Unilateral Cancellation by Japan Causes G7 Korea-Japan Diplomacy to Fail... 'North Korea Dialogue' Joint Statement Included as an 'Achievement'

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[UK (Cornwall) = Joint Press Corps - (Seoul) = Reporter Lee Ji-eun] As the Group of Seven (G7) summit concluded on the 13th (local time), the much-anticipated Korea-US-Japan and Korea-Japan summit meetings were canceled. Although the foreign ministries of the two countries had tentatively agreed to hold informal talks during the G7 summit, it was confirmed that Japan unilaterally canceled them on the day.

President Moon posted on social networking service (SNS) that morning, expressing regret by saying, "The first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Suga was a precious time that could have been a new beginning in Korea-Japan relations, but it did not lead to a summit." This suggests that President Moon intended to use this G7 as an opportunity to restore Korea-Japan relations.

The two leaders only exchanged greetings at the G7 and did not hold official or informal talks. Although the foreign ministries of the two countries had tentatively agreed to hold informal talks during the G7 summit, it was confirmed that Japan unilaterally canceled them. A government official familiar with the G7 summit process explained to reporters on the presidential plane heading to Austria, "Prime Minister Suga and President Moon greeted each other twice at the summit venue."

The two leaders also met face-to-face for about one minute at the dinner event held on the evening of the 12th. According to Kyodo News and Mainichi Shimbun, Prime Minister Suga told the accompanying press corps, "President Moon came to greet me at the dinner," and requested President Moon to "show leadership on issues such as forced labor and comfort women."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The fact that neither the Korea-Japan summit nor the Korea-US-Japan summit took place appears to be due to the deterioration of relations between the two countries to the extent that even US mediation was ineffective. Shin Beom-chul, head of the Foreign and Security Center at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, analyzed, "It is highly likely that Japan did not want to cooperate with us, and the US could not persuade such Japan," adding, "This seems to reflect the limits of US leadership in handling Korea-US-Japan related issues."

However, the inclusion of messages in the G7 joint statement that support the US policy on North Korea and call for dialogue with North Korea, reflecting some of our government's positions, can be interpreted as a diplomatic achievement. Additionally, Korea participated in the 'Open Societies Statement,' which emphasizes human rights and democracy at this G7. In response to reporters' questions about whether this might provoke China, a government official replied, "If you read the content, there is nothing targeting any specific country."

Meanwhile, President Moon will conclude his schedule in the UK and move to Austria for a 2-night, 3-day state visit. This visit, the first since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, was made at the invitation of the Austrian president in celebration of the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year. President Moon will hold summit talks with President Van der Bellen and meetings with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Taking this opportunity, the climate response cooperation partnership, established through the P4G Seoul summit, is expected to be strengthened, and cooperation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution with Austria, a powerhouse of small and medium-sized enterprises, will also deepen.