Advertisement
Security concerns drive Japan and South Korea to mend wartime rift, expand ties: analysts
- South Korean president’s trip to Japan will mark resumption of reciprocal visits after 12 years, following plan to resolve wartime labour dispute
- The US has been exerting pressure on both countries to move on from historical disputes to deal with regional security threats from North Korea, China
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
8
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s summit this week with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is primarily driven by security concerns as the United States exerts pressure on the neighbours to move on from historical disputes, but analysts expect trade cooperation to improve in addition to closer defence partnerships.
Yoon last week announced that Seoul would create a compensation fund to settle a feud over the forced labour of Koreans during Japan’s colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula, a move that has drawn criticism in both countries.
Critics in South Korea said the plan was an embarrassing capitulation as it does not insist that Japanese firms contribute to the fund, while Tokyo is wary of reaching another supposedly final agreement with Seoul.
Advertisement
The administration of former South Korean president Moon Jae-in unilaterally scrapped a similar 2015 deal that at the time was described as concluding the row over wartime “comfort women” – the Korean women forced to serve in Japanese military brothels.
Still, President Yoon’s office said his trip to Tokyo on Thursday would mark the resumption of reciprocal visits between the leaders of the two nations, which have been suspended for 12 years, calling the travel an “important milestone” for improving bilateral ties.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x