뉴스레터

Diplomatic Venue that Went beyond the Exchange of Ideas and Brought Mutual Gains

The Symposium of Korean and Japanese Opinion Leaders was held on July 27 in Seoul. It was hosted by the Northeast Asian History Foundation and co-sponsored by Korea-Japan and Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union, Joongang Daily, and the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management. Under the theme "Past and Future of Korea-Japan Relations: Reflections on 100 Years and Outlook", the symposium was an occasion for key opinion leaders of the two nations to contemplated on the significance of 2010, the centennial of Japan's forced annexation of Korea, and discuss the kinds of efforts needed to realize future-oriented Korea-Japan relations.

As a participant of the symposium, I would first like to discuss how this symposium set itself apart from other symposia and conferences on Korea-Japan relations. For one, it was the first official meeting at the level of Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union / Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union since the launch of the Lee Myung-bak administration and the Kan Naoto cabinet. The Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union was slow in choosing a new president and had not been functioning in full capacity since the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) came into power in August due to domestic political priorities. It was only very recently that Watanabe Kozo [渡部桓三], a prominent member of the DPJ, was selected as the president, and the Symposium of Korean and Japanese Opinion Leaders had been the first Korea-Japan meeting since Kozo's taking of office.

Second, this meeting ended up being more than just a venue for the exchange of ideas. It served as a forum for diplomatic exchanges as well. There were limitations because all the Japanese participants were graduates of the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management. Nonetheless, it was undoubtedly a great opportunity to get a general sense of which Japanese lawmakers, after the regime change, are deeply interested in Korea-Japan relations.

Opportunity to project the future of Korea-Japan relations

With the DPJ coming into power, many first-time lawmakers had also taken office. Accordingly, we were in the dark as to which legislators were interested in Korea-Japan relations. Moreover, there were reports that Prime Minister Kan Natoto's August 10 statement of apology to Korea incorporated some of the ideas exchanged between the presidents of the federations of Korean/Japanese legislators toward the end of this forum. As such, it can be said that the forum contributed to improving Korea-Japan relations.

Third, the forum was a valuable opportunity to find out about the opinions of younger lawmakers on Korea-Japan relations. They were more straightforward than their more senior counterparts, and this honesty is expected to become a significant variable in Korea-Japan relations.

At the forum's opening ceremony, President Watanabe Kozo of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union stated, "We will reflect on our past mistakes and strive to strengthen future-oriented Korea-Japan relations, setting our sights on 100 years into the future. President Lee Sang-deuk of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union noted, "For the peace of Korea and Japan as well as that of Northeast Asia at large, we must reflect on the past to gain wisdom and devise specific measures for action to realize a bright future," thereby stressing that it is important for Korea and Japan to share their views on historical issues.

The symposium was comprised of three sessions. The first session was a retrospective on the history of Korea-Japan relations. It was moderated by President Gong Roh-myung of the Sejong Foundation, with presentations by Professor Han Sang-il of Kookmin University and President Murakami Katsuhiko of Tokyo Keizai University. Han provided an overview of the past 100 years, dividing the past century into three periods: "Era of Remembering the Pain" (1910-1945), "Era of Rupture" (1945-1965), and "Era of Cooperation and Conflict" (1965-present). He also pointed out that North Korea and the East Asian Community are lingering tasks for Korea and Japan. Murakami assessed that while Korea-Japan relations were that of victim and ruler for the 35 years of the colonial period, bilateral relations have been of two equal, independent states for the past 65 years. However, when he commented, "To the question 'Was there no economic growth for Korea during the colonial period?', I would say, 'Yes, there was,'" there were heated counterarguments from Korean legislators.

Differences of opinion regarding colonial economic growth and Dokdo

The second session aimed to formulate the next 100 years of Korea-Japan relations. Vice President Watanabe Akio of the Japan Institute of Peace Security served as the moderator. In his presentation, Director Chang Soo Jin of the Sejong Institute's Center for Japanese Studies laid out the potential scenarios resulting from the cooperation and conflict between United States-China and China-Japan. The most desirable scenario for Korea-Japan relations is "comprehensive multilateralism" in which the United States, China, and Japan pursue cooperation and partnership. In the meantime, Professor Okonogi Masao of Keio University argued that Korea and Japan are "twin nations of East Asia" in terms of their democratic political system, market economy, similar industrial structures, alliance with the United States, and relations with China. Professor Okonogi's presentation was met with great interest.

symposium

The third session was a discussion on the theme "Role of the Media in Korea-Japan Exchanges and Cooperation." It was moderated by Senior Reporter Kim Yeong-hui of Joongang Daily. The first presenter was Wakamiya Yoshibumi, a columnist for Asahi Shimbun. He argued that bilateral relations can suffer from "excessive nationalism" of the peoples of the two countries. His unusual assessment became a hot topic during the roundtable. I was the second presenter of the third session. I contended we must overcome the "simple, repetitive pattern" that now characterizes Korea-Japan relations. I noted that traditional news media are marked by "refinement and moderation." However, the internet and new forms of media, which lack these qualities, may have a negative effect on Korea-Japan relations.

At the roundtable, moderated by President Chung Jae-jeong of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, there was heated discussion among the Korean and Japanese legislators, focusing on the key arguments presented at the three sessions. With sensitive issues such as Dokdo, each side held onto its stance, revealing the divergence of opinion between the two countries.

There was an honest exchange of opinions between the two countries' lawmakers and opinion leaders. It was a very timely event on the centennial of Japan's forced annexation of Korea. I hope that the Northeast Asian History Foundation will organize even more events for the leaders of Korea and Japan to engage in meaningful dialogue and play an important role in deepening the mutual understanding between the two nations.