hankyoreh

By Ahn Chang-hyun, Kim Bo-hyeop and Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporters

The delay of the signing of an intelligence protection treaty with Japan on June 29 has left the Blue House a loser on all fronts. Not only is it now more likely that the treaty will come to nothing, President Lee Myung-bak and all the figures involved have taken a heavy blow.

As late as Friday morning, the prevalent view was that the signing was sure to go ahead despite resistance from the opposition. From the previous day, the Blue House had been responding to repeated media requests to confirm whether the president would officially approve the treaty by saying, “Authorization will be provided electronically and it seems the president will do this shortly.”

On Friday afternoon, as soon as word spread of moves to delay the signing of the treaty, figures within the Blue House began describing the situation as “absurd.” Nobody could have predicted the indefinite delay of the treaty’s signing just a few hours before it was due to take place. Even Blue House officials wondered out loud whether it could really happen.

At a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the second Yeonpyeong sea battle, President Lee said, “As supreme commander of the armed forces, I will defend the Republic of Korea to the point of impenetrability.” In participating in this ceremony for the first time during his time as president, Lee was apparently attempting to appear as a strong leader but was not convincing.

The Blue House and the government appear to have bitten off more than they can chew. They will face ongoing criticism for attempting to sign an alleged reincarnation of the 1905 treaty that made Korea a protectorate of Japan, opening the road to full colonization, while they also stand to be called to account for the diplomatic catastrophe of delaying the signing of a bilateral treaty on extremely short notice.

The opposition has wasted no time in blaming the government for the current situation. In comments on Friday, Democratic United Party spokesperson Kim Hyeon urged the president to apologize and called upon Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik to resign as an act of contrition for arranging the pact’s covert passage.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson Cho Byeong-je’s comment that, “We have various thoughts about the way the matter was not handled smoothly” has been interpreted by some observers as a hint that foreign minister Kim Sung-hwan may resign.

The revelation that diplomatic officials at the Blue House effectively played the leading role in the push to conclude the treaty means that the fallout may extend to some of its diplomacy and national security advisers, including Kim Tae-hyo, senior secretary for national security. The Blue House reportedly worked hard to get the treaty signed, removing the word “military” from the agreement’s original wording.

On top of the criticism the MB government is currently facing for corruption, with President Lee’s older brother Lee Sang-deuk being summoned by prosecutors, it is now being labeled a “government of amateurs with no diplomatic skills.” “Some have said [the handling of the matter] was worse than an elementary school class meeting, but we did also prevent a bigger backlash that would have occurred after the treaty was signed,” said one Blue House official.

The Japanese government, meanwhile, officially expressed regret at the delaying of the treaty’s signing. At a briefing, Japanese foreign ministry spokesperson Yutaka Yokoi stated, “The Asia bureau director-general [who was informed by the Korean government of the delay] has conveyed his position to the Korean government, saying, ‘[The treaty] should have been signed today and I really regret that it has been delayed’.” Given that the term “regret” is used said to be used in diplomatic circles as an expression of strong protest, it is not hard to guess the atmosphere in Japan. Yokoi left the door open, however, saying, “We want to continue discussions with Korea to sign the treaty as soon as possible, since we regard the signing of the treaty as very important.”

Internally, the Japanese government is said to be more than a little taken aback by the Korean government’s unexpected behavior and breach of diplomatic practice. It had been preparing for the signing of the treaty on Friday morning, officially approving it at a cabinet meeting. At a press conference on the same morning, foreign minister Koichiro Gemba revealed his sense of expectation regarding the signing, describing it as a “historic event that will contribute greatly to the guaranteeing of Japan’s national security.”

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]