South Korea Suggests Summit With US, Japan And North Korea For 2021 Olympics, Efforts For Reconciliation?

Illustration (Bryan Turner / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - South Korea (South Korea) proposes a Summit (Summit) between the United States (US), Japan, and North Korea (North Korea) at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. What is the goal?

As reported by Chosun Ilbo, South Korean Intelligence Chief Park Jie-won made the application during his first state visit to Japan, on Sunday, November 8. It was his first trip as head of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS). The aim was to improve relations that were tense due to past problems, namely forced labor in the colonialism era of 1910-1945.

During a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Yoshihide Suga on November 10 yesterday, Park Jie-won also discussed the issue of North Korea's denuclearization. In addition, he hopes that at next year's meeting they can discuss the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents, the newspaper said.

Japan's relations with North and South Korea have long been difficult. The situation is heating up because Japan, South Korea and North Korea have a history of colonization on the Korean peninsula that still leaves scars.

Park Jie-won conveyed the willingness of South Korean President Moon Jae-in to normalize relations with Japan. But it must begin with an apology or an expression of Japanese regret for wartime forced labor, the paper said.

"The Olympics can provide an opportunity to resolve bilateral issues of forced labor and regional problems including North Korea's nuclear program and the kidnapping of Japanese people," the paper quoted Park Jie-won as saying.

Future relationship

Meanwhile, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Park Jie-won has suggested that South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announce a new declaration to build on the 1998 joint pledge on "future-oriented relations". "The two leaders are eager to solve the current problem," said Park Jie-won as quoted by Yonhap.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato did not elaborate on the proposed summit in a directive. But Suga told Park Jie-won that cooperation between Japan, South Korea and the US was very important in dealing with North Korea.

Kato quoted Suga as demanding that South Korea "create an opportunity to restore healthy relations between Japan and South Korea, which are in a very dire situation."

Historical strife has also darkened the prospects of a trilateral summit that China hopes for. This is because Suga stated his intention not to join the meeting. Suga only wants to attend the summit if South Korea promises not to liquidate Japanese company assets to compensate victims of forced labor.

Despite the ongoing tussle between South Korea and Japan, calls have grown for the two countries to move beyond their historical animosities. That is because the future Joe Biden administration, which is expected to want multilateralism to strengthen America's global leadership, will reject loopholes in regional network alliances.