Joining the International Fleet Review is a positive step but serious bilateral hurdles remain, such as South Korean wartime labor lawsuits and public opinion.
Seoul’s conciliatory stance provides Beijing with a golden opportunity to break off South Korea from the US-led multinational strategic encirclement of China.
A better relationship between the US, South Korea and Japan is essential. That requires an end to senseless demands for compensation from a previous era.
For relations with Japan to get better, it is up to Seoul to adhere to the principle that “promises between nations must be kept”.
