President Yoon Suk-yeol stated in an interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun regarding compensation for forced labor, "We have prepared a solution that will not lead to the exercise of the right of recourse even if the administration changes later." Kim Sook-hyun, senior researcher at the National Security Strategy Institute, described this as "a remark that shows the president's determination to prevent the use of Korea-Japan relations for domestic politics and his qualities as a leader."
On the 16th, Kim said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "The president's mention of a solution that does not lead to the exercise of the right of recourse is intended to give trust to Japan."
He pointed out that Japanese Prime Minister Kishida was the foreign minister during the 2015 Korea-Japan comfort women agreement, saying, "He is someone who has a significant trauma regarding Korea repeatedly reversing decisions or, so to speak, changing the goalposts. This remark can be seen as a message to such a prime minister and also as an attempt to provide a certain level of trust to Japan."
Kim added, "In particular, the forced labor issue should not be viewed solely from a diplomatic perspective between Korea and Japan but approached with a solution that matches our national dignity and is proactive in nature," and "It is a message that we will take the lead in addressing victim relief as a domestic issue."
In this summit, only a joint press conference will be held unusually, and no joint declaration will be made. The absence of a joint declaration also suggests that a practical agreement has not yet been reached. Kim explained that this was due to the tight schedule. He said, "A joint declaration is based on mutual trust between both sides, followed by extensive discussions, and then the declaration is announced. As you know, this summit is taking place just ten days after we announced the forced labor solution on March 6."
The summit also raises the possibility of restoring shuttle diplomacy between Korea and Japan. Kim said, "The restoration of shuttle diplomacy is possible. In fact, the most important part of this Korea-Japan summit is the restoration of shuttle diplomacy, which is a very important symbolic step toward the restoration of Korea-Japan relations."
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