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South Korean President Moon Jae-in

President Moon Jae-in said on Nov. 19 that South Korea and Japan could “become true friends who open up to each other” if both sides “firmly establish justice and principles by stepping into the other side’s shoes.”

The message was communicated in a written celebratory address for a Korea-Japan/Japan-Korea Cooperation Committee joint general meeting held that day at the President Hotel in Seoul’s Jung (Central) district.

“The era of colonization represents a painful time for South Korea and Japan alike, but that does not mean we can ignore the truth,” President Moon said.

“We must confront the truth, if only for the sake of sustainable and robust South Korea-Japan relations,” he continued.

The Korea-Japan/Japan-Korea Cooperation Committees are civilian organizations established by the two sides in 1969 to discuss cooperation in various areas, including politics, the economy, and culture.

In his message, President Moon stressed that a “new era is dawning for the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia,” adding that countries were “ending their old conflicts and writing a new history of peace and harmony.”

“In terms of South Korea-Japan relations as well, we are capable of transcending the bilateral level and make a leap toward a greater stage,” he said.

Coming at a time when South Korea and Japan remain on poor terms following a South Korean Supreme Court ruling late last month ordering compensation to victims of forced labor conscription during the Japanese occupation, Moon’s remarks were seen as stressing the need for Tokyo to confront and acknowledge historical facts.

While he held summits with the leaders of China and Russia at the ASEAN+3 summit in Singapore and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC) summit in Papua New Guinea, the South Korean President has not held a bilateral summit with Japan.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

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