President Yoon calls Japan 'partner' in dealing with security, economic issues

Politics

Published: 01 Mar. 2023, 11:31 Updated: 01 Mar. 2023, 15:20

President Yoon calls Japan 'partner' in dealing with security, economic issues

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee, center, wave the Taegukgi during a ceremony marking the 104th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement at the Memorial Hall of Yu Gwan-sun in central Seoul Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol called Japan a "partner" in tackling security and economic issues and other global challenges on Wednesday in his first address commemorating the March 1 Independence Movement.

Yoon spoke at a ceremony at the Memorial Hall of Yu Gwan-sun in central Seoul marking the 104th anniversary of Korea's nationwide demonstrations protesting Japanese colonial rule (1910-45) that began on March 1, 1919.

"Now, a century after the March First Independence Movement, Japan has transformed from a militaristic aggressor of the past into a partner that shares the same universal values with us," said Yoon. "Today Korea and Japan cooperate on issues of security and economy. We also work together to cope with global challenges."

He also stressed that the trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan has "become more important than ever to overcome the security crises including North Korea's growing nuclear threats and global polycrisis."

This is the first time a large-scale ceremony was held to mark the independence movement in three years since the Covid-19 pandemic. The event was attended by some 1,300 people including patriots, bereaved families of independence fighters, diplomats, lawmakers and students.

Yoon stressed that South Korea "must stand in solidarity with countries that share universal values in order to contribute to promoting the freedom of global citizens and the common prosperity of all humankind."

He said that such "spirit of solidarity and cooperation" is the same spirit that led the nation's drive toward freedom and independence 104 years ago.

Yoon recalled the March 1 movement was a historic day where Koreans "showed to the whole world how much they yearned for change" and embodied "their vision of the new world they dreamed of."

He said that lessons can be learned from "that time when we lost our national sovereignty" and a "time when our people suffered because we failed to properly prepare for a changing world."

He said that "whether glorious or shameful, our history must not be forgotten" and "must be remembered to protect our future and to prepare for the decades to come."

Yoon stressed the importance of overcoming the current crises including North Korea's nuclear threats, the severe security environment and an increasingly fragmented and polarized society.

"Marking the 104th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement, let us remember the patriotic heroes who devoted themselves to our homeland, and let us reflect on the unfortunate times of our history and contemplate what must be done for our future prosperity," said Yoon.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung, second from right, have a brief encounter at a ceremony marking the 104th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement at the Memorial Hall of Yu Gwan-sun in central Seoul Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Yoon's address lasted a little over five minute, shorter than most of his predecessors' addresses on March 1.

The most repeated words in Yoon's Korean-language address included independence, which was used 10 times, freedom eight times, homeland seven times and future five times.

The address has often been an opportunity for presidents to give a stern message to Japan to apologize and reflect for its atrocities during its colonial rule over Korea.

Yoon's defining of Japan as a "partner" during his address reflects his administration's policy of working to cooperate with Tokyo and improve bilateral relations.

It also comes amid diplomatic efforts to come up with a solution for the thorny issue of compensation for Korean victims of wartime forced labor.

There was no direct mention of issues such as the Japanese military's wartime sexual slavery or forced labor victims.

In his first March 1 address in 2018, former President Moon Jae-in used language such as "crimes against humanity" to refer to the so-called comfort women issue and called on Japan to "squarely face the truth of history and justice."

Leaders of both Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) and its rival Democratic Party (DP) attended the ceremony.

Yoon was spotted shaking hands with DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung, greeting him briefly without holding any further conversation.

It was their first encounter in around five months and comes after the National Assembly narrowly rejected an arrest motion for Lee, approved by Yoon, on Monday over allegations of corruption regarding land development scandals and bribery related to Seongnam's football club during his time as the city's mayor.

PPP's interim chief Chung Jin-suk was seated next to Lee during the ceremony.

"Japan still denies the forced mobilization of comfort women victims and refuses to offer an official apology and compensation," said Kim Eui-kyeom, spokesman of the DP, in a statement later Wednesday.

"The Yoon Suk Yeol government is consistently taking a humiliating stance under the pretext of improving Korea-Japan relations."

In response to the DP, Park Jung-ha, a PPP spokesman, said the DP's convening of an extraordinary National Assembly session this month is "for the bulletproofing of one particular party representative," in reference to DP chief Lee, calling its actions "miserable."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]