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| President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the 104th anniversary of March 1 Independence Movement Day at Yu Gwan-sun Memorial Hall in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap |
Ball is now in Tokyo's court, diplomatic experts say
By Lee Hyo-jin
President Yoon Suk Yeol's speech addressing Japan as a "partner" is likely to expedite talks with Tokyo to reach a settlement on forced labor issues, according to diplomatic observers, Thursday. But the experts were cautious about giving a timeline on when the two countries will reach an agreement, stressing that the ball is now in Japan's court.
During his March 1 Independence Movement Day speech, Wednesday, Yoon addressed Japan as "a partner that shares universal values," in the latest of his government's gestures to improve relations with the neighboring country that have slumped to their worst level in recent years.
Yoon's call for a future-oriented partnership with Japan was unprecedented for a Korean president in a speech commemorating the 1919 uprising against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. Such rhetoric signals Yoon's determination to mend ties with Japan, especially concerning the forced labor issue, according to experts.
At the center of the years-long diplomatic tussle between Seoul and Tokyo is a 2018 Supreme Court ruling in Korea that ordered two Japanese businesses ― Mitsubishi Heavy and Nippon Steel ― to compensate Koreans who were forced to work in their factories during the colonial occupation. Both firms refused to comply with the ruling.
"The forced labor issue, if resolved, will serve as momentum in mending frayed ties with Japan and both governments are well aware of that," Lee Won-deog, a professor of Japanese studies at Kookmin University, told The Korea Times.
"In that sense, with Yoon's March 1 speech, I would say Korea has done 90 percent of the work needed (to resolve the issue) and now the remaining 10 percent should be done by Japan," he said. "The president's remarks calling Japan a partner will positively affect the ongoing discussions."
Last month, the Korean government revealed a plan to launch a private foundation where Japanese firms can make voluntary donations to compensate victims of forced labor. But Japan has yet to give a positive response to the proposal.
Lee viewed that the Korean government seems to be hoping to reach a settlement on the forced labor issue by the end of March at the earliest, considering Yoon's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden slated for April and a G7 meeting in Hiroshima in May.
But at the same time, he commented that it remains to be seen whether Japan will give a "meaningful response" in the coming weeks.
"But even if Tokyo's response doesn't meet our government's expectations, there is a possibility that Korea will accept it for now and let the Japanese government make the firms join the foundation later," he said.
Choi Eun-mi, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, viewed that Yoon's speech could provide momentum to expedite discussions on the forced labor issue. But she was cautious about giving a timeline about the settlement.
"The ball is now in Japan's court," Choi said. "After the talks on forced labor issues began, Korea has devoted serious efforts to resolving the conflict, so it is time for Japan to give a sincere response that will hopefully satisfy Korea's public sentiment," she added.
However, speculation is rising that Tokyo may refuse Seoul's proposal to establish a private foundation to compensate the victims. According to the vernacular Chosun Ilbo daily, Thursday, Tokyo officials have concluded that the two Japanese firms will not participate in the fund.
But the Korean foreign ministry did not confirm the report, saying that "related talks between the two sides are ongoing."
"Discussions with Japan through various channels are ongoing, and thus it is not appropriate to comment on the report," a senior official told reporters during a closed-door briefing, Thursday.
The official also declined to give details on a Japanese senior diplomat's recent meeting with his Korean counterpart. Last weekend, Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general for Asian and Oceanian Affairs at Tokyo's foreign ministry, visited Seoul and is believed to have held talks with his Korean counterparts on the forced labor issue.
"The two sides have agreed not to disclose the details of the meeting," he said, in response to a query on whether Funakoshi's visit suggests the two governments will soon reach a settlement.
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