[Editorial] Abe must respond proactively to Moon’s letter

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon before a Blue House Cabinet meeting on Aug. 13. (Blue House photo pool)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon before a Blue House Cabinet meeting on Aug. 13. (Blue House photo pool)

According to Japanese media reports, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, who is scheduled to visit Japan on Oct. 22 to attend the imperial enthronement, has announced plans to “deliver a letter from South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.” If the reports are accurate, Lee appears likely to deliver Moon’s letter in person after the ceremony during a meeting with Abe on Oct. 24.

Hopefully, Lee’s Japan visit and presentation of Moon’s letter will mark a new turning point toward easing the tensions in relations between the two sides. With Moon going to these lengths in expressing his intent to pass a letter along to Abe, we also hope the Japanese government will respond favorably and proactively to his efforts to improve ties.

To say South Korea-Japan relations are at an all-time low would be an understatement. Tokyo adopted trade control measures against South Korea in retaliation for a Supreme Court ruling ordering compensation for forced labor conscription; in response, Seoul informed Japan that it was pulling out their General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). A conflict with its roots in historical issues has been spilling over from the realms of economy and trade to negatively impact the areas of foreign affairs and national security as well.

Under the circumstances, it’s encouraging to see a window for dialogue recently opening up between the two sides with Lee’s scheduled visit for the emperor’s enthronement. Abe has also been showing a notably more conciliatory attitude that the past, calling South Korea an “important neighbor” and insisting that we “can’t go without dialogue indefinitely” while attending a meeting of the House of Councillors budget committee a few days ago.

Lee’s planned delivery of Moon’s level appears likely to further fuel this conciliatory climate. While the Blue House and Office of the Prime Minister have cautiously maintained that the plans for the letter’s delivery are not definite, the way Lee has talked about it suggest that he will be personally conveying a message in some form or another from Moon about improving bilateral relations.

To be sure, the issues in play at South Korea-Japan relations are not so simple that they can be resolved through a single meeting between prime ministers or the delivery of one letter. The differences in attitudes on the forced conscription issue remain large between the two sides. Abe continues to hold the South Korean government responsible for the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter, insisting that it should “abide by a promise between countries according to international law.”

No matter how important South Korea-Japan relations may be, we cannot allow ourselves to make a deal that undercuts the gist of the Supreme Court ruling. But with this hard-won opening in the window for dialogue, the government needs to look from every angle to find a way of reaching common ground with Japan. Seoul has stated that it does not intend to insist on the current “1+1 approach,” which involves compensating conscription survivors from funds contributed by South Korean and Japanese companies. Japan also needs to show a more active willingness to negotiate now.

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