National Assembly speaker to meet Japanese P.M. on Monday
The prospect for improved relations between South Korea and Japan remains dim, as Tokyo pushes for a summit while keeping its unapologetic stance over its historical atrocities.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday to improve the deteriorating ties between the two countries by holding bilateral talks.
Abe sent his message to Park through Fukushiro Nukaga, a lawmaker who led a Japanese parliamentary delegation to South Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said. The delegation was in Seoul to attend a forum cohosted by lawmakers from both countries. It was Abe’s second offer for a summit less than a month. In late September, Abe sent a personal letter to Park, expressing hopes for a summit talk this fall.
While meeting the delegation, Park urged Japan to resolve historic disputes, particularly Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II.
The South Korean president said Tokyo should take measures to restore the honor of elderly women who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers, calling it “the first step for a new start in bilateral ties.”
“I believe it is important not to repeat retrogressing words and actions that hurt the hearts of the victims and the people to build trust and improve ties between the two countries,” she said.
Park has repeatedly demanded Japan show sincere attitude toward historic disputes as a prerequisite for a summit with Abe.
Her remark Friday was widely viewed as a rejection of Abe’s summit offer. The two leaders have not met one-on-one since Park took office early last year.
Some observers suggest there is little possibility of the two leaders holding a summit on sidelines of the APEC summit next month.
According to reports by Japanese media, Shotaro Yachi, Abe’s national security adviser, has already told Abe that it could be difficult to hold separate talks with Park in Beijing in November. Yachi was in Seoul last week to meet Park’s security adviser Kim Kwan-jin at Cheong Wa Dae, both vowing to improve bilateral relations to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties next year.
Both Park and Abe plan to attend the meeting, with leaders from countries in Asia and the Pacific Rim on economic cooperation and other regional issues. During the meeting, leaders of South Korea and China are scheduled to hold a summit. It remains unclear whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a separate meeting with Abe. Like Park, Xi has never met Abe in a separate meeting since he came to power.
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa left for Japan on Sunday for a three-day visit.
Expectations are growing on how Abe would respond to Park’s call for Japan’s atonement as condition for a summit. Chung who departed for Tokyo on the invitation of Japanese lawmakers, is scheduled to meet Abe on Monday afternoon.
By Cho Chung-un ()
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
