Yoon's Side Denies Reports of Attending Quad Next Month (Update)

Nihon Keizai "South Korea's First Quad Meeting Participation"... Yoon's Side "Prompt Summit Meeting Is Positive"

[Asia Economy Reporters Baek Kyunghwan and Cho Hyun-ui] The office of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has denied foreign media reports that it is considering attending the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India) summit scheduled for the 24th of next month in Tokyo, Japan, as an observer (a country allowed to participate and speak but without voting rights). However, they expressed a positive stance on the possibility of an early summit meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

On the 14th, Baek Hyunjin, spokesperson for the President-elect, said at a press conference held at the Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Seoul, "We have confirmed the NHK report from Japan, but it is completely untrue that this has been discussed with us," adding, "It is merely a report from the Japanese media."

On the same day, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun cited government officials from the Quad member countries reporting this and stated, "This will be South Korea's first participation in a Quad meeting." The Quad leaders are expected to discuss measures to counter China's hegemonic moves in the Indo-Pacific region and also address responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun noted, "If South Korea joins, it will further emphasize the purpose of presenting the unity of the camp sharing values such as democracy to the international community."

Since U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his intention on the 11th (local time) to visit Japan in late next month to attend the Quad meeting, the possibility of a trilateral summit among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan was also mentioned. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, "President-elect Yoon aims to rebuild the deteriorated South Korea-Japan relations under the Moon Jae-in administration. The U.S. also urges improvement in South Korea-Japan relations," adding, "Options to hold South Korea-U.S., South Korea-Japan, or South Korea-U.S.-Japan summits are also being explored."

However, it also forecasted that holding a South Korea-Japan summit would be difficult due to conflicts over historical issues. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun stated, "Although President-elect Yoon has made progressive remarks on improving relations with Japan, there are sensitive public opinion issues between the two countries regarding historical matters," and "The timing for the liquidation of assets of Japanese companies in South Korea, following the court ruling on forced labor compensation, is approaching."

It also pointed out that the fact that President-elect Yoon's official inauguration date is just fifteen days before the meeting is a limitation. There are opinions from the Japanese side that for the leaders to meet and hold talks, some concessions from the South Korean side are a prerequisite, but since the meeting is right after President-elect Yoon's inauguration, preparations are expected to be difficult.