Yoon Sang-hyun "G8, Member Countries' Consent Needed... The Day to Join Is Not Far"

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who attended the Group of Seven (G7) summit as an observer, held a series of bilateral talks with the leaders of each country. In response to the ruling party's evaluation of this as a 'psychological G8,' Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party and former chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, also positively assessed the possibility of inclusion in the G8, stating that "South Korea's economic and diplomatic power is sufficient to be part of the G7 and G8 countries."

On the 22nd, Yoon said on YTN's "News King Park Ji-hoon" program, "If we continue to participate in international meetings like this from time to time, the day when we enter the G8 is not far off."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He said, "In 2020, President Trump already advocated for including South Korea in the G7. South Korea's economic power is at a similar level to countries like Italy, the United Kingdom, and Canada, which are part of the G7," adding, "However, to join the G8, the unanimous consent of all existing member countries is required." Although South Korea's level is already comparable to the G7, it has not become part of the G8 due to the lack of consent from existing members.

Yoon evaluated the significance of this G7 diplomatic move as the "restoration of the trilateral summit among South Korea, the United States, and Japan." He said, "The South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit was held at the NATO summit last June after President Yoon's inauguration, again at the ASEAN meeting in Phnom Penh last November, and also at this G7 summit. During the Moon Jae-in administration, the trilateral summit did not function due to North Korean issues, but now the trilateral summit has been fully restored. This seems to be a meaningful development."

Regarding the visit of the South Korean and Japanese leaders to the Hiroshima atomic bomb victim memorial, he said, "In just one year, South Korea-Japan relations have almost completely normalized," and added, "The opposition parties often belittle this, but I want to emphasize the decisive aspect of the president's leadership in this matter."

However, he emphasized that Japan has not yet "filled half of the glass." He said, "We filled half of the glass on March 16. Originally, the president announced a solution to the forced labor issue on March 6, and on March 16, he visited Japan. At that time, Foreign Minister Park Jin said, 'We have filled half of the glass, so fill the other half.' However, Japan is supposed to fill half, but has Japan filled its half? Not yet. There needs to be a more sincere and concrete apology regarding the forced labor historical issue."