{"id":2200935,"date":"2023-05-05T17:20:50","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T08:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2200935"},"modified":"2023-05-08T20:03:56","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T11:03:56","slug":"springtime-for-south-korea-japan-blossoming-relations-uncertain-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/springtime-for-south-korea-japan-blossoming-relations-uncertain-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Springtime for South Korea-Japan: blossoming relations, uncertain future"},"content":{"rendered":"
As the wisteria blossoms in late spring, the temperature is also warming with regard to ROK-Japan ties.\u00a0This weekend\u2019s <\/span>visit<\/span><\/a> of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to South Korea, the first by a Japanese prime minister in over five years, marks a significant step in this warming.\u00a0But it remains uncertain whether this progress will extend into a golden summer or if old disputes will dampen the enthusiasm on both sides, leading to a tense atmosphere once more.<\/span><\/p>\n On the surface, the signs are good.\u00a0In early March, President Yoon Suk-yeol <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> a breakthrough plan to compensate Korean victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period. Kishida expressed support for the initiative, and the U.S. described it as \u201chistoric.\u201d Subsequently, Yoon made a carefully choreographed <\/span>visit<\/span><\/a> to Tokyo \u2014 the first visit by a South Korean president to Japan in around a decade for a bilateral summit \u2014 which Kishida is about to reciprocate.<\/span><\/p>\n \u200b\u200bThough not explicitly stated, both parties acknowledge that the forced labor issue is linked to wider issues, such as trade, security and economic matters. In late April, <\/span>both<\/span><\/a> sides<\/span><\/a> agreed to reinstate the other in their respective \u201cwhite lists\u201d \u2014 a list of trusted trading partners \u2014 three years after the Moon administration removed Japan from the list in retaliation against Japan\u2019s earlier move to <\/span>remove<\/span><\/a> the ROK from its own list.<\/span><\/p>\n Following negotiations between the trade ministries of both countries, Korea agreed to suspend a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint against Japan. Further, Yoon decided to normalize the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), an intelligence-sharing pact between the two nations. Continuing this positive momentum, the finance ministers from both countries held their <\/span>first bilateral meeting<\/span><\/a> in seven years earlier this week.<\/span><\/p>\n IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO<\/b><\/p>\n Yoon has undoubtedly worked hard to achieve this outcome. Since assuming office just a year ago, he has committed his government to improve relations with Japan, persistently offering a series of olive branches and instructing officials to engage with their Japanese counterparts. In Sept. 2022, Seoul confidentially proposed a comprehensive deal on the forced labor issue, ultimately leading to the announcement in March.<\/span><\/p>\n Japan has been much slower to respond. Tokyo remains skeptical due to the previous Moon Jae-in administration\u2019s <\/span>withdrawal<\/span><\/a> from a 2015 agreement on the crucial comfort women issue.<\/span><\/p>\n Tokyo took its time to evaluate Seoul\u2019s approach, seeking to assess Yoon\u2019s commitment and domestic support, considering the fallout from the 2015 deal, and being mindful of maintaining cohesion among the factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) following the <\/span>death<\/span><\/a> of former prime minister Shinzo Abe last year.<\/span><\/p>\n Strikingly, the March deal was announced solely by Yoon, with Kishida issuing a statement in response. Further, Tokyo has <\/span>declined<\/span><\/a> to offer any additional apologies for historical issues, saying only that Japan stands by past official statements of remorse over its wartime aggression in Asia. South Korea\u2019s opposition parties and civil societies were quick to complain about Japan\u2019s alleged lack of reciprocity.<\/span><\/p>\n Under a less committed president, Seoul might have balked from further pursuing detente with Tokyo, as civil society \u2014 particularly those who represent former victims of Japanese imperialism \u2014 wields <\/span>significant political influence<\/span><\/a> and can serve as a major constraint on the South Korean government\u2019s room to maneuver with Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n