President Lee Jae-myung Expresses Commitment to Improving Korea-Japan Relations

President Lee Jae-myung has expressed a strong commitment to improving Korea-Japan relations ahead of his visit to Japan.

On the 21st, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported on an interview conducted with President Lee.

In the interview, President Lee confirmed his stance on the comfort women agreement and the forced labor compensation issue, stating, "It is not desirable to overturn the agreements," and emphasized respect for existing accords.

In the interview, President Lee described Japan as "a very important entity" and mentioned, "I believe Korea can also be a beneficial entity for Japan." He stressed the need to "discover paths that benefit both sides and expand areas of cooperation," presenting a vision for establishing a mutually beneficial Korea-Japan relationship.

Resolving Historical Issues and Respecting Existing Agreements

Regarding the comfort women and forced labor issues, longstanding sources of conflict in Korea-Japan relations, President Lee proposed a realistic approach.

He stated, "We should recognize reality as much as possible, strive to understand each other, and resolve the issues without hostility."

Notably, President Lee acknowledged the comfort women agreement and the forced labor compensation solutions made during the Park Geun-hye and Yoon Suk-yeol administrations as "agreements extremely difficult for the Korean people to accept," while clearly stating, "It is not desirable to overturn them as they are commitments made by the state."

He added, "It is right to sincerely apologize until the hurt feelings of the other party are healed," which can be interpreted as a reference to the inadequacies in Japan's apologies.

President Lee "Bearing Dual Responsibilities"

President Lee expressed a sense of dual responsibility regarding this issue.

He explained, "I am shouldering two responsibilities: considering the consistency of policies and the country's international credibility while seriously taking into account the positions of the people, victims, and bereaved families."

He further emphasized that the two countries should engage in discussions "from a more human perspective" in the long run.

President Lee is scheduled to visit Japan for the first time since taking office on the 23rd to hold a summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Regarding this meeting, he stated that he would discuss "the aspects in which we can cooperate," expressing his willingness to discuss expanding cooperation in the areas of economy, security, and human exchanges.

This visit to Japan is expected to mark a new turning point in Korea-Japan relations.

Image Source: President Lee Jae-myung / Photo provided by the Presidential Office, Photo provided by the Presidential Office.