3-Day, 2-Night Japan Visit Diplomacy Severely Criticized
"Diplomacy Beyond Generosity, Merely a Sidekick"
The Democratic Party of Korea harshly criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol's diplomatic efforts during his visit to Japan, including the recently concluded Group of Seven (G7) summit on the 21st, saying it fell short of "generous diplomacy" and amounted to mere "supporting role diplomacy."
Democratic Party spokesperson Kang Sun-woo stated in a briefing that "President Yoon, who attended the G7 summit, did not highlight his presence on the multilateral diplomatic stage but rather was reduced to an 'extra'."
Kang criticized, "This shadowed, supporting role diplomacy calls for a sober recognition of the harsh realities of diplomacy. The Blue House heavily promoted the Korea-Japan and Korea-US-Japan summits during the G7 summit period, but the results were hollow."
He further condemned, "Japan promoted the safety of Fukushima-sourced ingredients by serving Fukushima-produced dinner wine, but President Yoon remained silent on the issues of Fukushima contaminated water and seafood, remaining a supporting actor in Japan's Fukushima promotion."
President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit, arrived at Hiroshima Airport in Japan on the 19th and are disembarking from Air Force One. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Regarding the Korea-Japan summit, Kang said, "It did not deviate from expectations," and criticized, "There was no sign of awareness of the public's criticism calling it 'submissive diplomacy.'"
He added, "By discussing the smooth operation of the Korea-Japan Future Partnership Fund, the administration refused to reflect on submissive diplomacy," raising his voice, "What good does it do for national interests to turn a deaf ear to the people's voices and only make concessions to Japan?"
He also downplayed the Korea-US-Japan summit, saying, "It cannot even be called a summit," and "It was just a short meeting with promises to meet again."
He pointed out, "There is serious concern that the close movements of Korea, the US, and Japan might act as a signal that further escalates tensions in Northeast Asia."
Spokesperson Kang further stated, "President Yoon's naive perception of the international situation is casting Korea's presence into a dark shadow," and added, "The shame belongs to the people."
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