Japan-South Korea ties: on the rocks over Pyongyang?

Nationalistic posturing by 13 South Korean politicians on a rocky outcrop in the Sea of Japan is seen as the latest attempt to antagonise Tokyo.

But observers say the long-term goal of this behaviour is to curry favour with North Korea

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The disputed islets called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:15am, 24 Oct 2018Updated: 9:28pm, 24 Oct 2018

There is a growing sense among conservatives in Japan that the administration of Moon Jae-in in Seoul is going out of its way to antagonise Tokyo in order to curry additional favour with North Korea.

Bilateral relations between Japan and South Korea have long been complicated by issues linked to Tokyo’s annexation and colonisation of the Korean peninsula, but analysts say recent events have sent the relationship into a tailspin.

On Monday, a group of 13 South Korean politicians unfurled their national flag on the top of a rocky outcrop in the Sea of Japan that is controlled by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo as its sovereign territory. Known as Dok-do in Korea, the inhospitable rocks are home to a detachment of police and are visited by boatloads of tourists. The islands appear on Japanese maps as Takeshima.

The Japanese government had used diplomatic channels to urge the politicians not to undertake the trip before they left, in order not to provoke a new dispute, but that request was ignored.

Tokyo subsequently lodged an official complaint with Seoul, with chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga telling reporters that “this Takeshima visit by the politicians was utterly unacceptable in light of our country’s position on the sovereignty of Takeshima”.

The latest point of contention between the two governments came after Moon suggested his administration would abolish a foundation set up in 2015 as part of a “final and irreversible” agreement between Japan and Park Geun-hye, Moon’s predecessor in the presidential Blue House, to draw a line under the controversy of women forced to serve in brothels for the Japanese military before and during the second world war.

The Japanese Maritime Self-defence Force’s controversial “rising sun” naval ensign. Photo: AFP

Seoul has also opened a research institute charged with gathering documentary evidence about the sex slaves and unveiled a new statue in honour of the victims.