Sunday Ambassador: "President Yoon Cannot Rule Out Possibility of Visiting Japan Within This Year"

Ambassador Yoon Deok-min, the South Korean Ambassador to Japan, arrived in Japan on July 16 and is answering questions from Korean and Japanese reporters at Tokyo Haneda Airport.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Regarding the shuttle diplomacy between South Korea and Japan that has been severed for over 10 years, Yoon Deok-min, South Korean Ambassador to Japan, stated, "Considering the rapidly changing international situation, we cannot rule out the possibility that President Yoon Seok-yeol may visit Japan within this year."

In an interview reported by Kyodo News on the 26th, Ambassador Yoon said, "I expect shuttle diplomacy to resume sooner than anticipated." Attention is focused on the possibility that President Yoon will visit Japan within this year to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

Ambassador Yoon emphasized, "For the past 10 years, the two countries have been in conflict solely over historical issues," adding, "While facing history directly, it is necessary to cooperate with a future-oriented approach." He predicted that if President Yoon's visit to Japan materializes, "it will be a symbolic event for the normalization of South Korea-Japan relations," and that not only bilateral issues but also international affairs could be on the agenda.

The shuttle diplomacy, where the South Korean and Japanese leaders travel back and forth to communicate, was effectively suspended after the Kyoto summit between then-President Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko at the end of 2011. Since then, meetings between the two leaders have mainly taken place on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.

Regarding the major bilateral issue of compensation for forced labor victims, Ambassador Yoon stressed that "public consensus" is important to avoid repeating the failures of the 2015 comfort women agreement. The governments of both countries are accelerating consultations through various diplomatic channels to resolve this issue.

The South Korean government emphasizes the need for "sincere responses," including apologies from Japanese defendant companies and participation in funding. However, Japan maintains the position that the compensation issue was already resolved by the 1965 South Korea-Japan Claims Agreement. Japanese media have reported that a likely solution involves the South Korean 'Foundation for Supporting Victims of Forced Mobilization during Japanese Colonial Rule' receiving donations and paying compensation to forced labor victims instead of Japanese companies.

Ambassador Yoon said, "After the comfort women agreement, a few remarks by Japanese policymakers that implied 'this is the end' worsened public opinion in South Korea," and he called for Japan's active response, saying, "I hope Japan understands the need for a reconciliation process that heals the wounds of the victims."

Regarding the South Korea-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), he said, "This is a time when information exchange is necessary for the safety of the people," adding, "It is not a situation to terminate the agreement."

Ambassador Yoon anticipated that North Korea will continue military provocations but also stated, "There is a possibility that North Korea might suddenly engage in dialogue by leveraging the military tension phase." He suggested that North Korea, while possessing nuclear weapons, might pursue direct negotiations with the United States to achieve a status similar to Pakistan, which holds nuclear weapons but is not subject to international sanctions.

Furthermore, he added that while South Korea, the United States, and Japan need to express willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea, they should not appear weak or sit at the negotiating table from a position of weakness.