{"id":2200339,"date":"2023-03-07T19:32:09","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T10:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2200339"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:08:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:08:02","slug":"why-the-rok-japan-deal-on-forced-labor-will-be-hard-for-opponents-to-overturn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/03\/why-the-rok-japan-deal-on-forced-labor-will-be-hard-for-opponents-to-overturn\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the ROK-Japan deal on forced labor will be hard for opponents to overturn"},"content":{"rendered":"

After months of private negotiations, South Korea and Japan <\/span>agreed<\/span><\/a> to resolve the issue of compensation for victims of Japan\u2019s wartime forced labor programs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The agreement put to rest a diplomatic issue that generated severe animosity in bilateral relations for much of the past five years. But many are now concerned that this agreement might not last long and wind up making relations between the two neighbors even worse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Between 1939 to 1945, the Japanese government attempted to resolve wartime labor shortages by <\/span>forcing<\/span><\/a> around 700,000 to 800,000 Koreans to work for private Japanese companies, where many suffered injuries and deaths. Japan ruled Korea as part of its empire from 1910 to 1945.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Seoul and Japan normalized diplomatic relations in 1965, the <\/span>treaty<\/span><\/a> stated that problems concerning property, rights and interests of the two \u201cContracting Parties\u201d and their nationals (including juridical persons) were \u201csettled completely and finally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But the South Korean Supreme Court <\/span>ruled<\/span><\/a> in 2018 that the 1965 treaty should not impede individual victims\u2019 rights to seek redress. It ordered Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, one of the Japanese corporations that profited from forced labor, to compensate South Koreans forced to work in its factories during World War II.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Mitsubishi refused to comply with the court\u2019s orders, ROK courts <\/span>ordered<\/span><\/a> the seizure of the company\u2019s assets in 2021 and later ordered the <\/span>sale<\/span><\/a> of some of its assets to compensate the victims. As a result, diplomatic relations between the ROK and Japan deteriorated to their worst level in decades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Japan <\/span>removed<\/span><\/a> South Korea from its list of countries with minimum export controls and <\/span>restricted<\/span><\/a> access to materials vital for manufacturing semiconductors.<\/span><\/p>\n

A TENTATIVE SOLUTION<\/b><\/p>\n

After years of frosty relations, the ROK\u2019s solution is to <\/span>establish<\/span><\/a> a foundation \u2014 the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization \u2014 that will receive \u201cvoluntary\u201d monetary donations from South Korean companies, such as POSCO, that benefited from the 1965 treaty. The ministry will then use that money to compensate the workers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, Korean and Japanese businesses stated they would contribute to a <\/span>foundation<\/span><\/a> to support student exchanges between the two countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida <\/span>told<\/span><\/a> reporters in Tokyo that the Japanese government would stand by its previous apology to South Korea over past aggressions after Seoul finalized a solution to the wartime labor issue. \u201cWe have taken over the position articulated by the previous Cabinets on the view of history and will continue to do so,\u201d Kishida said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo are thawing and improving quickly. Seoul and Tokyo are working towards <\/span>lifting<\/span><\/a> the latter\u2019s export curbs that have been in place since 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another topic that Yoon administration officials have frequently brought up was the <\/span>normalization<\/span><\/a> of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) \u2014 a military information-sharing agreement. The two countries could utilize GSOMIA to share critical information about North Korea\u2019s missiles.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is an improved chance that Yoon will <\/span>visit<\/span><\/a> Japan later this month to meet with Kishida before he visits the U.S. <\/span>in the spring<\/span><\/a>. Japanese news media also <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> that Tokyo is considering inviting Yoon to the Group of Seven (G7) summit meeting in Hiroshima in May.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With these three consecutive meetings under his belt, Yoon will have the impetus to build a stronger U.S.-ROK-Japan partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

President Obama meets with President Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on March 25, 2014 | Image: Obama White House Archives via Flickr <\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

FRAGILE ACHIEVEMENTS<\/b><\/p>\n

The forced labor deal would not have been possible without significant concessions from the South Korean government. Many key figures in the Yoon administration were <\/span>less enthusiastic<\/span><\/a> about the deal while it was being worked out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, President Yoon ordered this issue to be solved urgently. As the Japanese government will not contribute to the foundation that South Korea has proposed \u2014 a <\/span>core demand<\/span><\/a> by victims \u2014 the buzzword among Yoon\u2019s critics about the deal is \u201c<\/span>total defeat<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yoon chose this path despite the criticism because of the intensifying rivalry between the U.S. and China. And South Korea is in the <\/span>middle of it<\/span><\/a>. It is why he <\/span>described<\/span><\/a> Japan as a partner in tackling security and economic challenges during an address to mark the 104th anniversary of the 1919 independence movement against Japanese colonial rule.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But South Korea and Japan have been here before. The two countries reached a <\/span>\u201cfinal and irreversible\u201d agreement<\/span><\/a> to resolve the comfort women issue in 2015. But that deal <\/span>unraveled<\/span><\/a> less than two years later when South Korea\u2019s then-conservative government <\/span>collapsed spectacularly<\/span><\/a> and was replaced by a progressive one.<\/span><\/p>\n

As South Korea\u2019s foreign policy tends to swing dramatically depending on which party is in power, it is not unreasonable for outsiders to view Yoon\u2019s efforts to improve relations with Japan with suspicion. However, there are reasons to believe that unlike the 2015 comfort women deal, this forced labor deal might have greater longevity.<\/span><\/p>\n

When President Park Geun-hye pursued the comfort women deal in 2015, she was already in the third year of her single five-year-term presidency. On the other hand, Yoon has managed to hammer out this deal a year into his term. Therefore, Yoon will have more time for the ROK to acclimate and accept this deal as the new status quo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further, as most of the surviving plaintiffs are over 90 years old, time is not on their side. Even if Yoon is replaced with a progressive president in 2027, there is a high probability that many of the aged plaintiffs might no longer be alive by that point. With many of the plaintiffs likely gone by that time, the deal\u2019s opponents will probably see their positions weakened.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another possible reason the deal will likely survive is that South Korea\u2019s progressives will probably be unable to overturn Yoon\u2019s deal as they did the comfort women deal in 2017.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Any attempt to overturn or renegotiate the 2023 deal will almost certainly lead to an irreparable loss of trust with Tokyo. It could also deliver a blow to Seoul\u2019s relations with Washington, which has <\/span>pushed<\/span><\/a> its two East Asian allies to improve ties to strengthen the trilateral partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n

The deterioration of South Korea\u2019s international environment might also play a role. As the rivalry between the U.S. and China intensifies, Seoul will find its foreign policy options more limited. As South Korea\u2019s economy and political values compel it to stand with the U.S. and Japan, scuttling the 2023 deal could undermine relations with its partners when these relations are increasingly essential for its national security.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, the deal might survive, but history shows this is far from certain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by John Lee<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Culture & Society<\/span><\/a>Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After months of private negotiations, South Korea and Japan agreed to resolve the issue of compensation for victims of Japan\u2019s wartime forced labor programs.\u00a0 The agreement put to rest a diplomatic issue that generated severe animosity in bilateral relations for much of the past five years. 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