Home > Opinion > Editorials

[Editorial] Moment for reciprocation from Tokyo

Published: 01 Mar. 2023, 20:26

In a speech on the 104th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, President Yoon Suk Yeol accentuated the need for security and economic cooperation between Korea and Japan. His remarks came as a new Cold War paradigm is shaping from the intense Sino-U.S. battle for global hegemony and the unceasing war in Ukraine. Given the sensitive timing to address pending issues between Seoul and Tokyo — resolving the thorny wartime forced labor issue, for instance — Yoon’s comment is apparently aimed to draw Japan’s cooperation while not stimulating the government.

In his first address on the Independence Movement Day since taking office last May, the president delivered a short 1,400-word speech. But it was full of his cherished values of liberty, dedication, remembrance, peace, future and prosperity. Yoon underscored the significance of a Korea-Japan partnership. “A century after the movement, Japan has changed from an imperialist country to one that shares universal values with Korea and cooperates on security, economy and other global agendas,” said the president.

Yoon’s speech made progress from the one he delivered on August 15 Independence Day last year. At that time, he described Japan as “a neighbor for us to get along with in order to confront challenges threatening freedom of global citizens.” This time, he elevated the “neighbor” to “a partner for cooperation” from the need to strengthen a “tripartite cooperation, including the U.S., to overcome a complex crisis and serious nuclear threats from North Korea.”

President Yoon stopped short of directly mentioning sensitive issues between the two countries: he did not talk about ways to resolve the wartime forced labor issue or urge Tokyo to make concessions probably not to provoke Japan while high-level diplomatic consultations are underway to cut the Gordian Knot.

The Democratic Party (DP) attacked the president for “persisting with a humiliating posture under the pretense of improving relations with Japan.” Despite the need for the opposition to exploit the speech for its political purposes, however, a majority of Koreans want improved relations with Japan to effectively deal with the rapidly-changing international environments after the Ukraine war. In the same vein, Yoon stressed the importance of looking back at our past of shameful deprivation of our sovereignty due to a failure to brace for the changing tide.

An increasing number of young Koreans and Japanese have more positive images of one another. Politicians on both sides must present a farsighted vision for their future after turning the page on the sad chapter of their history. It is not the time to turn their back on one another but the time to squarely face themselves for a better future.