On March 16, South Korea's ** Yoon Suk-yeol went to Japan in person to exchange and hold talks with the Japanese prime minister, which was originally a common diplomatic exchange between the senior leaders of the two countries, but the South Korean people reacted very strongly to this, they felt that this was Yoon Suk-yeol's pro-Japanese betrayal of the people.
On the day Yoon Suk-yeol returned to China, the streets of Seoul were crowded, shouting and denouncing Yoon. Why are the South Korean people so disgusted by Japan's close diplomatic relations? And why did Yin ** repeatedly violate public opinion and cause the masses **?
Let's ** the truth behind it.
1. Bearing in mind the lessons of history, let us be dissatisfied with the speech made by Yoon Suk-yeol before his visit. The March 1st Movement, also known as the Long Live Independence Movement, was a national liberation movement that broke out on March 1, 1919, on the Korean Peninsula under Japanese colonial rule.
In 1910, Japan used its military strength to force Korea to sign the unequal Japan-Korea Merger Treaty, and thus began its colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.
We must remember history and never forget the lessons.
After Japan annexed Korea, it imposed brutal rule. They have deprived the South Korean people of their political rights and freedoms, directly plundered the South Korean economy, and caused great damage to the South Korean economy and people's lives.
The days of colonial aggression by Japan are a dark and humiliating memory in Korean history. Despite the repression suffered by the Korean people, they never stopped resisting.
The outbreak of the October Revolution made socialist thought have a global impact, attracting the Leninist anti-imperialist and national self-reliance theories of the Korean people.
Although the "March 1st Movement" sacrificed many progressive young Koreans, it fully demonstrated their determination to oppose imperialism and brought a strong shock and impact to the Japanese colonizers and the global imperialist aggressive forces at that time.
Today is"Trinity Movement"For the Korean people, it is a day to remember history and not forget shame. However, South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol said in a public speech that Japan is South Korea's partner.
Such a pro-Japanese attitude, under the condition that the humiliation of the national history cannot be forgotten, has aroused strong opposition among the South Korean people. For the masses, Yoon Suk-yeol's actions have seriously hurt their national feelings.
To make such a pro-Japanese statement on a day dedicated to commemorating the resistance to Japanese imperialist aggression is undoubtedly a slap in the face to oneself.
South Korea's former ** Yoon Suk-yeol encountered strong opposition when he visited Japan, with the public calling it "humiliation diplomacy" and chanting slogans such as "Yoon Suk-yeol is not our **, he is a slave of Japan".
In addition, there is criticism in South Korea of the detailed schedule of Yoon's visit to Japan. During his visit to Tokyo, Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly said he had eaten omelet rice at a restaurant and the taste made him unforgettable.
Although Japanese Prime Minister Kishida arranged a second meeting at a Western restaurant, hoping to give Yoon Suk-yeol a taste of the past and strengthen the relationship of trust between the two countries, the act has caused controversy among South Koreans.
They felt that Yoon Suk-yeol's disclosure of the incident to the Japanese side seemed to be a humiliating flattery, and they did not understand why "the Japanese are dissatisfied with our kimchi, but our ** has to take the initiative to express their love for Japanese things".
From the beginning, the atmosphere of diplomacy between the two countries appeared somewhat unequal due to Yoon's down-to-back profile.
Although the Japanese side arranged a small Western restaurant for Yoon Suk-yeol for a second meeting, which seems to meet Yoon's needs, does this arrangement imply that the Japanese side has a contemptuous attitude towards this meeting?
After all, diplomacy between the two countries is often an opportunity for one country to show the highest courtesy to the other.
2. Mending the wounds of history During Yoon Suk-yeol's visit to Japan, there was a crucial task, that is, to negotiate with Japan on compensation for the victims of forced labor during World War II.
As a Japanese colony, Korea suffered deep damage from Japanese imperialism during World War II. In addition to the notorious *** crimes, Japan also forced the Korean people to become laborers, engaged in heavy railway construction and other work, which brought physical and mental damage to the people.
Despite the years after the end of the war, Japan has not been fully compensated for its crimes. Therefore, in the minds of the South Korean people, Japan should compensate for its forced labor in South Korea.
However, the solution proposed by South Korea** on March 6 has left the South Korean public disappointed and angry. According to the plan, Japanese companies that forcibly recruited Korean laborers in that year will not be required to compensate, and the liability for compensation will be borne by the Korean chaebol group, which is equivalent to having a Korean consortium fulfill the compensation obligation on behalf of Japanese companies.
Japan** said that Japanese companies could voluntarily donate to the Korean consortium if they wished.
The South Korean public's backlash against the march plan stems from their sense of justice for Japan's past crimes and their expectation of a positive response and apology. They believe that the amount of compensation is not the most important thing, and that the Japanese side should have a clear attitude towards their historical mistakes.
Even if this compensation is paid by a Korean company, it is difficult to express real apologies and compensation. The explanation is unacceptable, because the benefits of money should not cover up the pain and shame of the ancestors.
