Regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol’s speech commemorating the March 1st Independence Movement Day, Japanese media noted on the 2nd that while defining Japan as a partner sharing universal values, he did not mention a solution to the issue of forced labor during the Japanese colonial era, which the Korean government is rushing to deal with.
In an editorial on the 2nd, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) said, “It is meaningful and worthy of appreciation that the Japanese government dared to explain to the public the importance of cooperating with Japan at a time when nationalism is on the rise.” He urged that we should cooperate with the Yoon administration to resolve the issue of forced labor (?用工, Japanese expression for forced labor under the Japanese Empire) as soon as possible.”
The Nikkei said, “There is no room for Korea and Japan to growl. “The issue of conscripted workers and Japan’s export control measures need to be resolved as soon as possible to regain trust,” he said. is at its root, making it difficult to tie a knot. He pointed out that normalization of Korea-Japan relations will be a long way off if the current issues cannot be resolved even in the Yoon administration, which has set out to create future-oriented relations.”
Speaking to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, “Prime Minister Kishida stopped short of reiterating the idea of watching the efforts of the diplomatic authorities at the press conference.” He said, “It is time for the prime minister to exercise leadership to find a starting point for both Korea and Japan,” he said, “turning our eyes to the risk of prolonged confusion and digging into what Japan can do.”
The fact that the issue of forced labor was not directly mentioned was also reported by the Japanese media with interest.
The Mainichi Shimbun said, “South Korean President Seok-Yeol Yoon did not mention the issue of forced labor, the biggest pending issue in Korea-Japan relations, in his speech at the ceremony commemorating the March 1st Movement.” In the midst of this hurdle, (President Yoon) was thorough in’safe driving (safety driving?)’” he pointed out.
Mainichi also said, “President Yoon’s prudent attitude was clearly revealed with an exceptionally short speech time of about 5 minutes, which was shortened to about a quarter compared to the speech of former President Moon Jae-in last year.” It reflects the attitude of the Yoon administration toward improving Korea-Japan relations.”
The Asahi Shimbun said, “Amid the growing importance of security and economic cooperation between South Korea and Japan against the background of the conflict between the US and China and active military activities in North Korea, President Yoon advocated improving relations between South Korea and Japan, which deteriorated during the last administration, and focused on resolving the issue of forced labor. “(In the speech commemorating the March 1st Movement), there was no direct mention of resolving the issue of conscripted workers,” it reported.
It also gave meaning to the view of Japan as a ‘partner’ rather than a target of check or threat.
The Yomiuri Shimbun said, “In his speech commemorating the March 1st Independence Movement Day, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol defined Japan as a partner and imprinted the change in attitude of previous administrations toward Japan that put the historical issue of Korea and Japan at the forefront.” It is because of a sense of crisis about changes in the international situation, such as the growing threat of North Korea’s nuclear missiles.”
In addition, while introducing an expert analysis of “the message that anti-Japanese sentiment will not be used for political issues in the future,” the Japanese government is more active in responding to the “sincere response” demanded from the Japanese side in the ongoing discussion on the forced labor lawsuit issue. It was also interpreted as containing a message to move.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.