South Korea-Japan ties will improve under Yoon, but not as much as US wants



Analysis South Korea-Japan ties will improve under Yoon, but not as much as US wants While the president-elect can heal some of the damage of the Moon years, colonial-era animosities still poison relations James FretwellMay 5, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON The U.S., Japanese and South Korean flags \| Image: U.S. Department of State (July 27, 2018) South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to resuscitate relations with Japan, but colonial-era animosity threatens to continue to fundamentally undermine U.S. efforts to get its Asian allies on the same page. According to his foreign policy platform, Yoon will not only rebuild ties with Tokyo but will do so with “sweeping solutions to all pending problems” based on a “correct understanding of history” and Korean sovereignty. However, this is akin to Yoon having his cake and eating it too: History and sovereignty are precisely what poisoned relations over the last five years under Moon Jae-in’s Democratic government. Yoon © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system 02South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience 03Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma 04Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs 05South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower 06Hanwha’s Austal bid shows where South Korea’s MASGA plan may be heading 07China’s Taiwan pressure may reveal more disciplined strategy toward South Korea 08South Korea tests its Hormuz limits as Trump pressure builds across alliance

Analysis

South Korea-Japan ties will improve under Yoon, but not as much as US wants

While the president-elect can heal some of the damage of the Moon years, colonial-era animosities still poison relations

James FretwellMay 5, 2022

South Korea-Japan ties will improve under Yoon, but not as much as US wants

The U.S., Japanese and South Korean flags | Image: U.S. Department of State (July 27, 2018)

South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to resuscitate relations with Japan, but colonial-era animosity threatens to continue to fundamentally undermine U.S. efforts to get its Asian allies on the same page.

According to his foreign policy platform, Yoon will not only rebuild ties with Tokyo but will do so with “sweeping solutions to all pending problems” based on a “correct understanding of history” and Korean sovereignty. However, this is akin to Yoon having his cake and eating it too: History and sovereignty are precisely what poisoned relations over the last five years under Moon Jae-in’s Democratic government.

Yoon

LATEST ANALYSIS

01Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system
02South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience
03Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma
04Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs
05South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower
06Hanwha’s Austal bid shows where South Korea’s MASGA plan may be heading
07China’s Taiwan pressure may reveal more disciplined strategy toward South Korea
08South Korea tests its Hormuz limits as Trump pressure builds across alliance

South Korea-Japan ties will improve under Yoon, but not as much as US wants

LATEST ANALYSIS

Similar Articles

About the Author

James Fretwell