Two-Day Comprehensive Activities in Politics, Economy, Security, and Civil Exchanges
Export Regulation Lift and GSOMIA Restoration through Korea-Japan Summit
Yoon Emphasizes Restoring Relations with Japan for Future Generations
Attention on Whether Joint Declaration Will Include Advanced Expressions on Historical Issues
President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, First Lady Kim Keon-hee, returned home on the 17th after a 1-night, 2-day visit to Japan. Emphasizing "cooperation with future generations" as the purpose of this visit, President Yoon took the first step toward improving relations across all fields including economy, security, culture, and private exchanges, and it is evaluated that some achievements were made, such as lifting export restrictions on three semiconductor items and restoring the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).
The presidential couple arrived at Seongnam Seoul Airport around 7:56 p.m. on the same day. At Seoul Airport, Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, Kim Dae-gi, Chief Secretary, Lee Jin-bok, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Han Chang-seop, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, welcomed them.
President Yoon, dressed in a deep navy suit with a red tie, and First Lady Kim, wearing a black suit with a green blouse, held hands as they descended the aircraft stairs. President Yoon shook hands in order with Vice Minister Han Chang-seop, Leader Kim Ki-hyun, Floor Leader Joo Ho-young, Chief Secretary Kim Dae-gi, First Vice Minister Cho Hyun-dong, and Senior Secretary Lee Jin-bok, greeting them with "Thank you for your hard work" and "Well done."
Arriving in Japan the previous day for the Korea-Japan summit and other schedules, President Yoon first visited the Korean residents in Japan, emphasizing the will to restore Korea-Japan relations by saying, "Your unwavering affection and support for the homeland will be a great strength in creating a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship." President Yoon’s visit to the Korean residents in Japan before the summit with Prime Minister Kishida was intended to encourage the residents who have felt the strained relations between the two countries.
He then held a summit with Prime Minister Kishida and declared the restoration of shuttle diplomacy between the two heads of state for the first time in 12 years. Taking this summit as an opportunity, the two countries plan to progressively inherit the Kim Dae-jung?Obuchi Declaration and seek a developmental relationship through cooperation encompassing all fields such as economy, security, science and technology, culture, and future generations. At the joint press conference held immediately after the summit, President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida clearly stated their intention to quickly resolve existing conflicts such as the forced labor issue, export restrictions, and the Korea-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).
In particular, Prime Minister Kishida positively evaluated the South Korean government's announcement to compensate victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period through a third party. Prime Minister Kishida said, "Recently, the South Korean government announced measures related to the issue of former Korean Peninsula laborers," and added, "From the Japanese government's perspective, this measure is evaluated as an effort to restore Korea-Japan relations, which had been in a very serious state, to a sound relationship."
A senior official from the presidential office explained regarding Prime Minister Kishida’s succession of the Kim Dae-jung?Obuchi Declaration and third-party compensation, "He said that it inherits the statements of previous administrations. Within that, there is a meaning of apology," and added, "Furthermore, it expresses President Yoon’s strong will to resolve the issue with a new formula rather than an old one, with the intention of creating a new historical chapter considering the future generations of Korea-Japan relations."
On the 17th, President Yoon met with Korean and Japanese business leaders and promised, "The governments of both countries will spare no support so that you can exchange freely and create innovative business opportunities." President Yoon attended the Korea-Japan Business Roundtable held at Keidanren in Tokyo that afternoon and stated, "I met with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and discussed various cooperation measures for normalizing Korea-Japan relations, sharing the will to develop a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship."
This was the first time in 14 years that a Korean president attended a Korea-Japan economic event since the Korea-Japan Business Meeting held during President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Japan in June 2009. However, the expected joint attendance of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio did not materialize. Representatives from Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, defendants in the forced labor compensation lawsuits, also did not attend.
As the final schedule, President Yoon gave a lecture on future generations to Korean and Japanese university students at Keio University in Tokyo. Korean and Japanese university students entered their seats about an hour before the lecture began, and the venue was nearly full about 30 minutes prior. At this event, President Yoon said, "I am very honored to meet you at Keio Gijuku University, which has a tradition of practicality and openness, and to have the opportunity to talk with you not only about the meaning of this visit to Japan but also about the future that Korea and Japan should create together," adding, "This visit to Japan is very meaningful in itself as it is the closest neighboring country to Korea, and visiting it to normalize the previously uncomfortable bilateral relations."
The presidential office explained that during the subsequent Q&A session with Keio University students, President Yoon exchanged candid opinions about the concerns of Korean and Japanese university students regarding bilateral relations, the common interests of Korea and Japan, and the future of Korea-Japan economic cooperation.
Regarding Prime Minister Kishida’s expected visit to Korea around this summer, the key issue is whether there will be a progressive statement on historical issues and whether that position will be included in a Korea-Japan joint declaration. In the joint press conference announced the previous day, Prime Minister Kishida only repeated a passive expression of "inheriting the October 1998 declaration (Kim Dae-jung?Obuchi Declaration)."
It is also regrettable that the Korea-Japan summit was conducted without a joint declaration and only a joint press conference statement was read. However, the governments of both countries are forming a "preparatory committee" to coordinate, and the Korea-Japan joint declaration may include recognition of historical issues. If Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to Korea takes place within this year, it is expected to be after June. President Yoon is scheduled to visit the United States next month, and Prime Minister Kishida will hold elections in April and preside over the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima in May. Realistically, a reciprocal visit within one to two months is difficult, making a June visit the most likely.
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