뉴스레터

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule (and also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan), an international conference was hosted by the NAHF, held under the auspices of The Dong-A Ilbo. The purpose of this conference was to allow experts from Korea, China, and Japan to share their thoughts about recent political changes in East Asia, 'historical revisionism' of the Abe administration of Japan, the 'comfort women' issue, and so on, and seek new solutions to those issues.

This conference was held under the theme "East Asia in Turbulence: Beyond History and Toward a New Order" from the 2nd to the 4th of July 2015, during which about twenty participants, experts on international affairs in Northeast Asia and college professors from Korea, and China, and Japan, were engaged in active discussion.

Part I, 'The Turbulent Situation of East Asia: The Past and the Present,' addressed small topics, such as the rapid rise of China, Japan's shift to the right, the changing relations between the U.S. and China, and the feud between Korea and Japan. In Part II, 'historical revisionism' of the Abe administration, the 'comfort women' issue, 'the right to collective self-defense,' and Japan's territorial issues were presented and discussed. Lastly, Part III was participated by all for general discussion.

During the conference, the experts from Korea, China, and Japan expressed their shared feelings that not much was expected from the Abe Statement scheduled to be released in August. They were concerned about the possible repercussions of the Statement. In the presentation of his paper 'An Unstable Situation in East Asia: The gap in perception and worsening relations between Korea and Japan,' Keio University professor Nishino Junya (西野純也) pointed out that "while it is without doubt that Korea-Japan relations are in trouble because of a lack of trust and growing distrust between the leaders of the two countries, each government's policy toward the other country is rooted in the changing situation of East Asia surrounding the two countries."

In 'Beyond the Arms Race Toward a Peace System in Northeast Asia,' Professor Yang Ki-ho at Sungkonghoe University noted that "the situation of Northeast Asia in the summer of 2015 is not vastly different from the situation of international politics in late-19th century Europe." He offered an analysis on the roles and challenges of Korea in connection with China's advancement into the seas and disputes over the islands, and Japan's policy to surround China through value diplomacy. And Professor Lee Dong-ryul at Dongduk Women's University gave a presentation on 'China's Positive Diplomacy and its Impact on the Situation of Northeast Asia.' offering an analysis of the evolution of China's diplomacy toward its neighboring countries, the rise of China as a rule maker, China's response to the U.S' strategic re-balance to East Asia, China's juggling between aggressive and pragmatical diplomacy toward Japan, the development of its relationship with Russia and China-Russia relations, China's policy toward the Korean Peninsula, and Korea-China relations.

Heated Debate over the Root Cause of Conflict in Northeast Asia

During the conference, there was a heated debate over what was the root cause of the ongoing conflict in Northeast Asia. Keio University professor Nishino Junya said, "the Japanese Cabinet's annual poll last year showed that only 30 percent of those surveyed responded that they felt friendly toward Korea, an all-time low," and explained that "in Japan, it is thought since Korea has been thinking less and less of Japan, Japan's perception of Korea has also changed accordingly."

On the other hand, Liu Jiang-yong (劉江永), Vice President of the Institute of International Studies, Tsinghua University, in his presentation on '19-Century Japan's Perception of Ulleungdo and Dokdo as Reflected in the Making of World Maps,' identified the rightward shift in Japanese politics as the most important setback to Korea-Japan relations, and pointed out that "the root cause of the conflict was the dangerous political DNA of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe." In response, I argued, "We should recognize it as a big picture shaped by changes in the power of the three countries and a power shift within Northeast Asia, not as something simply caused by the historical perception or foreign policy of the leaders of Korea and Japan.

During the conference, I was most impressed to hear a series of critical voices and voices of self-reflection about the recent situation in Northeast Asia. Senior Research Fellow Bong Young-sik at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies voiced his concern that "if the Abe Statement to be released in August failed to meet Korea's consistent demand to include in it the four major elements (1) aggression; 2) colony; 3) repentance; 4) apology) and China took issue with this and used it as an excuse for refusing to participate in the Korea-led tripartite summit, Korea could find itself in a situation that is more difficult than it already is." Therefore, he suggested, "the Korean government needs to go for a positive diplomatic strategy that could dampen the effect of the Abe Statement, rather than 'waiting' until the Abe Statement comes out before making decisions accordingly on the direction of its future diplomacy toward Japan, including if and when to hold a summit. Specially Appointed Professor Cho Se-young at Dongseo University emphasized that "Korea's diplomacy needs to get out of what appears to be a state of 'stalled thinking' as soon as possible and reach an agreement on what are the higher goals, and what is unacceptable in security cooperation with Japan."

Rapprochement Between Korea and Japan Facilitates Cooperation Among Korea, the U.S., and Japan

There was also a voice expressing concerns that the worsening of Korea-Japan relations could cause damage to the Korea-U.S. alliance. Professor Yang Ki-ho at Sungkonghoe University said, "Korea can be seen stuck between the U.S. and China, (swinging between the powers playing diplomatic games). And a rapprochement between Korea and Japan would further strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance. Trying to ease tensions by holding a tripartite summit (Korea. China, and Japan) and bilateral summits (between Korea and Japan, and between China and Japan) by the end of November could be one way to achieve it."

There were also various candid opinions about where Korea's diplomacy currently stood. Professor Kim Tae-hyo at Sungkyunkwan University, former secretary for international strategy under the Lee Myung-bak administration, said, "It is no good to think as if Japan's self-defense forces could attack Korea once they became stronger," and pointed out, "Japan, on its part, has also underestimated the importance of cooperation with Korea despite the fact that there are numerous strategic benefits to be gained from it." Deputy Managing Editor at The Dong-A Ilbo Ha Jong-dae, participating as a discussant, said, "If Korea, China, and Japan cannot resolve territorial issues, a kind that gives rise to sharp conflict, they should give up trying and put it on hold for a while. However, they should recognize the fact that the 'comfort women' issue is not about the 'past' but the present since the victims are still alive."

This international conference was a valuable opportunity for experts from the three Northeast Asian countries to listen to and better understand the opinions of others on the issues of history and territory in this region. Furthermore, it was a good occasion to seek ideas to ease tensions among the countries. Also, the Northeast Asian experts and the NAHF had a meaningful time building a network of cooperation.