Japanese Media: "No President as Approachable as Yoon... Concerns Over North Korea and China's Military Provocations"

Since President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on the 3rd, Japanese media, which have been closely reporting on developments in Korea, covered the news of the impeachment motion's passage on the front pages of their morning newspapers on the 15th. They analyzed that with President Yoon, who had pursued pro-Japanese policies, suspended from office and political turmoil prolonged, the Japanese government is increasingly likely to reconsider its diplomatic strategy. They also expressed concerns that the Korea-Japan and Korea-US-Japan cooperative framework built so far could be shaken.

On the 14th, the day of the National Assembly vote on the second impeachment motion to suspend President Yoon Suk-yeol's duties, the entrance to the Presidential Office is visible behind the barrier at the Yongsan War Memorial. Photo by Yonhap News

Mainichi Shimbun introduced remarks from a ruling Liberal Democratic Party official who said, keeping in mind the Constitutional Court’s decision to impeach President Yoon and the early presidential election that would follow, "There has never been a Korean president who responded so reliably to Japan’s requests as President Yoon." It also reported that within the Japanese government, there are opinions such as "If a progressive government comes to power, Korea might shift the goalposts again on historical issues."

Furthermore, it noted that the phrase "persisted in a bizarre Japan-centered diplomatic policy," which had been included in previous impeachment drafts, was deleted in the motion passed the day before. It analyzed that "since the Democratic Party of Korea has criticized President Yoon’s diplomacy toward Japan, the Japanese government is carefully avoiding statements that could be perceived as 'defending President Yoon' or 'interfering in domestic affairs.'" Indeed, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has repeatedly emphasized the importance of Korea-Japan relations in general terms, saying after the martial law situation, "We are watching with serious concern."

Some Japanese media pointed out that pressure for the Japanese government to reconsider its diplomatic strategy could intensify. Yomiuri Shimbun analyzed, "In line with the 60th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic relations next year, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was quietly considering inviting President Yoon to Japan as a state guest," but added, "It has become a difficult political situation to realize this, which would have been the first state visit by a Korean president in about 20 years, intended to demonstrate strengthened relations both domestically and internationally."

Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) also reported, "With the passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon, Korea-Japan diplomacy has effectively come to a halt," and "While relations had been improved by leveraging communication between the leaders, concerns are growing that the situation will regress to a severe state."

On the 14th, ahead of the second impeachment vote against President Yoon Suk-yeol, participants from the National Farmers' Association carried a coffin-shaped sculpture and passed in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, during a rally urging impeachment. Photo by Heo Young-han

Japanese media also forecast that the trilateral cooperation system among Korea, the US, and Japan is becoming uncertain, and that if a power vacuum arises, North Korea and China might engage in military provocations. Yomiuri explained, "The Korea-US-Japan alliance has strengthened security cooperation with not only North Korea but also China in mind," adding, "What is worrisome for the time being is the impact on the China strategy."

In particular, with Donald Trump, who was reluctant about multilateral cooperation, set to take office next month, it is expected that the Korea-US-Japan alliance could face a critical moment depending on the situation in Korea. The newspaper pointed out that the Korea-China-Japan summit meeting was held again in May after four years, creating a dialogue atmosphere with China, and that the new chair country, Japan, had planned to hold a trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting early next year followed by a Korea-China-Japan summit in spring, but has now encountered obstacles.

Nikkei also reported, "There is a view that if Korea-Japan relations deteriorate, China will strengthen its individual responses to both countries to separate them from the US."

Meanwhile, Asahi Shimbun, in an editorial article on the martial law and subsequent impeachment crisis, pointed out, "At the root is the social division caused by intense ideological confrontation between conservatives and progressives in Korean politics," and added, "The influence of social media, which further intensifies this, is significant, and Japan is not exempt from this issue." It went on to say, "Excluding opposing opinions by force is not politics," and "We want to take this opportunity to remind ourselves of that point."