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In Seoul, the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, and the South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, met this Sunday, May 7. A meeting that takes place 12 years after a Japanese leader visited South Korea. The purpose of the meeting is to unlock relations between the two countries and reach international cooperation agreements.
On his visit to South Korea, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his “heart hurts” when he thinks of the suffering and pain caused by his country’s colonial rule. His statements refer to the historical disputes between the two countries that go back decades.
Kishida renewed with his South Korean counterpart his determination to overcome historical grievances and strengthen cooperation in the face of shared challenges such as North Korea’s nuclear program.
This is the first visit by a Japanese leader to South Korea in 12 years and is a response to Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s previous trip to Japan in March.
Before the journalists, Kishida did not offer any official apology for the actions committed during the occupation that lasted 35 years, between 1920 and 1945, although he affirmed that his government maintains the positions of previous administrations.
“For me personally, my heart aches when I think of the many people who endured terrible suffering and pain in the difficult circumstances of the time,” the president said.
For his part, Yoon said unresolved historical issues should not mean that steps cannot be taken to deepen current ties.
A senior official in Yoon’s office said Kishida’s remarks were not previously agreed upon and that the South Korean leader thanked him for “showing his sincere position despite the fact that there was no such request” and said he would be “very helpful for cooperation.” future”.
The United States has welcomed the cooperation wishes of both countries, as it is a way to deal with threats from North Korea and competition from China.
“Cooperation and coordination between South Korea and Japan are essential not only for the common interests of the two countries, but also for world peace and prosperity,” Yoon said in opening remarks at the meeting.
The visit was not without controversy. Voices including the opposition Korean Democratic Party criticized Yoon for being submissive, “oblivious to history” and engaging in “humiliation diplomacy.”
For his part, party spokesman Kang Sun-woo said at a briefing: “Why should the prerequisite for restoring bilateral diplomacy be giving up our history?”
disputes of a century
The different longstanding disputes between the two countries could be a stick in the wheel for the new bilateral relations.
In previous governments, relations fell to the lowest levels in decades. According to the South Koreans’ accusations, Japan forced women to work in war brothels for the Japanese military, in addition to using people in forced labor, among other abuses.
These Japanese companies were ordered to pay compensation in the forced labor cases in a South Korean court decision in 2018. Following this ruling, Japan restricted exports of high-tech material from Seoul, so this The latter threatened to withdraw from the military intelligence sharing agreement with Tokyo.
In his efforts to improve relations with Japan, Yoon has proposed that South Korean companies compensate wartime labor victims, a move that has drawn him a barrage of criticism.
According to polls, most South Koreans do not believe that Japan has done enough to atone and apologize.
On Sunday, about 50 people gathered to demonstrate for and against Kishida’s visit, but there were no major protests after his visit.
The professor from Ewha University in Seoul stressed that the summit has symbolism and value for the two countries. And he remarked: “The public will be sure that the Korean and Japanese flags fly side by side, the national anthems are played together, and the leaders are staying for friendly dinners with their spouses.”
With Reuters and AP
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