[사설] Meet the leaders of Korea and Japan as soon as possible to find a breakthrough to restore relations

President Moon Jae-in said in a commemorative address on March 1 of the 102nd anniversary on the 1st, “I am always ready to sit face to face with the Japanese government and have a conversation.” President Moon emphasized, “We cannot be held back by the past,” and emphasized, “We need to put more energy into future-oriented development while solving the past problems according to the past problems.” He also praised Japan by mentioning the active exchanges and division of labor between Korea and Japan, saying, “Japan’s growth helped Korea’s development.” In the past March 1 commemorative address, the government demanded the liquidation of the pro-Japanese remnants and the Japanese government’s apology.

This is not irrelevant to the fact that the Joe Biden administration is strongly calling for trilateral cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan. In his first call after taking office with President Moon on the 4th of last month, President Joe Biden repeatedly emphasized the importance of improving relations between Korea and Japan and cooperation between the United States and Korea. At a meeting of diplomatic officials between Korea, the United States, and Japan on the 19th of last month, the United States referred to Korea and Japan as key allies in Northeast Asia and requested trilateral cooperation. It is clear why the US emphasizes improving Korea-Japan relations. This is because ROK-US-Japan cooperation is of paramount importance in order to contain China and respond to North Korea’s nuclear development in a situation where the war of supremacy between the United States and China is escalating.

President Moon did not present a specific solution to the issue of the Japanese military comfort women victims who entangled relations between Korea and Japan in the March 1st commemoration address and the judgment of compulsory Japanese imprisonment. The Japanese government is in a position that Korea first come up with a negotiation proposal regarding the past, so it is unclear whether it will accept President Moon’s message to talk at any time. However, the two leaders must meet as soon as possible in order for Korea and Japan to untie the tangled thread and move on to a future-oriented cooperative relationship. The priority is to meet and find a breakthrough in restoration of the relationship without putting conditions that are difficult to fulfill. The situation on the Korean Peninsula is still engulfed in uncertainty due to the North Korean nuclear conflict and the US-China conflict. Another factor of uncertainty is that the United States and North Korea have not been able to find a clue to the dialogue. Even if not requested by the United States, the restoration of Korea-Japan relations and the establishment of a trilateral cooperation system between Korea, the United States and Japan cannot be delayed.
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