In the midst of raining today (1st), a ceremony to celebrate the March 1st was held at Tapgol Park in Jongno, Seoul. President Moon Jae-in said he couldn’t be held back in the past and said he was always ready to talk to Japan. In particular, in the March 1 commemoration address, for the first time, the cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan was mentioned.
This is Park Won-kyung.
<기자>
President Moon Jae-in’s 3/1 message to Japan is that he will seek a solution from a victim-centered position in the past, but will not stop making efforts for the future of both countries.
[문재인 대통령 : 과거에 발목 잡혀 있을 수는 없습니다. 과거의 문제는 과거의 문제대로 해결해 나가면서 미래지향적인 발전에 더욱 힘을 쏟아야 합니다.]
In the first 3/1 message in 2018, the Japanese government asked for reflection, saying, “You should not say that the perpetrator is over.” This year, the weight of the future and cooperation has increased noticeably.
In particular, regarding the willingness to talk, he emphasized that he is ready to talk at any time beyond the message of Liberation Day last year, which said that he was ready to sit face to face with the Japanese government.
The term’trilateral cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan’ also first appeared in the March 1st commemoration address.
[문재인 대통령 : (한일) 양국 협력은 한미일 3국 협력에도 도움이 될 것입니다.]
An official at the Blue House explained that “the US and even inter-Korean relations were considered.”
As the US Biden administration expects the cooperation of allies and cooperation between Korea and Japan in order to check China, it seems that the judgment that the’trilateral cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan’ can be a lever for solving the Korean Peninsula problem.
President Moon’s comment that “the coming July Tokyo Olympics could be an opportunity for dialogue between Korea-Japan, North Korea, and North America” can be interpreted in the same vein.
Japan’s Secretary of State Kato reiterated the existing position that Korea-Japan-Korea-US-Japan linkage is essential in responding to North Korea, without giving an evaluation of the commemorative history.
(Video coverage: Cho Jung-young, Jeil, Video editing: Choi Jin-hwa)