“S. KOREA, JAPAN MUST OVERCOME PAST”

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In an unusual move, President Yoon spend some 20 minutes for his opening statement during Tuesday's Cabinet Meeting which was broadcast live to personally explain his recent visit to Japan. He refuted criticisms such as 'there's no apology from Japan' and 'what had been gained?' highlighting the expected benefits, seemingly in an effort to directly persuade negative public opinion.

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President Yoon Suk Yeol's 20 minute briefing on the results of his recent visit to Japan was essentially a message to the public. He said the country must face the past but cannot be held back by it. Taking the examples of Germany and France, Yoon said Seoul-Tokyo relations must also move beyond the past.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk Yeol(President) : "S. Korea-Japan relations are not a zero-sum game in which a win for one side equals a loss for the other, but instead can and must be a win-win for both countries."

He then criticized the previous Moon Jae-in administration for neglecting the worst-ever relations with Japan for the sake of political gain. Yoon said the opposition bloc's criticism of the government's compensation plan for wartime forced labor victims was also politically motivated.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk Yeol(President) : "There are forces in our society who try to politically profit from exclusive nationalism and anti-Japanese sentiment."

Yoon also quoted remarks from past historical events including the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, Japan and China as well as the 1998 joint declaration issued by then President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. Such remarks are seen as an effort to justify the compensation plan and his visit to Japan. Regarding criticism that there was no apology from Japan, Yoon said several apologies were already made and Tokyo again expressed the will to succeed such spirit and stance. The remarks were in response to criticism that Korea gained little from the visit.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk Yeol(President) : "If S. Korea preemptively removes stumbling blocks to bilateral ties, Japan will also surely respond."

Yoon also spent most of the latter half of the speech highlighting the positive effects expected from his latest diplomacy. Mentioning the benefits of improved ties with Tokyo, Yoon pointed to joint response measures to the weaponization of natural resources, joint advancement into global markets, a boost to domestic demand and stronger national security. The president however did not address Japanese media reports claiming the issues of wartime sexual slavery and Japanese seafood imports were also discussed during the summit.