South Korean President Lee Jae-myung makes a heart shape with both hands for South Koreans gathered in a public square after his June 4 inauguration. (©Yonhap via Kyodo)
There is a Japanese saying, looking for bones in tofu. I'm not deliberately trying to pick faults with the new South Korean President, Lee Jae-myung, who has recently made a series of friendly remarks toward Japan.
At the Japan–South Korea summit on August 23, Lee explained his decision to visit Tokyo before the United States by saying, "I hope you understand that this reflects how highly we value South Korea–Japan relations."
While the sentiment is commendable, whether his words can be taken at face value is entirely a different matter.
Chameleon-like Politician
Lee described his latest visit to Japan as shuttle diplomacy, saying, "Promises between South Korea and Japan are agreements between nations and cannot be overturned."
Yet, has he forgotten his stance in 2023, when then-President Yoon Suk-yeol revived shuttle diplomacy with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio? At the time, Lee dismissed Yoon's move as "humiliating diplomacy," even mocking it as "Bban-shuttle."
Bban means bread in Korean. As slang, it refers to gofers who are forced to run errands for bullies.
Lee is known to be a politician who readily backpedals on his word. He is also notorious for changing his position like a chameleon depending on the situation.
For example, he once said of former conservative President Park Geun-hye, "I respect Park Geun-hye." Yet only days later, when pressed about his true intentions, he brushed it off. "Some people take it seriously just because I said I respected her," he said, effectively denying that his respect was genuine.
Is the President Serious?
According to the South Korean Presidential Office, "There were no specific discussions on historical issues or the resumption of imports of Japanese seafood products during the [August 24] South Korea–Japan summit."
While sensitive issues seem to have been set aside without mention, Lee had remarked before his trip that "forced labor and comfort women issues are representative historical issues."
He added, "These are matters of truth and emotion before they are economic issues. So, acknowledging the facts, apologizing, and sincerely consoling the victims is a more important process."
The Ishiba administration seemed reassured by Lee's statement that he would not "renege" on the Japan–South Korea agreement. Yet his words warrant caution.
Rather than sidestepping sensitive issues, Japan must examine them closely. It should avoid the day when Lee can say, "Did you really believe me when I said I wouldn't renege?"
Verifying Lee's Stance on History
The Japanese government should, at the least, confirm Lee's true intentions in the following areas.
First is whether Lee accepts that the issues of former Korean wartime laborers and comfort women have been resolved. In comments to Japanese media ahead of his visit, he said that "the facts should be acknowledged [concerning historical issues]."
But which facts does he mean, and who does he expect to acknowledge them?
Moreover, who does Lee believe should apologize to whom? Does the new president consider Japan's past apologies insufficient?
In diplomacy, every word carries the potential to sow seeds of future discord, making it all the more essential to clarify these points.
On the Seafood Ban
Next, there is the issue of lifting South Korea's import restrictions on Japanese seafood. Lee told Japanese media that "restoring our people's trust in Japanese seafood is the priority."
However, wasn't it Lee himself who previously took actions that eroded that very trust?
When Japan decided to release treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2023, Lee denounced it as "an anti-human act that fundamentally and severely damages the oceans shared by all humanity worldwide." He even called it "nuclear terrorism."
During his campaign rallies, he went so far as to wear a sash reading "Release of Contaminated Water" to galvanize opposition.
Under intense pressure from protests led by Lee and the Democratic Party, the Yoon administration at the time invested 1.5 trillion KRW (approximately $1.08 billion USD) over the year following Japan's release of treated water, conducting 44,000 tests on imported seafood and seawater.
Not a single test exceeded the safety standards (Chosun Ilbo, August 13, 2024). Yet there have been no reports suggesting that Lee has acknowledged or accepted these findings.
Is Lee prepared to retract his past statements?
Trilateral Military Cooperation
Lastly, Lee has consistently opposed South Korea's military cooperation with Japan and the United States. Yet at the recent summit, he stated, "Now is the time for South Korea and Japan to strengthen cooperation [in security matters]."
Does he genuinely mean it?
On March 1, 2022, during a televised debate, a topic turned to the potential entry of the Japan Self-Defense Forces into South Korea in emergencies to protect Japanese nationals. Lee then said, "I, Lee Jae-myung, will never tolerate the Japanese Self-Defense Forces setting foot on the Korean Peninsula again, given their refusal to confront past acts of aggression."
In October of the same year, Lee criticized the Yoon administration's approval of South Korean participation in joint Japan–US military exercises in the Sea of Japan as "extreme pro-Japan national defense."
He added that "the exercises recognize Japan's Self-Defense Forces as an actual military force" and "Japan invaded our country and imposed military rule, yet has still not clearly and sincerely apologized for that history of aggression."
Lee's remarks effectively reflected a stance of non-acceptance toward trilateral military cooperation.
Building a Lasting Relationship
Regarding Japan and South Korea's relations, Lee says that historical issues and cooperation should be treated separately.
However, sweeping sensitive matters under the rug and leaving them ambiguous will not only impede the stable development of bilateral ties but also leave trust between the two countries precariously vulnerable.
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Author: Sotetsu Lee
(Read this in Japanese)
