Presidential Office Releases Additional Remarks from Previous Cabinet Meeting
Emphasizing Policy Marketing and "Response Tailored to the People"
President Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly said he was "envious" of the bipartisan efforts by the Japanese opposition parties to improve Korea-Japan relations during his recent visit to Japan.
A presidential office official stated at a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the afternoon of the 22nd, "After President Yoon met with the Constitutional Democratic Party in Japan, he told his aides that it seemed Japan was approaching the cooperation between the two countries in a bipartisan manner for the future of Korea-Japan relations and future generations. He said he was envious of that."
At that time, Masaharu Nakagawa, chairman of the Constitutional Democratic Party's Constitutional Affairs Committee, reportedly said, "I will soon visit Korea and meet with opposition lawmakers there to persuade them to work together for the future of Korea-Japan relations."
It was also reported that during the previous day's Cabinet meeting, President Yoon likened the discord between Korea and Japan to a "wall." President Yoon said, "Let's say there was a neighbor we had been getting along well with, but due to issues with water flow, we started building walls between us. If we don't tear down the walls, both sides will suffer, so should we just leave it as is?" He continued, "Rather than just waiting for the other side to tear down the wall, if I say 'Look at this' and tear it down first, the neighbor will see the sincerity and tear down their wall as well, allowing us to return to a good relationship."
President Yoon also emphasized the importance of 'policy marketing.' He said, "Policies are a kind of product; they need to be simple and explained from the other party's perspective," adding, "We need to respond in a way that the public can easily accept, matching the public's viewpoint."
Meanwhile, the presidential office dismissed Japanese media reports that Japanese lawmakers requested imports of Japanese sea squirts during President Yoon's visit to Japan, stating that "the word 'sea squirt' was never mentioned." A presidential office official said, "The article claims the word 'sea squirt' was mentioned, but the columnist who wrote that piece was not present at the scene, whereas I was," denying the claim. Regarding allegations that filming of the scene was blocked, the official drew a line, saying, "South Korean officials do not respond that way to allied countries."
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