South Korea and Japan improving relations doesn’t erase dark WW II history, says expert

South Korea and Japan made important steps to resolve their differences this week, political scientist Katharine Moon said – but she said Japan still needs to come to terms with its past crimes.

Yoon Suk Yeol became the first South Korean president to visit Japan in 12 years on Thursday when he made a diplomatic trip to Tokyo. Not long after, the two countries announced plans to drop a nearly four-year trade dispute over high-tech materials for smartphone displays and chips.

While some Koreans welcomed the move, others criticized Yoon for favoring the country that took over and colonized South Korea in 1910, and forced hundreds of thousands of Koreans to become laborers in Japanese companies, or sex slaves in the military. brothel, during World War II.

Last week, South Korea announced it would not demand Japanese compensation for Korean forced labor victims. However, Seoul said it would set up a government-run fund to pay the victims.

Moon is professor emerita of political science at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and visiting professor at Harvard University. His research focuses on the Korea-US alliance, inter-Korean relations, and East Asian politics. This is part of the conversation with him As it happens host Nil Koksal.

The Japanese prime minister described this as a big step, this meeting. For all the time that has passed, [and] all the differences between these two nations, is it an understatement?

I think this is an accurate statement. This is a big problem because South Korea and South Koreans have been more than reluctant to do anything constructive with Japan for the past several decades. And the relationship between the two countries, economically and also somewhat militarily, has suffered.

I think they came together to position themselves for a strong relationship, especially in the context of the current urgency regarding China’s intentions as well as domestic economic needs.

When we talk about “Why now?” After all this time, is it just out of concern about… China?

Partly because China has been acting more aggressively, or perhaps stronger, especially in the region. And Japan and Korea, of course, are feeling the pressure from the US to make clear their position on the alliance relationship with the United States.

But it is clear that China is increasing its intention to compete with the US, Japan and other developed countries in high technology and AI. [artificial intelligence] field makes it even more important for South Korea to have access to high-tech chip materials … which can only be obtained from Japan.

And the source has been cut by Japan in retaliation to the Supreme Court of South Korea in 2018… ordered that Japanese companies must pay reparations for forced labor Koreans during the colonial period.

Who is the first caller here? Who picked up the phone?

A South Korean made the first call. But … except for the Trump administration, I would say pretty much the last four [U.S.] The administration has wanted Japan and Korea to reconcile and improve their relationship, as it helps the United States’ position in East Asia. And it will be easier to deal with North Korea and also to deal with trade relations, as well as larger global pacts, agreements, that the US is interested in.

For South Korea, President Yoon came to hope and wanted to do damage control with Japan. And I think that the government has realized that there is nothing to lose domestically. They won’t get brownie points by engaging in more hostile relations with Japan over colonial-era issues.

And if anything, Yoon has made it clear that he is a pro-business president and that South Korea’s economic problems come first. And it clearly explains why the government in Korea has been willing to take the initiative.

This dispute goes back to, you know, the time period between 1910 and 1945 – the Japanese colonization of the Korean Peninsula, the atrocities during World War II and, you know, South Koreans being forced to work in Japanese factories during that time. So how did he manage to deal with his deep disagreements about the time? What to do, you know, ease people’s concerns?

I think that South Korean activists still want the Korean government to lead the reparations and … an official apology, from the Japanese government. He was not very happy about President Yoon’s government trying to make good with Japan.

And I would say that the South Korean leader’s move to improve relations with Japan does not undo or deny the past atrocities committed by Japan during the colonial era.

The way I see President Yoon’s position on Japan is just a practical step based on national interest to improve economic relations, to increase South Korea’s top chip manufacturing base, in particular, [and] to increase cooperation with Japan as a way to increase solidarity with the United States military alliance.

That [segment of the] South Korean people who want to pursue these colonial era issues are free to do so in Japanese and South Korean courts or in other court venues. They can mobilize global public opinion against it [the] Japan if they choose. Personal actions are not cut … by the Yoon government to improve relations with Japan.

And I would say that trying to make sure that Japan knows its own history… that should continue.

But the question is: Should the South Korean government fly the flag only as a matter of foreign policy interest vis-a-vis Japan? And my answer is no.

You said at the beginning that this characterization is a big step as an accurate characterization. But will there be another step? Is this sustainable, this relationship?

I think the next step is really up to Japan …. They need to improve economic relations in a larger sense. They should restore their preferred country status back to South Korea in terms of trade, and engage in some larger measures [and] behavior

What is really needed is to ensure that people-to-people relations, whatever efforts Japan and Korea make to improve their situation, become transparent and open source, and Japan gets a chance to reconsider. history itself.

He saw himself as a victim of World War II because of the atomic weapons the United States had. But they, themselves, caused much destruction, harm and death to many people, [including] South Korea and the rest of Asia.

This history will not be lost due to reconciliation efforts by the two countries.