Yoon and Kishida seek to transcend historical issues to normalize ties

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after a joint press conference following their summit at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

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By Nam Hyun-woo

The leaders of South Korea and Japan tried to look beyond historical disputes over wartime forced labor to achieve their "shared goal" of future-oriented bilateral ties, during a summit in Seoul, Sunday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his "heart aches" for South Korean victims who were forced to labor for Japanese companies during World War II. Those comments are viewed as Tokyo's response to conciliatory gestures Seoul made earlier to improve bilateral relations. However, Kishida did not offer a direct apology to the victims.

Kishida made those remarks after a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, where they pledged to normalize ties and establish future-oriented bilateral relations.

The prime minister was visiting Seoul in response to Yoon's trip to Tokyo in March, which was the first step in mending relations between the two countries that had deteriorated to one of the lowest levels in decades after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ordered two Japanese companies to compensate Korean victims of wartime forced labor.

"When Yoon visited Japan in March, I clearly stated that the Japanese government inherits on the whole the historical perceptions of past governments, including the 1998 Japan-South Korea joint declaration, and this position will remain unwavering in the future," Kishida said during a joint press conference after the summit, referring to the declaration in which then-Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi expressed remorse for the "horrendous damage and pain" Japan's colonial rule inflicted on the Korean people.

"My heart aches for those who had to work in harsh environments and went through difficult and sad experiences," he added.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their summit at the presidential office in Seoul, Sunday. AP-Yonhap

The remarks are interpreted as Tokyo's response to Seoul's earlier announcement, made before Yoon's March visit to Japan, of a plan to let a South Korean public foundation compensate the victims without the direct involvement of the responsible Japanese firms ― a plan that drew domestic criticism that the president was taking a submissive stance, while Tokyo is not showing reciprocal responses.

"I was deeply impressed that many people have opened their hearts for the future while recalling painful memories of the past, as efforts by the South Korean government continue regarding the proposed plan," Kishida said.

"There have been numerous historical events and circumstances between the two countries, but I believe it is my duty as the Japanese prime minister to work and cooperate with President Yoon and the South Korean side for the sake of a better future," he added.

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Kishida was expected to make sympathetic or comforting remarks during his visit to Seoul, rather than offering a direct apology for the forced labor issue, because Japan believes all wartime compensation issues were settled under a 1965 treaty between the two countries that normalized diplomatic relations.

Yoon also shared a similar view that the two sides should now look to the future.

"We should get away from the perception that we cannot take a single step forward toward future cooperation, just because historical issues have not been fully resolved," Yoon said, adding the third-party compensation plan is "the only resolution that meets the 1965 treaty and the 2018 Supreme Court ruling."

In another gesture marking a step forward, the two leaders agreed to jointly pay tribute to the Korean victims of the atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum during Yoon's planned visit to Japan later this month to participate in the Group of Seven meeting upon Kishida's invitation.

Fukushima wastewater inspection

They also agreed to send South Korean experts to Japan to inspect Tokyo's plan to release radioactive wastewater from the tsunami-destroyed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant ― an issue that drew concerns from South Korea and other neighboring countries over maritime safety.

"I hope that meaningful measures will be taken by taking into account South Koreans' demand for objective and science-based verification," Yoon said.

Kishida said the Japanese government believes it is important to accept an inspection by South Korean experts in order to "address the concerns of South Koreans."

During the summit, Yoon and Kishida agreed that the two countries should strengthen cooperation in responding to security, economic and other global issues, and recognized that improved Seoul-Tokyo relations will benefit people on both sides.

"Prime Minister Kishida and I share the recognition that North Korea's nuclear and missile development poses a significant threat not only to the Korean Peninsula and Japan, but also to global peace and stability," Yoon said. "In order to respond, we both agree that close communication and consultations, such as a trilateral summit (involving the U.S.) on the occasion of the upcoming Group of Seven Summit, are very important."

Yoon also said there is progress in talks for real-time sharing of North Korea's missile information between the three countries and that he and Kishida agreed to continue the trilateral security cooperation.

In doing so, Yoon said he does "not rule out" Japan's participation in a new Seoul-Washington Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), which was agreed between Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit last month to give South Korea more insight into how the U.S. plans and prepares for major contingencies. The NCG is anticipated to have repercussions across the three countries' relations with China, Russia and North Korea.

The summit marks an important turning point in relations between the two countries, as it signifies their mutual intention to normalize ties and strengthen cooperation in addressing the various challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region.

To showcase this intention, Kishida visited the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District before the summit and paid tribute to deceased South Korean patriots and independence fighters buried there.

This is the first time a Japanese prime minister has visited the cemetery since 2011, when former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda paid his respects.