뉴스레터

Chill, strain, worst in history, ostracism. These are the modifiers from recent reports about Korea-Japan relations that can be seen without difficulty. A look at the flow of Korea-Japan relationships over the past 10 years shows that their ties were getting worse following President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Dokdo in 2012 before seeking recovery after the Korea-Japan Comfort Women Agreement in December of 2016. However, their bilateral relationship entered the phase of an unheard-of strain in the wake of the announcement in December 2017 of the results of verification of the Korea-Japan Comfort Women Agreement by a task force of our government, our Supreme Court’s ruling concerning damage claims against Japanese companies for forced labor mobilization during Japan’s colonial rule in December the following year, and the patrol plane incident by Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force in December of the same year.

Delving into issues such as rulings on damages claims and the Comfort Women Agreement

Korea’s Defense Minister Jeong Keong-doo and his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya met after 8 months to discuss ways of normalizing their frozen defense exchanges, but there is a long way to go. This can be inferred through remarks delivered by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha at the Korea-Japan foreign ministerial meeting held in Paris, France, in May. Taro asserted, “President Moon Jae-in should take primary responsibility for resolving the issue.” These are remarks that clearly reveal the state of relations between the two countries. It is hardly possible for him to be unaware that it is out of character for the Japanese foreign minister, a ministerial-level officer, to mention the responsibility of a head of state. His “intentional provocation” nonetheless plainly shows that the two nations have a long way to go before their relationship returns to normal.

The reason for mentioning the current state of Korea-Japan relations somewhat wordily in the beginning of this writing is to state that the book ‘Korea-Japan Historical Issues Seen Through 20 Topics’, recently published by the Northeast Asian History Foundation, contains the above-mentioned keywords with nothing missing. 

This writer covered the kaleidoscope of Korea-Japan relations as the Tokyo correspondent of Yonhap News over six years—three years from 2007, and three years from 2016 yet again. Thus I have gathered and amassed a variety of data on Korea-Japan relations personally to use them for my stories, but could not help being amazed while reading the book page by page.

Books clearly organizing matters of Korea-Japan conflict by issue

To state the conclusion first, this book is worth recommending as a must-read for our Tokyo correspondents active in Japan. It is also a must-read for journalists covering unification, diplomacy, and national security issues as well as researchers and students in this field. That is because the book deals with the history and the current state of Korea-Japan relations, the historical context and meanings of conflicting issues, the progress of conflict, and the difference in positions between Korea and Japan, clearly and in depth.

To be more specific, what drove the latest Korea-Japan relationship into the worst phase of strain was Japan’s strong backlash over our Supreme Court’s ruling on compensation for forced labor mobilization. For us, it is difficult to understand the level of backlash in Japan, the perpetrator. The background of Japan’s excessive response can be inferred from ‘1965 Korea-Japan Agreement: Outcome and Limits’, the second writing of the book’s chapter 4. In his writing, Jo Yun-su, a researcher of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, states, “The origin of current historical issues with Japan lies in the perception difference between Korea, claiming that colonial rule is illegal, and Japan claiming that it is legal.” Jo added, “Historical issues often worsen their relations, but it is also possible that problems surrounding past history could become serious because they are not on good terms now. How Korea is to deals wisely with historical issues with Japan is a perennial problem.”

Yasukuni – source of distorted historical perceptions about Japan’s war of aggression 

Toyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which becomes a problem every spring, fall, and National Liberation Day because of Japanese politicians’ tribute, is also treated with kindness. The Yasukuni Shrine’s history, role, and issues are examined. In his writing headlined “Yasukuni Shrine, a memorial or a glorification of a war of aggression?” researcher Nam Sang-gu of the Foundation says, “As the tribute of the Japanese prime minister and other politicians becomes a diplomatic issue, there is a strong perception that the Yasukuni Shrine issue is that of tribute by the prime minister and politicians,” and asks, “Unless the Japanese prime minister and politicians pay tribute, will Yasukuni Shrine no longer be a problem?” Looking in detail into the problem of enshrining Koreans without permission, the Japanese prime minister’s tribute, and the unconstitutionality lawsuit, he said, “Yasukuni Shrine, based on the perception that acknowledging aggression is an insult to those who died in the war, “who sacrificed themselves for their country”, is the source of distorted historical views about Japan’s war of aggression.

Roots of the current Korea-Japan conflict analyzed in friendly terms

Readers should not miss the writing entitled “History of ethnic Koreans in Japan and those who fought against segregation” by Lee Yang-su, which takes a view of the past and present of Koreans living in Japan, apart from the macroscopic issues of the Korea-Japan conflict, a visiting scholar at the Center for Asia Pacific Partnership, Osaka University of Economics and Law. The ethnic Koreans in Japan that this writer met while covering Japan say that invisible discrimination against Koreans remains intact, although there has been some improvement. They say that the eyes of Japanese society on them are affected by the rise and fall of Korea-Japan relations. In this paper, researcher Lee Yang-su underscored the importance of ethnic Koreans’ active role, saying, “Ethnic Koreans’ stepping-stone role is great at a time when Korea and Japan still fail to resolve past historical issues. Their real value has to be explored by themselves, not the governments.”

Aside from pending issues like the Japanese military “comfort women”, the book also delves into issues of Korea-Japan ties that could be only encountered by looking back across time to include the theory of Imnailbonbu, the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, the Joseon missions to Japan, the Meiji Restoration and theory of Joseon invasion, and Japan’s colonial rule of Korea. It helps to gain an insight into pending issues in a balanced perspective by ascertaining not merely current Korea-Japan conflicts but also the roots that brought about such conflicts.