On the 1st (local time), the US State Department welcomed President Seok-Yeol Yoon’s speech commemorating the March 1st Independence Movement as “very supportive”. Experts on the Korean Peninsula and the media in the US also evaluated it as “showing their will to make a breakthrough in Korea-Japan relations.”
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said on the same day, “President Yoon presented a vision for a more cooperative and future-oriented relationship with Japan based on common values.” Spokesman Price said, “Trilateral cooperation is very important to solve the challenges that the three countries will face in the 21st century. I applaud President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for their efforts to improve bilateral relations.” .
In response to President Yoon’s remarks in his March 1 commemorative speech, “Japan has changed from a militaristic aggressor in the past to a partner that shares universal values with us and cooperates in security, economy, and global agendas,” the US government has expressed great support for improving Korea-Japan relations. It shows expectations.
It is known that the US administration of Joe Biden has recently repeatedly delivered messages to improve relations between Korea and Japan. A key government official said, “The US side probably judges that improving relations between South Korea and Japan is a priority, whether to contain China or respond to North Korean missiles.” This means that South Korea-US-Japan cooperation can be recognized as a very important time to form a united front against China amid deepening tensions between the US and China and to respond to North Korea’s provocation of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The Biden administration is said to be considering economic and security cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan as a major agenda for the Korea-US summit, which is being discussed at the end of April. This official said, “It is true that the United States is trying to place great importance on the trilateral cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan.” If a Korea-Japan summit is to be held this month as the issue of compensation for forced labor during the Japanese occupation of Korea is negotiated between Korea and Japan, there is a high possibility that the Korea-U.S. summit will be held a month apart. In that case, the issue of cooperation between Korea, the US and Japan is likely to come to the fore in the meeting between the leaders of Korea and the US.
“President Yoon is demonstrating his fighting spirit to improve relations with Japan even though there is no reciprocation for cooperation to make a breakthrough in Korea-Japan relations,” Victor Cha, the Korean chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US think tank, tweeted on the same day. It is an invaluable benefit,” he emphasized.
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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.