hankyoreh

Tokyo is up in arms over President Lee Myung-bak’s surprise August 10 visit to Dokdo. Japanese foreign minister Koichiro Gemba formally stated that the country is considering taking the matter of the islets’ ownership before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Meanwhile, the Japanese press is reporting on a number of aggressive measures that Tokyo may be considering, including setting up an organization exclusively to handle the Dokdo issue and holding off on any further summit meetings with Seoul.
It is very troubling to see what appears to be an attempt to legitimize past imperialist incursions and ignite an international dispute over South Korean territory. It is inconsistent of Japan to defer to the ICJ’s authority on the Dokdo issue while defying it when it comes to the Senkaku Islands, where Japan itself is doing the occupying. There is no reason whatsoever for us to agree to an international hearing over Dokdo when it is clearly South Korean territory by every historical and practical standard.
These aggressive actions from Tokyo could have easily been predicted. In some sense, Lee’s Dokdo fly-by may have given it just the excuse it wanted. Indeed, we may well ask if there was a carefully planned strategy in Seoul that took this anticipated response into account.
Truth be told, “quiet diplomacy” isn’t the only option to resolving the Dokdo issue. There’s no reason we shouldn’t adopt a higher-order approach that takes some political chances. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find any indications of deeply thought-out strategy from Seoul.
Take the issue of Japan’s ICJ proposal. Unlike domestic trials, such a hearing would not be legally enforceable, so we can simply say no. But the very debate benefits South Korea in no way. Indeed, this is Japan’s aim. There’s no strategy in saying “the best response is no response,” or “just ignore what’s coming out of Tokyo.” If that’s all Seoul had prepared, then Lee’s Dokdo visit really did nothing but rouse some sleeping dogs.
The same can be said for the rapid chill that descended on relations with Tokyo. Given the conduct of the Lee administration so far, any normalization before the end of its term is very unlikely. The two countries have a lot of thorny issues between them, including longstanding historical grievances, and it’s looking very much like the president is just going to leave all this baggage for the next administration to handle.
It’s time now for both Tokyo and Seoul to calm down and look at the situation as it stands. There are no winners to be named, no solutions to be gleaned from egging each other on. Both sides need to keep in mind that they have much more to lose than win from this bad situation dragging out.
　
Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]