{"id":2197484,"date":"2022-07-14T20:23:32","date_gmt":"2022-07-14T11:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2197484"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:09","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:09","slug":"yoons-rapprochement-with-japan-could-soon-be-over-before-it-even-started","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/07\/yoons-rapprochement-with-japan-could-soon-be-over-before-it-even-started\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon’s rapprochement with Japan could soon be over before it even started"},"content":{"rendered":"
Yoon Suk-yeol <\/span>wants to improve<\/span><\/a> relations between South Korea and Japan after they collapsed under the previous administration, but an upcoming court ruling threatens to derail his initiatives before they even get started.<\/span><\/p>\n The case dates back to Japan\u2019s colonial rule of the peninsula from 1910 to 1945, which has poisoned relations with South Korea ever since. During World War II, Japanese companies forced Koreans to work in their factories, and now these former exploited laborers and their descendents are demanding compensation.<\/span><\/p>\n From Tokyo\u2019s point of view, it settled all issues concerning allegations of forced labor when it established diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1965 in the <\/span>\u201cTreaty on Basic Relations,\u201d<\/span><\/a> while also signing the <\/span>\u201cAgreement on the settlement of problems concerning property and claims and on economic cooperation.\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n However, in 2018, South Korea\u2019s Supreme Court <\/span>ruled<\/span><\/a> that the agreement does not prevent individuals from seeking compensation. This means the Japanese companies\u2019 refusal to compensate the victims puts their assets in South Korea at risk of being liquidated.<\/span><\/p>\n Fast forward to today, and the Supreme Court is expected to make its final decision in <\/span>August or September<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The stakes are high. Japan regards this case as a test of whether South Korea can abide by previous agreements, or whether it\u2019s pointless dealing with Seoul because it thinks it will inevitably break its promises.<\/span><\/p>\n As a Japanese foreign ministry official <\/span>recently put it<\/span><\/a>: \u201cOnce the assets are liquidated, there\u2019s no going back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n