Evaluation and Suggestions for Improvement of Korea-Japan Relations

Chang Soo Jin

jincs@sejong.org

Director of Center for Japanese Studies

The Sejong Institute

■ Evaluation of the Korea-Japan Summit in May

 ❍ The Korea-Japan Summit is the first step toward moving from the past to the future

 ❍ First, a strategy to change the current pattern of Korea-Japan relations

 ❍ Second, the younger generation under the age of 29 considers Korea-Japan relations more positive than those in their 30s and 40s

 ❍ Third, Japan's Kishida's response to President Yoon: A three-point set of diplomacy

   1) 'Heartbreaking' over issues toward forced conscription victims

   2) Attending to Memorial Monument of Korean Atomic Bomb Victims at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

   3) Participation of the Korean inspection team in Fukushima contaminated water (treated water in Japan)

 ❍ Improving Korea-Japan relations is the process of piling a 'small step forward'

■ Significance of Improvement of Korea-Japan Relations

 ❍ First, Shuttle Diplomacy Restored After 12 years

 ❍ Second, the Normalization of Korean Diplomacy

 ❍ Third, Cooperation Between Korea and Japan is a Positive Game, not a Zero-Sum game in International Society

■ Task of Korea-Japan relations

 ❍ First, we also need to embrace our position toward Japan and be confident.

 ❍ Second, Diversed Korea-Japan relations through small multilateral International Cooperation

 ❍ Third, boost the speed and expand the scope for future cooperation

 ❍ Past history must be managed, profits should be expanded, and strategies should be shared and promote cooperation. And Korea and Japan should work together in the future to set an example in Northeast Asia​