[The Editors' Verdict] Restoration of Shuttle Diplomacy: The First Step Toward a New Korea-Japan Relationship

A convenience store I rushed to looking for earphones to use with my laptop. In a corner, a familiar brand of earphones hung modestly caught my eye. ‘Sony (SONY)’. For the older generation who spent their school days in the 1980s, Sony is remembered for the ‘Walkman’. The small and cute portable cassette player was an object of envy. Domestic electronics companies released products imitating the Walkman, but neither the design nor the quality could compare. To see ‘Sony’ casually hanging on a convenience store display stand is truly a sign of changing times.

The 1980s and 1990s were like that. Every Samiljeol (Independence Movement Day) and Gwangbokjeol (Liberation Day), people recalled the pain of Japanese colonial rule and shouted anti-Japan and extreme Japan sentiments, but on the other hand, ‘Made in Japan’ was an object of envy and desire. The ‘Elephant brand’ thermal rice cooker was like that for housewives traveling to Japan, and even Japanese mechanical pencils inside students’ pencil cases were like that.

Now, as time has passed, the world has changed. Samsung and LG TVs, which could not even make a name for themselves in the global market at the time, now lead the market as premium brands with the best technology, and Hyundai-Kia Motors, once known for ‘throwing away when broken,’ has entered the global top 3 automakers.

The dramatic change in the positions of Korean and Japanese companies is semiconductor technology. In the 1980s, Japanese semiconductors were the absolute leaders in the global market. In 1988, Japan accounted for 50.3% of global semiconductor market sales. Six companies including NEC, Toshiba, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and Matsushita ranked among the world’s top 10 semiconductor companies. However, after that, the Japanese semiconductor industry experienced a rapid decline. Elpida, a joint venture established by NEC, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi, went bankrupt in 2012, and Toshiba and Matsushita (now Panasonic) withdrew from the market. Samsung Electronics has since maintained an unshakable number one position in the memory semiconductor market.

The business community cites the historical uniqueness of Korea-Japan relations as one of the driving forces behind Korean companies overcoming Japan and growing into global top-tier players. The clear goal of “Japanese companies must be caught up with” became a momentum that allowed overcoming a significant technological gap in a short period.

On the 8th, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Korea, shuttle diplomacy between the two heads of state, which had been severed since 2011, was restored. As shown by the sharply divided evaluations in the political sphere immediately after the talks, views on the restoration of bilateral relations are complex and delicate. In particular, Prime Minister Kishida’s ‘personal thought’ that “I am heartbroken that many people suffered very painfully and sadly in harsh circumstances” raises doubts about the sincerity of reflection on historical issues.

However, as President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned, we cannot remain fixated on the past forever given the reality we face. The international situation surrounding us is not easy. In a situation where the global economic security alliance is rapidly being reorganized around the US and China, whether we like it or not, Korea and Japan must join hands for mutual benefit. In a situation where the US and China force a choice of sides, ‘strategic ambiguity’ is no longer effective.

As history proves, Korea-Japan relations are a relationship that cannot simply join hands naively, nor can they just turn their backs and ignore each other. Constant challenges and responses, as well as cooperation and checks, are inevitable. The important point is that the restoration of shuttle diplomacy is not an end in itself. It is only the first button for future-oriented relationship recovery. This is why premature criticism and excessive optimism must be guarded against.