South Korean president to visit Japan as part of rapprochement to resolve old differences

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeolwill travel to Japan from this Thursday to meet the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, in a moment of bilateral approach thanks to the dispute resolution plan on the victims of Japanese colonialism.

Yoon will be in Japan until the 17th and is expected to arrive in Tokyo on Thursday morning and hold a bilateral summit with Kishida in the afternoon of that same day.

His visit will be the first by a South Korean president to Japan since late 2011, and comes after Seoul last week unveiled a agreed plan with Tokyo to compensate those enslaved by Japanese companies during the The Second World War.

“This trip is an important step forward for bilateral relations and that the two countries can move together towards the future instead of clashing over the past.said Yoon in an interview published Wednesday by the Japanese News Agency. Kyodo.

Yoon also emphasized his intention to engage with Kishida “as often as necessary, without restriction of formalities or timeand that he expects collaboration with the country in order to resolve some of its historical quarrels.

The aforementioned plan marks a significant shift in the bilateral relationsdeteriorated since the 2018 decision of the South Korean Supreme Court which recognized the right to compensation for 15 South Koreans forced to work without pay for two Japanese companies during the Japanese occupation of the peninsula.

The proposal to compensate those affected, however, has drawn criticism from some victims or their families, as well as from South Korean society, as it is based primarily on a fund financed with money from South Korean and non-Japanese companies.

According to a recent survey published by the analysis company GallupAnd 59% of South Koreans would be against this compensation systemwhile a further 64% consider that “there is no urgency” when it comes to improving relations with the neighboring country.

Japan, for its part, regards this visit as “important for take action to solve the problems of the international community”, according to what the Japanese government spokesman said on Wednesday, Hirokazu Matsuno.

“Since the birth of the Yoon government, close communication between the two countries has been maintained and we cooperate closely in the trilateral relationship with the United States in the areas of defense and strategy,” Matsuno added.

Ties between neighboring countries hit their lowest point in decades under the South Korean president’s previous liberal government. Moon Jae-in. Relations are expected to improve under the Yoon administration, which has ensured that the two countries are able to address “past and future issues” simultaneously.

After the summit and a joint press conference scheduled for Thursday in Tokyo, the two leaders will dine on sukiyaki – very thinly sliced ​​veal cooked over low heat – and omurice – fried rice accompanied by a French omelette and very popular with Japanese children – in Tokyo’s exclusive Ginza district, according to local media reports.

Friday, Yoon will meet Yoshihide Sugaformer Japanese Prime Minister and future head of a multidisciplinary group to promote ties between Japan and South Korea, as well as Taro Aso, also a former Prime Minister and Vice Chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

On the same day, the South Korean president will meet with businessmen from both countries and give a lecture at Keio University in Tokyo to Japanese and Korean studies students, after which he will return to Seoul.

(With information from EFE)

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