{"id":2205504,"date":"2024-06-19T13:10:06","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T04:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2205504"},"modified":"2024-06-20T18:04:59","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T09:04:59","slug":"former-presidents-memoir-reveals-risks-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/06\/former-presidents-memoir-reveals-risks-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Former president\u2019s memoir reveals risks for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
The release of former South Korean President Moon Jae-in\u2019s <\/span>memoir<\/span><\/a> sheds light on the foreign policy views held by the country\u2019s progressive leaders, raising concerns about potential risks and challenges for South Korea\u2019s diplomatic relations with key partners and neighbors.<\/span><\/p>\n President Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative, has pursued <\/span>closer ties<\/span><\/a> with the U.S. and Japan, seeking to strengthen security cooperation and address historical disputes. However, his <\/span>low approval ratings<\/span><\/a> have led to speculation that a progressive candidate may succeed him after his term ends in 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n The views expressed in Moon\u2019s memoir, along with those of main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk, reveal potential risks and challenges for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy, particularly in relation to Japan, China and the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n As the country faces a leadership change in 2027, following the end of Yoon\u2019s single five-year term, the perspectives expressed in Moon\u2019s memoir and the stances of prominent progressive figures could have significant implications for South Korea\u2019s future foreign policy direction.<\/span><\/p>\n MOON\u2019S FOREIGN POLICY LEGACY<\/b><\/p>\n As revealed in his memoir, Moon\u2019s foreign policy legacy provides insight into the challenges South Korea faces in navigating its relationships with Japan, China and the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n His approach to Japan was shaped by the historical context and deep-rooted anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea stemming from Japan\u2019s colonial occupation and wartime atrocities. During his tenure, Moon grappled with two major issues that strained ROK-Japan relations: the <\/span>Comfort Women Agreement<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>forced labor dispute<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The Moon administration decided to <\/span>renegotiate<\/span><\/a> the 2015 Comfort Women Agreement, which aimed to resolve the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery during World War II, arguing the agreement that then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made with Moon\u2019s predecessor, former President Park Geun-hye, could not be considered a definitive solution.<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, in 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court <\/span>ordered<\/span><\/a> Japanese companies that benefited from wartime forced labor to compensate South Korean citizens who were subjected to forced labor during the colonial period \u2014 a move that Japan saw as a violation of the 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic relations between the two countries.<\/span><\/p>\n