Controversy stalks Yoon and Kishida despite efforts to avoid it at summit



Analysis Controversy stalks Yoon and Kishida despite efforts to avoid it at summit ROK and Japanese leaders made progress on expanding cooperation but face constituents still skeptical of rapprochement John LeeMay 8, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and their wives have dinner, May 7, 2023 \| Image: ROK Presidential Office In a highly choreographed two-day visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with President Yoon Suk-yeol, addressing symbolic and practical matters to mend the frayed ties between Seoul and Tokyo. But the leaders carefully sidestepped politically charged and sensitive topics, signaling that challenges still lie ahead. Kishida’s visit to Seoul took place a mere two months after Yoon’s tripto Tokyo, which followed Seoul’s decision to compensate Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor without the participation of Japanese firms. The swift timing of the visit surprised many observers, especially considering Japan’s preparations to host the upcoming © 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 01Trump’s Alaska LNG claim shows who really runs the US-South Korea alliance 02South Korea’s missile defense push raises new questions over wartime stocks 03South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems 04Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma 05Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 06Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 07North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 08South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus

Analysis

Controversy stalks Yoon and Kishida despite efforts to avoid it at summit

ROK and Japanese leaders made progress on expanding cooperation but face constituents still skeptical of rapprochement

John LeeMay 8, 2023

Controversy stalks Yoon and Kishida despite efforts to avoid it at summit

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and their wives have dinner, May 7, 2023 | Image: ROK Presidential Office

In a highly choreographed two-day visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with President Yoon Suk-yeol, addressing symbolic and practical matters to mend the frayed ties between Seoul and Tokyo. But the leaders carefully sidestepped politically charged and sensitive topics, signaling that challenges still lie ahead.

Kishida’s visit to Seoul took place a mere two months after Yoon’s tripto Tokyo, which followed Seoul’s decision to compensate Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor without the participation of Japanese firms. The swift timing of the visit surprised many observers, especially considering Japan’s preparations to host the upcoming

Controversy stalks Yoon and Kishida despite efforts to avoid it at summit

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John Lee