[News analysis] With the US on Japan’s side, time for a S. Korean diplomatic reset?

Posted on : 2015-05-01 16:49 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The US is voicing no objection to Abe’s historical revision, and could draw South Korea into isolation and arms race
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With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrapping up his trip to the US without adopting a forward-looking attitude toward historical issues, cracks are showing in the assumptions of President Park Geun-hye’s strategic approach to foreign policy. Experts argue that South Korea must reset its approach to foreign policy so that it can avoid being isolated as the US sides with Japan on historical issues and defense cooperation.

Abe’s address to a joint session of US Congress on May 29 is being taken as a glib declaration of his unwillingness to give up his tendency toward historical revisionism. The problem is that the US government seems to have little intention of putting the brakes on Abe’s regression on historical issues.

In an interview with Kyodo News immediately after Abe addressed Congress, US Vice President Joe Biden said the speech was "very, very tactful and meaningful."

"I thought he made it very clear that there was responsibility on Japan's part,” Biden said.

Biden sided with Abe, ignoring criticism about what was missing from his address - it only contained a calculated apology about the War in the Pacific with the US, omitting an honest apology about Japan’s aggression against Asian countries and the issue of the comfort women.

And in Congress, while a few representatives asked for a clear apology and expressed their deep disappointment after the address, this did not lead to real action such as a boycott of the speech.

The American attitude ultimately leads one to ask whether the South Korean diplomatic strategy about historical issues - moving the US to push Japan to settle its historical accounts - isn’t working any longer. Experts suggest that, now that it is clear that the US has sided with Japan, South Korea needs to revise its diplomatic approach to the US.

“The US may be taking Japan’s side, but that doesn’t mean we have to compete with Japan over who is more loyal to the US,” said Moon Chung-in, a professor at Yonsei University. “Now, we need to have a ‘cooling off period’ with the US. President Park Geun-hye should also cancel the trip she is scheduled to make to the US this year.”

These remarks suggest that it’s time for South Korea to reassess its strategy of attempting to gain an edge in its relations with Japan by catering to the US.

There are even some who are calling for a reassessment of the US-led system of military cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan. Since trilateral cooperation in this area is top priority for the US, it has been putting pressure on South Korea, pushing it to start cooperating and stop dallying because of historical issues with Japan.

But there are concerns that the very idea of trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan could ultimately increase tensions in the region and drag South Korea into an unnecessary arms race.

“Military unity among South Korea, the US, and Japan is an obstacle to stability on the Korean peninsula. This would only strengthen North Korea’s commitment to nuclear armament,” said Lee Hye-yeong, a professor at Chung-Ang University.

There are also some who think that South Korea should be looking to move away from a pro-American approach to foreign policy.

“If the US and Japan refuse to play ball, South Korea can look for diplomatic alternatives with China and Russia,” said Kim Chang-rok, professor at Kyungpook National University.

Others argue that South Korea needs to improve relations with North Korea and change US-centered approach so that it can seize the initiative in changing the status quo in the region.

Others are arguing for the need to reconsider the “two track” strategy, which isolates problems of the past from other areas such as security, economics, society, and culture in South Korea’s relations with Japan.

According to this argument, since defense cooperation, which is predicated on Japan developing a more powerful military, is inextricably tied to historical issues like its imperial past and territorial issues such as Dokdo, these issues should be linked together until Japan has dealt with its past once and for all.

By Gil Yun-hyung, Tokyo correspondent and Kim Oi-hyun, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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