S Korea's Lee praises partnership but urges Japan to face history
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday vowed to seek forward-looking, mutually beneficial cooperation with Japan while calling on the neighboring country to "squarely face up to" the "long and fraught" history the two countries share.
Speaking at a ceremony in Seoul to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of Japan's colonial rule, Lee said Japan is "an indispensable partner," though "unresolved" historical issues still leave some South Koreans suffering, without detailing such issues as forced labor during the colonial period.
In his first such Liberation Day speech since taking office in June, Lee pledged to hold frequent meetings and "frank dialogues" with Japan through "shuttle diplomacy" involving reciprocal visits by the two leaders, ahead of his two-day visit to Tokyo starting Saturday to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Courts in South Korea have ordered several Japanese companies to compensate South Korean plaintiffs over wartime forced labor. But the companies have rejected compensation, with the Japanese government claiming all historical issues stemming from its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula were settled under a 1965 treaty that normalized bilateral ties.
Lee, previously known for his tough stance on wartime issues, has adopted a pragmatic approach in diplomacy since being sworn-in and shown willingness to implement solutions from the former administration of Yoon Suk Yeol to compensate the plaintiffs through a government-backed fund, instead of urging involved Japanese firms to pay directly.
On Thursday, Lee said "comfort women" -- who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during the war -- have yet to enjoy freedom and peace of mind even though 80 years have passed since South Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule.
"I will do my utmost to fully restore the honor and dignity of the comfort women victims," Lee said in a video message during a government-sponsored event to remember the issue.
The comfort women issue has repeatedly soured relations between the two countries, even after they agreed to settle the matter "finally and irreversibly" in an accord in 2015.
That agreement was later invalidated by the liberal administration of then President Moon Jae In, with South Korean courts ruling in favor of women seeking compensation from the Japanese government.
Regarding North Korea, Lee emphasized his willingness to reduce tensions and restore trust. He stated that "everyone knows that long-drawn-out hostility benefits people in neither of the two Koreas," and that "peace is the foundation of a secure daily life."
He vowed to take gradual steps to restore a military accord with North Korea that was signed in 2018 by Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, to halt hostile military activity along the inter-Korean border. The agreement was partially suspended by Yoon.
As part of Lee's conciliatory approach, the South Korean military has not played any loudspeaker propaganda messages toward North Korea since June.
The South Korean military said last week that it confirmed North Korea has begun dismantling loudspeakers that are used to blast noise along the border. But North Korea denied this Thursday, with Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un and a senior ruling party official, saying Pyongyang has "no will" to improve ties with Seoul, in a statement carried by the state-run media.
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