Moon decides not to visit Japan

Jul 20, 2021, 09:10 am

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President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga/ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Lee Jang-won

President Moon Jae-in has decided not to visit Japan on the occasion of the Tokyo Olympics. Differences of opinions on the agenda for the possible Korea-Japan summit and a Japanese minister’s ‘reckless remarks’ seem to have influenced Moon’s decision. As the first summit between President Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has been delayed, the pending issues between the two countries are expected to remain unsolved.

“President Moon has decided not to visit Japan,” Park Soo-hyun, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication, said in a briefing on Monday. Cheong Wa Dae has been keeping open the possibility of Moo visiting Japan until early Monday morning. “The president needs to think about taking a lonely path as president. He is trying to take a better path than an easy one,” Park said. However, the summit was canceled eventually.

Regarding Moon’s decision, Park said, “The consultations produced a significant level of mutual understanding, but the extent of the progress was deemed still insufficient to indicate an accomplishment at the summit talks. Besides, other circumstances were comprehensively considered.” The “other circumstances” seem to refer to inappropriate comments made recently by Hirohisa Soma, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy, regarding Moon Jae-in’s efforts to improve bilateral ties.

Regarding Soma’s remarks, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato expressed strong regret Monday, saying the remarks by Soma were “very inappropriate.” Some Japanese media outlets reported some measures to dismiss Soma, however no action has been taken to convince the South Korean government. “It is hard to tolerate Soma’s reported comments. Following the related report, the internal mood of Cheong Wa Dae turning skeptical,” a Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters.

Cheong Wa Dae also considered critical public sentiment and the fact that the political community, both the ruling and the opposition blocs, demanded appropriate measures from Japan. Some Japanese media outlets even committed diplomatic disrespect, reporting President Moon’s visit to Japan as if it were a known fact. Previously, the South Korean foreign ministry protested as some details of the coordination between diplomatic authorities were leaked to some Japanese media outlets.

Besides, Cheong Wa Dae believes that no sincere response in relation to the pending issues between the two countries was expected from Suga even if Moon met with Suga. The South Korean government has openly set a guarantee of making meaningful accomplishments in summit talks as a precondition for Moon’s visit, however the Japanese side has not given a definitive answer. At one time, there was an expectation that Japan would lift its export restrictions against South Korea in exchange for keeping the Seoul-Tokyo intelligence-sharing pact, known as GSOMIA (General Security of Military Information Agreement), but the Japanese side did not reportedly give a positive answer.

However, Cheong Wa Dae expressed hope that Japan will host the Olympics successfully, saying, “As the Tokyo Olympics is a peaceful festival for all people around the world, we hope that Japan will host it safely and successfully.” A senior Cheong Wa Dae official said, “Hwang Hee, minister of culture, sports and tourism, is expected to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games as head of the South Korean government’s delegation.”

#Moon Jae-in #Japan #Yoshihide Suga #Tokyo Olympics #summit