Any reward for a summit in Camp David?
KIM PIL-GYUThe author is the Washington correspondent of the JoongAng Ilbo.
Two years ago in the spring, U.S. President Joe Biden wanted to invite the leaders of Korea and Japan to Camp David. The relationship between the two countries was at its worst due to the threat from a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft and trade conflicts. According to sources in Washington, President Biden wanted to create a scene where then-President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga joined hands and reconciled with him as a backdrop.
That’s what Jimmy Carter did in 1978. Egypt and Israel had fought four wars, and he called the two leaders — Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin — to Camp David and had them sign a peace treaty. The Egyptian and Israeli leaders shaking hands in front of Carter with big smiles on their faces was a historic moment.
For another Camp David meeting, the White House considered inviting Suga to Washington first and then inviting Moon right after so that they could meet at Camp David during the overlapping period. In the end, the schedule didn’t work out. Suga visited the United States in early April while Moon did so in mid-May. The three-party meeting failed, but it can be presumed how much Biden hoped to make the Camp David meeting happen.
All the leaders who attended the 1978 Camp David meeting were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but they each had their own agenda when they came to the meeting. The United States had to stabilize the economy that had collapsed due to the oil shock, and Egypt had to get Western loans as it regained the Sinai Peninsula from Israel. Israel also needed advanced weapons assistance.
The meeting almost broke apart, but eventually an agreement was reached. The three veteran politicians stood in front of the camera with a smile. But after the agreement came short of establishing a lasting peace, some ridiculed, saying they deserve an Oscar, not a Nobel Peace Prize.
On Aug. 18, Biden’s long-awaited Korea-U.S.-Japan summit will be held at Camp David. America and Japan seem to have clear goals for the meeting. Biden is slated for re-election next year and has to boast his diplomatic prowess at home and abroad for drawing cooperation between the two allies against China.
The meeting is a perfect chance for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to draw support for the discharge of the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. The Japanese Foreign Ministry is already promoting that they will work together to prevent the spread of false information about the “treated water,” which is how Japan refers to the contaminated water from Fukushima.
On the other hand, it is unclear what Korea’s takeaway will be. As some media outlets wrote, President Yoon Suk Yeol seems to be satisfied with being invited to the meeting itself, as it would mean Korea is recognized as a key partner of the United States. But such self-complacency is embarrassing in Washington. I hope Yoon would get some visible results for the country instead of drawing criticism for an attendance worthy of an Oscar.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)