Japan: PonteSud – Anita Bosman
Lee Jae-myung, ushering in the nation’s first liberal government since 2022. Lee took the oath of office at the National Assembly on Wednesday. The 21st president of South Korea pledged to uphold the Constitution, protect the country and pursue peaceful unification of the homeland. Lee also promised to promote individual freedom, public welfare and the development of national culture. He vowed to fulfill his presidential duties with sincerity.
The new president later delivered a speech in which he said he would strengthen trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan based on Seoul’s bilateral alliance with Washington.
Lee also said relations with neighboring countries would be approached from a pragmatic perspective derived from national interests. Regarding North Korea, Lee said he would respond to nuclear and military provocations with strong deterrence grounded in the US-South Korea military alliance. But he also said he will open channels of communication with the North and work toward peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation.
Earlier in the day, Lee spoke by phone with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who briefed him on North Korea’s recent military activities. Lee instructed the top military official to ensure a fully prepared and seamless defense posture based on the US-South Korea alliance. Lee garnered 49.42% of votes, while Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party took 41.15%.
South Koreans have high hopes of the new president. A man in his 70s said: “The final result was expected since former President Yoon Suk-yeol made the wrong decision by declaring martial law. I hope the new president will do his job well for the next five years. In particular, I would like to see the implementation of his economic pledges.”
A woman in her 30s said, “I hope the new president will listen to the voices of the people and implement policies that benefit them.” She also hopes Lee will also enact policies aimed at young people, as he pledged to do in his campaign.
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru sent Lee a congratulatory message on Wednesday morning. He said Japan and South Korea are important neighbors and should work together as partners on various challenges facing the international community.
The prime minister pointed out that the importance of relations between Japan and South Korea remains unchanged in the current strategic environment. He also said that trilateral cooperation with the US is essential. Ishiba added that Tokyo hopes to enhance ties with Seoul. He noted that they have continued to evolve since the countries normalized relations in 1965.
The prime minister said Japan hopes that communication between the two governments will be promoted and interactions between Japanese and South Korean nationals will be valued so bilateral ties can move forward in a stable manner.
Japan in the past has had a difficult relationship with South Korea. Former conservative President Lee Myung-bak, who took office in 2008, initially expressed an intention to improve relations with Japan. But as people in South Korea became increasingly critical of Japan’s interpretation of historical issues, he gradually took a hardline stance. Toward the end of his term in 2012, Lee went ahead with a visit to the Takeshima Islands. The move soured diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Seoul.
South Korea controls the islands. Japan claims them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan’s territory. It says South Korea is illegally occupying them. The Japan-South Korea relationship remained largely static under the next conservative leader, President Park Geun-hye, who began her term in 2013.
It was agreed in 2015 that Japan would contribute one billion yen to a foundation set up by the South Korean government to support those referred to as wartime comfort women. Park and then Prime Minister Abe Shinzo confirmed the issue of comfort women was resolved “finally and irreversibly.”
Liberal Moon Jae-in assumed the presidency in 2017 after Park was impeached. After that the bilateral relationship took a downward turn. In 2018, South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled that a Japanese company should pay compensation over the issue of wartime labor during the Pacific War.
In response, the Japanese government said a 1965 bilateral agreement had already settled the issue of the right to seek compensation when the two countries normalized ties. Tokyo requested that Seoul correct the situation, which it viewed as a violation of international law.
The move prompted civic groups in South Korea to promote a boycott of Japanese products. Relations turned around after conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in 2022. He emphasized improving ties with Japan. Yoon presented a solution on the issue of wartime labor. He opened dialog with then Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, and resumed shuttle diplomacy, with mutual visits by the two leaders.
The Japanese government plans to cautiously observe Lee’s foreign policy as he has taken tough positions on Japan in the past. During his campaign, Lee stressed he will focus on cooperation with Japan and the two countries’ relations with the US.
Some in the Japanese government think Lee will not drastically change bilateral relations with Tokyo because of East Asia’s challenging security environment. Others, however, feel Lee may take a tougher stance given his record of criticizing Japan on bilateral issues. Officials will work to arrange a summit between Ishiba and Lee at an early date on the sidelines of an international conference.
