U.S. deputy secretary of state says Yoon and Kishida deserve Nobel Peace Prize

Diplomacy

Published: 25 Apr. 2024, 17:06

U.S. deputy secretary of state says Yoon and Kishida deserve Nobel Peace Prize

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, right, speaks during a forum hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington on Wednesday, in a photo screen captured from the think tank’s X account. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida jointly deserve the Nobel Peace Prize for their "political courage," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said, referring to the two leaders' overtures last year to mend bilateral ties.

Campbell focused on the achievements made in trilateral cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States at a forum hosted by the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, on Wednesday.

"If you asked me honestly who deserves the award for really doing something that could make a huge difference on the global stage, I would say that should be a joint award between Kishida and Yoon," Campbell said. "That's how important the undertip was."

Seoul and Tokyo's bilateral relations soured in recent years over historical disputes, including the issue of compensation for Korean forced labor victims during World War II and a trade spat that began in the summer of 2020.

Following a bilateral summit in Tokyo in March last year, Yoon and Kishida agreed to normalize relations, including the two counties' General Security of Military Information Agreement, or Gsomia. They have worked to mend ties through multiple meetings, paving the way to the historical three-way Camp David summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in August 2023.

"It was remarkable to see the determination on the part of both leaders of Japan and South Korea to overcome both incredibly difficult historical issues, but also interest groups and political groups in both countries that are determined not to see that improvement or at least on current terms," Campbell said. "So, I think there's no small part of political courage involved."

He added that Biden also "was deeply involved in this, but his goal is to remain in the background," noting the U.S. president "recognizes that the American role has to be careful, it has to be nuanced, it has to be subtle, it has to be behind the scenes."

Campbell, known as a key architect of the Barack Obama administration's "Pivot to Asia," or rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific policy, pointed out that the Nobel Peace Prize has not focused "as much on the Indo-Pacific" so far.

Regarding three-way engagement for extended deterrence, Campbell noted, "We have an existing bilateral dialogue with Japan on nuclear deterrence, and I believe that we will be taking steps in time to have also trilateral engagements on these topics as well."

Campbell also downplayed concerns that the liberal Democratic Party's victory in Korea's general election on April 10 could contribute to negative public opinion on Seoul-Tokyo relations.

"Much opinion polling in South Korea suggests that there is actually more support for this rapprochement than is widely understood," Campbell said, adding that "there is an appreciation for the steps that both countries are taking and the need to recognize where this future relationship can go."

He said the joint accords released at the Camp David summit between South Korea, the United States and Japan last year "places the United States into the context of a trilateral relationship, and it makes clear that we have a role and a voice, and I think our instinct will be to use it to try to keep things on a positive trajectory."

Campbell added, "Since then, we have been more prepared, usually quietly, to engage when we think something's going to happen that will set back that progress or would ask one or the other countries to reconsider."

He noted the two countries have "taken substantial steps" through the Washington Declaration signed by Yoon and Biden in their bilateral summit in April last year, "designed to make clear that our extended deterrence is solid."

He stressed the United States is "determined to take the necessary steps to buttress this message of partnership."

This comes amid rising threats posed by North Korea, China and Russia in the region.

Campbell served as an assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs from 2009 to 2013, joined the Biden administration as the National Security Council coordinator for the Indo-Pacific in 2021 and became deputy secretary of state in February 2024.

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