Yoon brushes aside Korea’s past with Japan, asks to move forward in Liberation Day speech

Posted on : 2022-08-16 17:24 KST Modified on : 2022-08-16 17:24 KST
In a speech commemorating Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule, the president prioritized a “future-oriented” mindset to ties with Japan
President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers his National Liberation Day address on the lawn of the presidential office in Seoul on Aug. 15. (Yonhap News)
President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers his National Liberation Day address on the lawn of the presidential office in Seoul on Aug. 15. (Yonhap News)

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made unprecedented remarks regarding South Korea-Japan relations during his speech Monday commemorating the 77th anniversary of Korea’s independence, emphasizing justifications for improving ties between South Korea and Japan to the South Korean public instead of offering new suggestions or making requests to Japan related to pending issues between the two countries.

In his speech, Yoon called Japan Korea’s “partner” as the two face “common threats that challenge the freedom of global citizens.” He also said that “when Korea-Japan relations move towards a common future and when the mission of our times align, based on our shared universal values, it will also help us solve the historical problems that exist between our two countries,” hinting that “a common future” and “the mission of our times” will be prioritized over solutions to “historical problems.”

The problem is the reality of South Korea-Japan relations. Due to the Supreme Court of Korea’s 2018 ruling ordering compensation for victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period, in addition to the failed “comfort women” agreement between South Korea and Japan signed in 2015, relations between the two countries have hit an all-time low.

Especially of note, Japan has retaliated by calling the Supreme Court of Korea’s verdict a “violation of international law” and implementing restrictions on exports to South Korea, reiterating time and again the argument that the onus was on South Korea to come up with a solution.

In the meantime, the administration has been parroting Japan’s argument that the liquidation of assets held in South Korea by Japanese companies subject to the Supreme Court of Korea’s ruling will spell the “breakdown of South Korea-Japan relations.” It even went so far as to submit a written opinion to the justices at the Supreme Court handling the case late last month so as to prevent liquidation procedures from taking place.

Furthermore, the forced sales of assets held in South Korea by offending Japanese companies for the purpose of fulfilling the Supreme Court of Korea’s ruling on forced labor are impending. Despite this, Yoon did not mention anything about the imminent liquidation procedures during his speech.

Unlike Yoon, following the Supreme Court of Korea’s ruling and Japan’s implementation of one-sided export restrictions against South Korea, former President Moon Jae-in addressed Japan in his Liberation Day speech for three consecutive years, stressing the importance of reflection on the past (2019), of respecting the human rights of victims of forced labor (2020), and of taking action according to universal values (2021).

Meanwhile, Yoon pinpointed “upholding the spirit of Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration,” which he said “proposed a blueprint of a comprehensive future for Korea-Japan relations,” as a way to “swiftly and properly” improve relations between the two neighbors.

Ever since his days as a presidential candidate, Yoon has criticized the Moon administration’s Japan policy as a failure, stressing that the Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration should be upheld. This was in order to make the argument that the Moon administration’s “two-track” approach to its Japan policy, which separated historical issues from security and economic concerns, hindered the Moon administration from moving forward in a future-oriented manner, preoccupied with the historical issues of the past.

There are two key takeaways from the 1998 joint declaration between Korea and Japan. First, former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi acknowledged that Japan had caused incredible pain to Korean citizens through its colonial rule, offering a “heartfelt apology” based on “deep remorse” for the first time since the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan. Second, based on Obuchi’s apology, former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung responded that South Korea and Japan should “build a future-oriented relationship.”

However, the rightward shift of Japanese political circles embodied by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has meant that Japan has moved away from Obuchi’s “heartfelt apology” based on “deep remorse.” Japan’s response to the Supreme Court of Korea’s ruling on forced labor makes this crystal clear.

In Japan on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine, where Class A war criminals are enshrined, in the name of the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Current government officials such as Sanae Takaichi, the Japanese minister of state for economic security, visited the shrine in person.

In other words, the current situation does not call for the prioritization of a “future-oriented mindset.”

By Jung In-hwan, staff reporter

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

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