This march plan does not really take into account the inner needs of the South Korean people, but rather tries to resolve political and ** disputes through reparations.
In the eyes of the South Korean people, the march represents the South Koreans as victims bowing their heads to the perpetrators, and at the same time sacrificing national dignity. This is precisely the reason why the opposition parties in South Korea called this policy announcement "diplomacy in the history of South Korea-Japan relations."
Since Yoon Suk-yeol took office, he and his team's pro-Japanese measures have gradually aroused strong discontent in society, in stark contrast to the firm attitude towards Japan during the reign of South Korea's former Moon Jae-in before he came to power.
Last year, Moon delivered his last speech on the anniversary of the March 1st Movement before leaving office, demonstrating his determination to uphold the dignity of the country.
Although the cooperation between South Korea and Japan can make the two countries develop better, and it is also a responsibility to the next generation, and it is the right choice, Moon Jae-in stressed that Japan must have a genuine understanding and sympathy for the people of its neighbors who have suffered and suffered from Japan, and face up to and admit its mistakes, so that it can win the trust of other countries and allow South Korea to carry out long-term and stable cooperation with it with confidence.
And past events, such as the 2018 South Korean Supreme Court's ruling on two Japanese claims, and Japan's ** control of South Korea's semiconductor export industry, have caused tensions between South Korea and Japan, interrupted exchanges, and even terminated the "Military Information Protection Agreement".
Moon Jae-in hopes that South Korea and Japan will face up to their past problems and strive to find solutions to lay a solid foundation for the future of both countries.
The two South Koreans** have a clear attitude towards Japan, one is clearly pro-Japanese and is questioned, while the other shows a clear position. Recently, three legal leaders of the victims of forced labor in Japan in World War II said that they have submitted written opinions to the person in charge of the third-party compensation, hoping that the support foundation will not go against the wishes of the client.
According to the Korean Civil Code, if the parties do not agree, the compensation bond is not allowed to be compensated by a third party. This once again raised questions about the pro-Japanese attitude towards Japan.
At the beginning of 2023, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Chun Ha-kyu revealed at a press conference that they are preparing a draft report on the THAAD system and will make it public through legal procedures.
In 2016, Park Geun-hye** leaned toward the United States in terms of political leaning and agreed to deploy the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, which seriously threatened China's homeland security and caused China-South Korea relations to fall to a freezing point.
It was not until Moon Jae-in took office that he promised "three noes and one limit," that is, not to deploy a new THAAD, not to develop military alliances with the United States and Japan, and not to join the US anti-missile system, that relations between South Korea and China were gradually eased and normal exchanges and exchanges were resumed.
Yoon's actions are undermining Moon's previous efforts to build relations with South Korea. They are accelerating the deployment of THAAD, ignoring the opposition of the South Korean people, and even privately organizing residents' representatives to pass the construction project evaluation.
When the equipment was brought into the base, the local population strongly resisted. This has made Sino-South Korean relations tense again, and Yoon Suk-yeol's pro-Japanese direction is particularly obvious. However, although Yoon Suk-yeol has lowered his posture and even "pleaded bitterly", the Japanese response was not as enthusiastic as expected.
Biden and Yoon Suk-yeol Yoon Suk-yeol On March Day, after making overtures to Japan, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi immediately expressed his appreciation for South Korea and announced that he would discuss with South Korea to relax export restrictions to South Korea.
Although the Japanese side responded, it did not apologize. On the contrary, the United States has unusually welcomed and supported it,** with Biden issuing a statement praising the relationship between South Korea and Japan as "opening a new chapter of breakthrough," and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was quick to praise the plan that transcended history.
However, it is still worth pondering whether South Korea should choose to abandon the path of friendly exchanges with China and turn to the US-Japan camp again in such a clear-cut violation of its previous commitments to China.
In today's ever-changing international situation, should Yoon Suk-yeol seek a new way to handle international relations in a non-campy way?
4. ConclusionAccording to South Korea**, Yoon Suk-yeol ** has listed improving South Korea-Japan relations as the most important diplomatic task in 2023. In his March 1st speech, Yoon Suk-yeol also made this goal clear, saying that Japan has become a partner that shares universal values with South Korea and cooperates on security, economic, and global agendas, and is no longer the militaristic aggressor of the past.
At the trilateral summit meeting of the United States, Japan and South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol reaffirmed the theme of "facing the future", emphasized the importance of current cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea, and put forward the idea of establishing a "future youth**" to reflect the common expectations for the future by providing scholarships for outstanding young students.
However, Yoon did not mention the issue of compensation for victims of forced labor, which has attracted much attention from the people, and whether Japan will apologize for its crimes.
In the face of the future, do we have to forget the past? Political and economic development is of course important, but we must not forget that if the people themselves do not protect the dignity of the nation, how can the perpetrators pay attention to the countries that have been trampled on by their aggression?