Yoon Visits Japan Today... Shuttle Diplomacy and First Step Toward Normalizing Korea-Japan Relations

First Presidential Visit to Japan Since 2011 MB
Meeting with Overseas Koreans Followed by Korea-Japan Summit
Discussed GSOMIA Restoration and Export Regulation Lift
Results Announced in Joint Press Conference Instead of Joint Declaration

President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit Japan for 1 night and 2 days from the 16th to the 17th to attend the Korea-Japan summit meeting with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and the Business Roundtable, among other schedules.

Following the announcement of the solution to the forced labor issue, President Yoon's plan is to restore shuttle diplomacy, which had been severed since 2011, through this visit to normalize Korea-Japan relations for future generations.

According to the presidential office, President Yoon will visit Tokyo, Japan, on the morning of the day and carry out eight official schedules over 1 night and 2 days, including the Korea-Japan summit meeting. This comes just ten days after the government announced on the 6th a solution to the forced labor issue, in which domestic companies will make third-party subrogation payments through the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization to the victims who won the Supreme Court case.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This visit by President Yoon is the first in 12 years since then Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko’s visit to Korea in October 2011 and then President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Japan in December of the same year. Shuttle diplomacy was cut off after the deterioration of Korea-Japan relations following former President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Dokdo in 2012.

Upon arrival in Tokyo, President Yoon will begin his schedule with a luncheon meeting with Korean residents in Japan, followed by a welcoming ceremony, the summit meeting, a joint press conference, and a dinner with Prime Minister Kishida.

President Yoon’s attendance at the Korean residents’ meeting just before the summit with Prime Minister Kishida is interpreted as a gesture to empower the Korean community in Japan, who have represented the Korean society during the strained phase of bilateral relations. As the first step toward normalizing Korea-Japan relations, it is expected that he will express his intention to actively support the Korean residents so that they can thrive in Japanese society.

At the Korea-Japan summit with Prime Minister Kishida, it is expected that they will discuss key issues such as compensation for victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period, the lifting of Japan’s export restrictions on South Korea and the restoration of South Korea to the whitelist, and the unstable General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). On the 14th, Kim Sung-han, director of the National Security Office, said at a briefing at the Yongsan presidential office regarding the summit agenda, “The two leaders will discuss various issues including the implementation of the forced labor solution announcement and the overall normalization of Korea-Japan relations,” adding, “There will also be opportunities to discuss ways to remove policy barriers and deepen economic cooperation between the two countries.”

Immediately after the summit, the Korea-Japan leaders will not issue a joint declaration but will announce the results of the talks individually at a joint press conference. The presidential office’s plan is to form and open a preparatory committee to prepare for a new future between Korea and Japan through President Yoon’s visit and to announce a joint declaration after discussing the agreed matters. In an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 16th, President Yoon expressed his expectation, saying, “Normalizing bilateral relations will not only be in the common interest of both countries but also send a very positive signal to the international community.” Afterward, the two leaders will have a social time including dinner.

On the following day, the 17th, President Yoon will meet with key political figures belonging to the Korea-Japan Parliamentary League, an exchange group between the legislatures of Korea and Japan, and the Korea-Japan Cooperation Committee, which handles private exchanges. Director Kim introduced, “Since former Prime Ministers Aso Taro and Suga Yoshihide, among other major figures in Japanese politics, will attend, this will be a good opportunity for President Yoon to actively request their roles in building a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship.”

Then, President Yoon will attend the Korea-Japan Business Roundtable (BRT), which includes a luncheon with Korean and Japanese businesspeople, to present a vision for Korea-Japan economic cooperation and support exchanges between businesspeople. From Korea, 12 people will attend, including the heads of the five major conglomerates: Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics; Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group; Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group; Koo Kwang-mo, chairman of LG Group; and Shin Dong-bin, chairman of Lotte Group, as well as Kim Byung-joon, acting chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, Kim Yoon, chairman of Samyang Holdings, Park Jung-won, chairman of Doosan Group, Cho Hyun-joon, chairman of Hyosung, Lee Woong-ryul, chairman of Kolon, Ryu Jin, chairman of Poongsan, and Choi Jin-sik, chairman of the Korea Federation of Medium-sized Enterprises. From Japan, 11 people including Tokura Masakazu, chairman of Keidanren, will attend.

Chief Presidential Secretary for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok explained at a briefing the day before, “Japan is already an important country as a global supply chain partner and a key country in the new economic security community formed among countries sharing values,” adding, “As a trading partner, Japan will contribute to our exports in a much more reciprocal relationship than in the past,” emphasizing the importance of Korea-Japan economic cooperation.

Afterward, President Yoon will attend a future generation lecture held at Keio University, a prestigious private university in Japan, with Japanese university students and Korean international students attending, and is scheduled to return home late in the afternoon on the 17th. At the lecture, President Yoon plans to encourage the future leaders of Korea-Japan relations and create an opportunity to broaden consensus for expanding exchanges between the two countries.

First Lady Kim Keon-hee, accompanying President Yoon on his visit to Japan, is reportedly discussing having a friendly time making wagashi (Japanese sweets) with Mrs. Kishida Yuko. The two ladies first met at the G20 summit held in Indonesia in November last year. It is also reported that First Lady Kim will meet with the famous Japanese architect Ando Tadao. The two became acquainted when Kim, as CEO of Kobana Contents in 2016, planned the exhibition “Le Corbusier, the Father of Modern Architecture.”