hankyoreh

President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers an address on the 104th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement on March 1 at Yu Gwan-sun Memorial Hall in downtown Seoul. (Yonhap)

“A century after the March First Independence Movement, Japan has transformed from a militaristic aggressor of the past into a partner that shares the same universal values with us,” said South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during his commemorative address on the 104th anniversary of the independence movement. “Today Korea and Japan cooperate on issues of security and economy. We also work together to cope with global challenges.”

Yoon neither made any proposals about Korea’s longstanding historical disputes with Japan nor mentioned pending issues, including compensation for victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period, in an abnormally short message, which was over in 5 minutes and 25 seconds.

Yoon delivered the message at a ceremony honoring the March 1 Independence Movement at Yu Gwan-sun Memorial Hall in downtown Seoul on Wednesday.

“Today, 104 years later, we must look back to that time when we lost our national sovereignty; the time when our people suffered because we failed to properly prepare for a changing world,” the president said. “If we fail to read the changing trends of world history and do not properly prepare for the future, it is evident that the misfortunes of the past will be repeated.”

After characterizing Japan as a cooperative partner, Yoon said, “In particular, trilateral cooperation among the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan has become more important than ever to overcome the security crises including North Korea’s growing nuclear threats and the global polycrisis.”

Yoon emphasized strengthening a future-oriented relationship with Japan and trilateral cooperation with Japan and the US, as he has often done since his inauguration in May 2022.

The South Korean president went on to draw a line between the spirit of the independence movement and international solidarity and cooperation based on liberal democracy.

“We must stand in solidarity with countries that share universal values in order to contribute to promoting the freedom of global citizens and the common prosperity of all humankind. This spirit of solidarity and cooperation is the same spirit that called for our nation’s freedom and independence 104 years ago,” he said.

Yoon made no mention of prickly issues the two countries have yet to resolve, including their ongoing deliberations about compensating victims of forced labor by Japan.

The Korean government is pursuing a “third party repayment” plan under which the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan will raise funds to pay the judgment that a Korean court ordered Japanese companies to pay the victims. For their part, the victims want the Japanese companies to offer an apology and directly participate in the compensation.

“Let us remember the patriotic heroes who devoted themselves to our homeland; and let us reflect on the unfortunate times of our history and contemplate what must be done for our future prosperity,” Yoon said, calling on Koreans to “inherit the spirit of the Proclamation of Korean Independence and build a free, peaceful and prospering future.”

Whereas previous presidents have taken the address as an occasion to call upon the Japanese government to adopt a forward-looking attitude toward historical disputes, Yoon placed the focus on the future in his brief address, which was fewer than 600 words long in its English translation.

Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party, remarked that Japan “cannot become a cooperative partner [sharing] universal [values] until it adopts a responsible stance and offers a genuine apology.”

Kim Hui-seo, the senior spokesperson for the Justice Party, responded to Yoon’s remark about Korea losing its sovereignty “because we failed to properly prepare for a changing world” by saying that Yoon has “insulted the Korean people” with “the worst commemorative address on record.”

By Bae Ji-hyun, staff reporter

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