The Yoon Suk Yeol administration could make better use of its recent deal on Korean victims who suffered Japan’s forced labor during its rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910-45, if it addresses a split public directly, expert said Tuesday amid growing skepticism Yoon invited the wrong kind of closure. The two-day summit between Yoon and his Japanese counterpart that ended Friday in Tokyo reaffirmed Yoon’s March 6 proposal. It breaks down to delaying the pursuit of a specific apolog

Foreign Affairs March 20, 2023

Despite the latest deal with Japan meant to end a historical dispute over forced labor, the Yoon Seok Yeol administration is facing a public backlash as the division deepens over whether Yoon has ushered in the right kind of closure. Some experts say the president may just have done so, as South Korea in the long-term can claim the “moral high ground” on the issue. In a potential move against a 2018 Korean court ruling holding Japanese companies liable for damages to Korean victims o

Foreign Affairs March 19, 2023

North Korea launched yet another ballistic missile toward the sea between South Korea and Japan on Sunday, while South Korea and the United States staged their annual joint military exercises aimed at dismantling the isolated country’s nuclear arsenal. The United Nations Security Council, a 15-member body that includes five countries with veto powers, is expected to discuss the matter Monday, though issuing a UNSC presidential statement condemning the launch is highly unlikely given potent

North Korea March 19, 2023

The Japanese companies held liable for damages by a 2018 South Korean court ruling for forcing Koreans to provide labor during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula will not be asked to reimburse Korean company funds used for such compensation. President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida both publicly denied speculation that Seoul would go after the Japanese firms to enforce the plan after compensating the Korean victims on its own, largely because Tokyo refuse

Politics March 16, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol said he expects Japan to roll out actions commensurate with its recently renewed commitment to a forward-looking South Korea-Japan relationship built on a past apology for its 1910-45 rule of the Korean Peninsula. Yoon flew to Japan on Thursday for a two-day summit. In a joint interview with major Japanese newspapers Thursday, Yoon said the March 6 decision to use Korean company funds to compensate Korean victims forced to work for Japanese companies during the colonial p

Politics March 16, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to lead one of the plenary sessions at the Summit for Democracy, a US-led meeting of democratic countries united against authoritarian rule, will raise South Korea’s international profile as a leading democracy committed to peace, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday. US President Joe Biden has invited Yoon to chair a session held on March 29 -- the first day of the two-day gathering where world leaders will virtually discuss advancing human r

Foreign Affairs March 14, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed officials to come up with projects aimed at bolstering relations with Japan, ahead of the two-day summit starting Thursday with his Japanese counterpart in Tokyo. The push for closer ties is meant to foster a “future-oriented Seoul-Tokyo relationship,” Yoon’s office said Monday. Yoon’s remarks came at a time when South Korea is looking to use the recent thaw in ties not only to build on the momentum for cooperation, but to also strengthe

Politics March 13, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol doubled down on bolstering extended deterrence, a US pledge to use all resources including nuclear weapons to deter and respond to attacks on its allies, amid deepening Seoul-Washington ties to counter North Korea’s nuclear threats The two allies are pursuing a more united front on Pyongyang, as they return to full-scale military exercises Monday following a five-year hiatus meant to give room for diplomacy on North Korea’s denuclearization. The efforts had yi

Politics March 10, 2023

South Korea is anticipating a potential visit this year by Chinese President Xi Jinping or at least big senior-level exchanges between the two countries, a senior Foreign Ministry official in Seoul said Friday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the topic, said outside factors like pandemic travel curbs had prevented senior Seoul-Beijing exchanges, dismissing speculation that the two countries are at odds over policy. In late February, China said it does not a

Foreign Affairs March 10, 2023

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration will resume regular military intelligence sharing with Japan depending on how a recent thaw in ties unfolds, a senior official at Yoon’s office said Thursday, ahead of a two-day summit starting Thursday next week between Yoon and his Japanese counterpart. The South Korean leader is seeking to use the opportunity to make stronger three-way ties with Japan and the US to fend off North Korea’s nuclear threats. But the General Security of Military Informa

Foreign Affairs March 9, 2023

Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon highlighted the need to ensure the safety of contaminated water to be released from Japan’s destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant, at a meeting with Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to Lee’s ministry. In a ministry statement released Wednesday, Lee asked the director-general of the UN nuclear watchdog to continue communicating closely with South Korea and other countries affected by the discharge into the P

Foreign Affairs March 8, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to meet with his Japanese and US counterparts as early as next week and next month, respectively, as the South Korean leader seeks stronger three-way ties he says are required to counter global challenges, the biggest of which involves containing North Korea. For a summit with Japan, Yoon’s office has yet to reveal the exact date, saying it was “closely looking at options.” Japanese news agency Kyodo News said the meeting will take place Thursday

Politics March 7, 2023

South Korea said Monday it will compensate Korean victims forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II while awaiting Japanese participation in a potential fund meant to bolster ties, a decision that comes as Seoul looks to project global power by moving beyond a regional rivalry. The settlement, revealed by Foreign Minister Park Jin, is a “practical compromise” in the face of Japan’s refusal to recognize Korea’s 2018 Supreme Court ruling holding Japanese com

Foreign Affairs March 6, 2023

South Korea and Japan have reached a compromise settling a decadesold dispute over apologizing to and compensating Korean laborers forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II, sources said Sunday. Under the arrangement Seoul will cover the cost of compensating workers while Tokyo pays into a proposed fund aimed at expanding bilateral exchanges. The settlement, which comes 4 1/2 years after Japan refused to recognize Korea’s 2018 Supreme Court decision holding the Japanese lia

Foreign Affairs March 5, 2023

South Korea needs Japan on its side as a partner to elevate its own global status, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday, as he looked to move beyond the constraints of their historical disputes dating to Tokyo’s 1910-45 rule of the Korean Peninsula. The speech, made to mark Independence Movement Day, laid out a clear blueprint of how Seoul will handle relations with Tokyo in the context of a three-way coalition that includes the US -- the chief ally of both Korea and Japan. The trilatera

Politics March 1, 2023