[외교 원로 특별좌담] ‘Clues should be given to signal that Korea-Japan relations will not use domestic politics’

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With the official inauguration of US President Joe Biden, not only the US, but also the inter-Korean, North Korean, South Korean-Chinese, and Korean-Japanese relations all faced an inflection point. As the U.S. is expected to reorganize the world order centering on solidarity and alliance among liberal democratic camps in response to the totalitarian camp, escaping from the “isolationism” stance of former President Donald Trump, there are continuing criticism that our diplomatic and security strategy should also be significantly modified. . Accordingly, Seoul Economic Daily organized a special meeting for the elders of foreign affairs and security through written and telephone calls, and former Foreign Minister Yoon Byeong-se and former UN Ambassador Kim Sook for each foreign and security issue (currently, co-director of the Establishment of Pan-National Organization for Resolving Fine Dust), Former Ambassador Shin Gak-soo to Japan, and Kwon Young-se, a member of the National Power of the People (former ambassador to China), heard comprehensive opinions. The following are their views on Korea-Japan relations.

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△ President Moon Jae-in at a New Year’s press conference expressed an opinion that Korea-Japan relations want to separate past and future-oriented relations. There is still no response in Japan, what kind of strategy should we implement?

▶Shin Gaksoo: From the beginning of the Moon Jae-in administration, the Moon Jae-in government has put forward a’two-track’ strategy to separate the past and cooperation. However, by dissolving the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, the Korean-Japanese comfort women agreement was virtually neutralized, and after the Supreme Court ruling on the victims of forced labor, they showed a passive attitude to come up with diplomatic solutions. In fact, the situation has turned into a’one track’ as Japan opposes.

At this press conference, President Moon mentioned that it is desirable to avoid the monetization of Japanese corporate assets related to the forced labor issue, and that he will seek diplomatic solutions before that. However, Japan is in a position to see whether the Korean government actually acts. Behind that, there is an atmosphere of doubt whether the Korean government aims to make the Tokyo Summer Olympics a’PyeongChang Again’. In the end, whether or not the relationship will be restored depends on how actively the Korean government prepares effective solutions in consultation with victims and support groups. Based on this, it is important to seek diplomatic settlement through special legislation with the cooperation of the Japanese government.

At the same time, it is also necessary to discover areas where Korea-Japan cooperation is possible, such as the prevention of novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), and make concrete results. Efforts should also be made to purify the deteriorated public sentiment of both countries. That way, the two-track approach we originally intended can be realized.

▶Kwon Young-se: Most of the Moon Jae-in government’s foreign policy is for domestic elections. Recently, National Intelligence Service Chief Park Ji-won met Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Japan, but it is difficult to restore relations with Japan by means of obvious techniques. From overturning the consensus for comfort women, to the judgment of forced conscription and comfort women, to the slogan of the 20th general election,’This general election is one day before one day’. It was a strategy to influence domestic elections. The historical responsibility, of course, rests with Japan. However, we must make sure that the Moon Jae-in administration is responsible for deteriorating the relationship between Korea and Japan at the micro level.

The Suga government is also in a difficult situation now, and our government is also at the end. It will be difficult to find new momentum. We must make a statement that we will not use the issues between Korea and Japan in domestic politics. Through this, it is necessary to point to a future-oriented message.

▶Kim Sook: There are distant and close causes that led the bilateral relationship to today. Distant causes such as past history and Dokdo problems must have been provided by Japan. On the other hand, the close cause of the recent pending issue is that our government is taking more responsibility. In the current situation, both governments are engrossed in a stubborn domestic political perspective, lacking a sense of responsibility and historical reflection. The posture to get out of this is important.

In that respect, President Moon’s comment that the forced execution of Japanese corporate assets is not desirable is considered appropriate in that it has resolved the urgent crisis situation. The remarks about separating the past and future-oriented relationship were also good. The problem is that in Japan, distrust in the Moon Jae-in administration has already reached its peak. Restoring mutual trust comes first. Like the adage,’If the present and the past fight, the damage will be seen in the future’, so we need to have a desperate awareness that the two countries will get out of an irregular situation for the people and the country. We must also keep in mind the suffering of Koreans in Japan who are living in tremendous difficulties after the deteriorating relationship between Korea and Japan.

▶Yun Byeong-se: Since diplomatic relations in 1965, there have been a lot of temporary uncomfortable relations between Korea and Japan, but this will be the first time that the government has been uncomfortable throughout the term of office and has gone to the worst. The biggest reason is the feeling that the pillars of Korea-Japan relations, called the 1965 regime, are collapsing. It is also because the problems to be solved by diplomacy are subsequently replaced by domestic legal problems.

In 1998, former President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi restored Korea-Japan relations, which had deteriorated at the end of the Kim Young-sam administration through the’Joint Declaration of New Korea-Japan Partnership in the 21st Century’. It was possible because of the determination and courage to see the future of the leaders of both countries. It was not a matter of legal matters, but a road to the future through diplomacy.

