Korea history
Japanese officials have written off the Moon government and place their hopes on a conservative government coming to power next year in South Korea.īoth Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and President Moon are weakened politically and their room to maneuver is even less than previously. The Japanese government has indeed offered a cold response to the Korean signals, arguing that they first need to see actions to shut down the legal challenges over comfort women and forced laborers. Senior Korean officials have gone out their way to tell their American counterparts that it is the Japanese who are holding up any progress. The South Korean government of President Moon Jae-in has been signaling some flexibility and interest in improving relations. The recent decision of the Seoul Central District Court to dismiss a suit by Korean victims of wartime sexual servitude, so-called military comfort women, has generated some hopes that both governments might find a route out of the current impasse. So far, however, there is no evidence of serious talks on the history issues. officials are pushing Korea and Japan to make real progress in restoring working relations, even to resolve the issues of wartime history that continue to plague their relations. extracts ritual statements of support for trilateral coordination, and holds meetings of senior officials, focused on forging a joint response to North Korea, and hopefully China. The administration’s North Korea policy, nearing the end of its review, depends in part on the three countries lining up together. That cooperation is a key piece of the Biden administration’s broader strategy to confront China. In meeting after meeting, American officials from the President on down are preaching the importance of trilateral cooperation between the United States and its two key allies in Northeast Asia. Inside the Biden administration, there is a deepening frustration over what is described as a “painful” breakdown of relations between Japan and South Korea.