[Takryucheongron] Korea-Japan Leaders Declare Public Diplomacy for Practical Benefits

Eunmi Choi, Associate Research Fellow at Asan Institute for Policy Studies

Starting today (the 8th), the "Special Entry Procedures for Korean and Japanese Businesspeople" have been implemented, providing a breath of fresh air for economic exchanges and corporate activities between the two countries. This comes after more than seven months since Japan's sudden tightening of entry restrictions on Korea in March. Amid escalating conflicts over forced labor issues and restrictions on movement and exchanges due to COVID-19, this is a welcome development in the strained Korea-Japan relationship. Moreover, this cooperation between the two countries, achieved for the first time under the Suga administration, raises hopes for future improvements in Korea-Japan relations. However, premature optimism should be avoided. The resumption of economic exchanges is purely a pragmatic move aimed at recovering the economies of both countries, which have been hit hard by COVID-19; nothing else has changed. Although the Japanese Prime Minister has changed, the mainstream of Japanese politics remains the same, and no solution has yet been found for the forced labor issue at the heart of the bilateral conflict. On the contrary, as the conflict prolongs, criticism and indifference toward each other are increasing, creating anxiety that this uncomfortable coexistence between Korea and Japan may continue as is. In this situation, what should we do to improve Korea-Japan relations?

First, as a short-term task, a Korea-Japan summit should be pursued, and commitments between the leaders should be made. Recently, the Japanese side has expressed the view that "there must be a promise not to liquidate Japanese corporate assets in Korea" before visiting Korea, raising the hurdle for holding a Korea-China-Japan summit within the year. Such an attitude is undesirable. The strong differences in positions between Korea and Japan on the forced labor issue make its resolution difficult. In this situation, insisting only on one's own position and demanding the other side to solve the problem does not help. Therefore, the governments of both countries need to cooperate and make efforts together to resolve the issue. Although even if a summit is held, immediate resolution will be difficult, confirming the leaders' will to solve the problem is important. If we can take one step further, it would be even better to bring about a declaration at the summit level to prevent political and historical conflicts from expanding into other areas such as economy and security.

Second, as a mid- to long-term task, mutual understanding should be promoted through strengthening public diplomacy. Recently, Korean dramas such as "Crash Landing on You" and "Itaewon Class" have gained popularity in Japan, sparking a new Korean Wave boom. While this favorable breeze in the frozen Korea-Japan relationship is welcome, cultural approaches have their limits. It is difficult to expect that cultural familiarity will lead to understanding and trust toward the other side. Therefore, while recognizing the importance of cultural exchange, overreliance on it should be avoided. Rather, even if it is difficult and uncomfortable, public diplomacy policies that convey facts and promote understanding of the conflicts faced by both countries are necessary. This does not only mean public diplomacy targeting Japan and Japanese people. It is essential to inform Koreans, Koreans residing abroad including in Japan, and neighboring countries about the essence of bilateral conflicts, and through explanation and understanding, collectively gather wisdom to ultimately reach a resolution.

Third, as a continuous task, nurturing Korea experts in Japan and strengthening Korea-Japan policy networks are necessary. While the decline of Japanese studies over the past 30 years since its peak in the 1990s is problematic, the decrease in Korea experts in Japan is also a significant issue. The roles of Korea experts (Chihanpa) and Japan experts (Chilpa), who understand, explain, and seek solutions to the difficult bilateral relationship, are more important than ever. It is urgently necessary to establish a stable platform that can build a dense network across various sectors?scholars, politicians, businesspeople, journalists?who can understand each other.

Over the past two years, centered on the forced labor issue, Korea-Japan relations have been on thin ice, where further deterioration could have happened at any time. However, we cannot easily give up on Korea-Japan relations. This is not simply because Korea and Japan are neighboring countries that cannot move away from each other. It is because the political, economic, diplomatic-security, and socio-cultural benefits that can be created through cooperation in a geopolitically tightly connected relationship based on the values of democracy and market economy are greater. Therefore, we must build Korea-Japan relations for our national interest and practical benefits. This will be a major task and challenge for our diplomacy going forward in establishing future Korea-Japan relations.

Choi Eun-mi, Associate Research Fellow, Asan Institute for Policy Studies