Diplomacy with Japan must discover and expand areas of common interest and prevent conflict factors in advance. If that doesn’t work, you have to boldly manage the post-crisis. Otherwise, it is difficult to find an exit. Once bilateral relations cross the Rubicon River, it becomes very difficult to separate and respond to the past and future relations. The current government must take genuine and practical measures to restore trust between the two governments and the people for the rest of the year. The tremendous burden of disrupting Korea-Japan relations on successive governments and future generations should not be passed on as a legacy.

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△ Since the inauguration of the Biden government, the importance of the Korea-US-Japan triangle has emerged. Why?

▶Yun Byeong-se: There is a tendency in some parts of the country to view Korea-US relations and Korea-Japan relations as separate bilateral relations. However, the US has formed a bilateral alliance with Japan and South Korea in the wake of the Korean War and has taken a strategy of’bicycle wheels’ to strengthen the complementary role between the two allies. It is different from the collective nature of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This strategy continues to be modernized after the post-Cold War, September 11, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and the recent US-China conflict. It has evolved steadily in the direction of further strengthening the multilateral linkage between the bilateral alliances. Ultimately, in the direction of consolidation or interoperability. This strategy has expanded the region to East Asia, Asia-Pacific, and Indo-Pacific. After the Obama administration, Japan has positioned itself as a cornerstone (cornerstone) of regional peace and prosperity, and we have established itself as a key axis (lynchpin).

President Biden, Secretary of State Tony Blincoln’s nominee, and Kurt Campbell’s India-Pacific Coordinator (Asia Tsar)’s nominee are among the leaders of the importance of Korea-US-Japan cooperation. The Biden government, which values ​​multilateralism and cooperation between alliances, will be greatly concerned that the two countries, a strategic alliance and value alliance, have retreated to their worst relationship since diplomatic relations. I would like to be strongly involved in building a closer relationship between the two countries. Both Korea and Japan are closely secured as parties facing an existential threat from the North Korean nuclear program. We cannot and should not turn away from the great trend of changes in the diplomatic and security environment that bilateral relations are one of the pillars of the Korea-US-Japan triangular system. If we do not play a role corresponding to the core axis of peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region beyond the trilateral cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan, we are in a situation where we will be decoupled with US policy. When this happens, we ourselves commit the mistake of reducing our diplomatic and strategic space.

▶Shin Gak-soo: The Biden government is placing great emphasis on joint response through alliances in dealing with China. In that context, we want the ROK-US alliance and the US-Japan alliance, which are the core of the US policy of Northeast Asia, to function properly. Under the Trump administration, triangular cooperation between Korea and the United States was stagnating due to the disregard for alliances and the worsening relations between Korea and Japan.

The Biden administration will make diplomatic efforts to restore the triangular cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan, as part of its strategy with China. It is also expected that attention will be paid to normalizing the deteriorating relationship between Korea and Japan. It is expected that Korea-US-Japan triangular cooperation, Quad (US, Japan, Australia, India multilateral security cooperation body), and Quad Plus (plan to add countries such as Korea, Vietnam, and New Zealand to the quad) will be used comprehensively. In the past, during the Obama administration, the then-Vice President Biden deliberately encouraged participants by putting vice-ministerial consultations at the level of US-Korea and Japan.

Both Korea and Japan have similar positions on the North Korean nuclear issue and China. Therefore, the two countries will have a lot of benefits if the United States cooperates in implementing policies appropriate to local conditions.

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▶Kim Sook: The three countries, Korea, the United States and Japan share the same values ​​as liberal democracy and international cooperation. The same is true of strategic security goals such as complete denuclearization of North Korea, prevention of China’s hegemony, and safety and prosperity in Northeast Asia.

The United States refers to the bilateral alliance between the United States and the United States as a triangular indirect alliance. If the Korea-Japan relations collapse, the triangular alliance itself collapses, and it is considered to be quite disadvantageous in responding to China, Russia and North Korea. That’s why I strongly said that the 2019 Korea-Japan Military Information Protection Agreement (GSOMIA/Gisomia) should not be broken. President Biden, who served as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and Vice President, is fortunate that unlike former President Trump, he has a deep geopolitical, cultural, and historical literacy.

▶Kwon Young-se: The triangular alliance between the United States and the United States is very important in terms of maintaining peace in Northeast Asia and checking China. Accordingly, the United States will be making a strategic judgment that it will be possible to effectively contain China only when the relationship between Korea and Japan is restored. It is unlikely, but if the recovery of Korea-Japan relations is slow, misaligned, or faces an urgent situation, the US is likely to choose Japan. If there is a rift in the Korea-US-Japan alliance, you can choose other methods, such as quads.

/ Jeong-ri = Reporters Kyung-hwan Yoon and In-yeop Kim [email protected]

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