Confirmed North Korea Missile Response Cooperation... Likely Discussion on Conflict Issues Including Comfort Women Problem
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] A South Korea-Japan foreign ministers' meeting is expected to take place on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly held in New York, USA.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 19th, the South Korean and Japanese authorities are discussing holding a foreign ministers' meeting between Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who will visit New York to attend the UN General Assembly.
Minister Chung, who departed on a chartered flight in the afternoon and is accompanying President Moon Jae-in, who will attend UN General Assembly-related events in New York from the 19th to 21st (local time), plans to stay behind after President Moon leaves New York to hold talks with foreign ministers of major countries and heads of international organizations.
Foreign Minister Motegi will visit New York from the 22nd to 24th of this month to attend the UN General Assembly.
If the meeting between Foreign Minister Motegi and Minister Chung, who took office in February this year, is realized, it will be their second face-to-face meeting in about four months, following the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' Meeting held in the UK last May.
The Yomiuri Shimbun predicted that since this meeting will be held immediately after North Korea's successive cruise missile and ballistic missile test launches, it will serve as an opportunity to confirm cooperation between South Korea and Japan, as well as among South Korea, Japan, and the United States on this issue.
Minister Chung and Foreign Minister Motegi are also expected to exchange views on contentious issues between the two countries, such as the comfort women issue and compensation lawsuits for forced labor victims, which have been causes of deterioration in South Korea-Japan relations.
Regarding these issues, Foreign Minister Motegi plans to repeatedly demand appropriate responses from the South Korean government, while Minister Chung is expected to limit himself to explaining South Korea's position, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.
Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong (left) and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi posed for a commemorative photo during the Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in London, UK, on May 5. [Image source=Yonhap News]
When the two ministers met in the UK last May, they agreed to cooperate on the North Korean nuclear issue but clashed over contentious issues between the two countries, such as South Korean court rulings on compensation for forced labor victims and comfort women.
At that time, Foreign Minister Motegi demanded that the South Korean government take appropriate measures in response to the South Korean court ruling recognizing the Japanese government's compensation responsibility for comfort women victims.
Regarding the forced labor lawsuits, he emphasized the existing position that South Korea should promptly present a solution acceptable to the Japanese government.
In response, Minister Chung stressed that without Japan's correct historical awareness, past issues cannot be resolved and explained the South Korean government's position on the comfort women and forced labor victim issues.
However, the two ministers agreed to continue dialogue and communication to resolve the contentious issues between South Korea and Japan.
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