[사설]文’Second Pyeongchang’ concept, conscription and comfort women will cease to exist without a solution

President Moon Jae-in said yesterday in his 3/1 commemorative remark about the relationship between Korea and Japan as “very important neighbors to each other in all fields” and said, “We need to put more energy into future-oriented development while solving the past problems according to the past problems.” . “I am ready to sit face to face with the Japanese government at any time to have a conversation,” he said. “The Tokyo Olympics can be an opportunity for dialogue between Korea and Japan, between South and North Korea, between North Korea and Japan, and between North Korea and the United States.” President Moon’s remarks focused on strengthening future cooperation without deviating from the government’s existing’two-track’ diplomacy to respond by separating the past and future cooperation between Korea and Japan. President Moon emphasized the Japanese government’s apology and liquidation of pro-Japanese remnants in relation to the past in the March 1st commemorative remarks in 2018, but this time, he stressed his willingness to restore relations, saying, “We cannot be held back by the past.” In particular, the proposal for dialogue between the two Koreas, the US and Japan, taking the approach of the Tokyo Olympics four months in the future, seems to be a proposal to make this Olympics the’second PyeongChang Olympics’. The goal is to break through the waters to resolve pending issues such as the comfort women and the North Korean nuclear issue, where the deadlock is prolonged.

President Moon’s appeasing message toward Japan has nothing to do with the inauguration of the US administration by Joe Biden. As the Biden administration publicly expressed concern over the slumping relationship between Korea and Japan, and emphasized the strengthening of the triangular alliance with the ROK-US, the need for improvement in Korea-Japan relations has also increased in the preparation of policy toward North Korea. In the same vein, a high-ranking government official recently said, “Restoration of Korea and Japan takes precedence over North and South Korea.”

In order to reproduce the’second Pyeongchang’ while inter-Korean relations are tightly blocked, progress must be made on the issue of compensation for Japanese military comfort women and forced labor victims between Korea and Japan. President Moon’s saying, “I will seek a wise solution,” also means that we will try to establish a diplomatic contact point between Korea and Japan. In fact, it is the last year of his tenure, but it seems to be late, but according to the ruling of our court, the Japanese government and corporations expressed the perception that “the conversation should not be late” as the Japanese government and corporations face the monetization of their assets in Korea. As such, the Japanese government also needs to show an active willingness to talk for future-oriented Korea-Japan relations. Above all, the governments of both countries should not forget that if the relationship between Korea and Japan continues in a vicious circle, the damage will inevitably fall on the people of both countries.