leaders to come to a resolution on this," he said.
Lippert, who has close ties to U.S. President Barack Obama, turned down speculation that Seoul and Washington may be at odds over their policy toward North Korea.
President Park Geun-hye has been calling for inter-Korean dialogue, including a summit, while Obama has been geared toward imposing additional economic sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime.
"We do not have concerns with the speed or scope of the inter-Korean dialogue as proposed by President Park," Lippert said. "We're quite comfortable there is no daylight between us, and we have a lot of confidence in the government of the Republic of Korea on this issue."
The U.S. envoy, however, pointed out that the dictatorial regime instead has been "putting caveats and conditions on the dialogue."
In relation to possible deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system, he said it is "not a zero-sum game" between the United States and China here in Korea.
"We very much want and support a good relationship between Beijing and Seoul. It's in everybody's interest that there are good relationships between Seoul and Beijing, Beijing and Washington and Washington and Seoul."
China has asked South Korea to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which Beijing is pushing to establish this year.
If set up, the new multilateral bank will rival established institutions, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, which are under the sway of the U.S. and Japan.
It would be up to Seoul to decide whether to join the AIIB, according to Lippert. He said the bank, however, will need to have certain level of standards to compete on the international stage.
"This is a decision that is to be made by the ROK," he said.
"The U.S. stance on the bank is that the important thing here is to maintain the high standards with other multilateral banks, on the environment, on transparency, on some of these core principles that other multilateral development banks have so that investments are responsible, sustainable and appropriate going forward."
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