The achievements of South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin, who will soon retire, on Japan-Korea relations

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, who has worked hard to improve Japan-Korea relations, will soon retire. Park is expected to run in the general election to be held in April this year. In Korea, the country
If a person wants to run for parliamentary elections, he or she must resign from his or her cabinet position at least 90 days in advance. Ahead of his retirement, he had a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on the 5th of this month.
Park was appointed as the first foreign minister of the Yun Seo-gyul (Yun Seok-yue) administration that was inaugurated in May 2022. From Seoul University, and also 1 from Tokyo University
He had studied abroad for a year and was introduced in the Japanese media at the time as someone who was fluent in Japanese. From a diplomat, he entered politics in 2001. He is a member of the current ruling party's ``People's Power,'' and is the party's only ``U.S.
It attracted a lot of attention. At the time that he nominated Park as foreign minister, Yun said, ``He has a wealth of experience, including deep knowledge of diplomacy with the United States, and is confident that he will make a major contribution to normalizing South Korean diplomacy, which has reached a stalemate.''
I've made a decision,'' he said, expressing his expectations. At the time, Yoshimasa Hayashi was Japan's foreign minister, and South Korean media highlighted the two men's commonality: a love of music. Mr. Park formed a band during his university days and played the keys.
He has been active as a board player. On the other hand, Mr. Hayashi is also known as a band member. In April 2022, before taking office as foreign minister, Ms. Park was asked by a reporter who knew that she and Foreign Minister Hayashi had something in common, such as a love of music, and said, ``Foreign Minister Hayashi and
When asked, ``If we were to perform together, what kind of song would we play?'', he answered, ``Foreign Minister Hayashi, whom I know, has a deep knowledge of music,'' and added, ``There is a lot of disharmony between South Korea and Japan today. What if Korea and Japan had a foreign ministerial meeting?
If we were to perform together on music, I think it would be ``Return to Busan Port.'' The Yun administration, which was inaugurated in May 2022, announced a policy of improving Japan-Korea relations, but at that time the relationship between the two countries was still weak.
The awkwardness caused some skepticism, and all eyes were on Park, who was appointed foreign minister. In July of the same year, Park visited Japan for the first time since taking office and met with Hayashi. Official Japan-Korea foreign ministers meeting
It had been about two and a half years since it was held. Mr. Hayashi called for concrete action from the South Korean side, saying, ``We need to resolve outstanding issues between Japan and South Korea, including the issue of forced labor.'' In response, Mr. Park filed a lawsuit against former forced laborers.
``We will make every effort to come up with a desirable solution before the (Japanese company's assets) are converted into cash.'' The Yun administration started with the issue of former labor recruitment lawsuits, which was considered the biggest issue between Japan and South Korea. Towards a solution
A public-private council was established. However, this council ran into difficulties as the plaintiffs, who had originally joined the council, stopped participating midway through.
With no prospects for a solution in sight, President Yoon will mark his 100th day in office in August 2022.
At a press conference held at the same time, he mentioned the issue of former forced labor. ``We are thinking of a way for the plaintiffs to receive compensation. I view it positively,'' he said, drawing attention to what he said.
In March last year, the South Korean government announced a solution to this problem. The content is that the ``Japanese Imperial Forced Mobilization Victims Support Foundation'', which is affiliated with the South Korean government and supports former conscripted workers,
On behalf of the Japanese companies that were ordered to pay compensation to the plaintiffs, the company will pay the plaintiffs an amount equivalent to the compensation, including interest on late payments. At that time, Ms. Park, who announced the solution, said that Japan and Japan should
Noting that cooperation with South Korea is extremely important, he said, ``Rather than allowing the relationship to remain rigid for too long, we should break the vicious cycle for the sake of the people from the perspective of the national interest.'' On top of that, he warned Japan of its ``unfortunate history in the past.''
I hope that the two countries will work together to overcome this and develop future-oriented relations based on reconciliation, good-neighborhood, friendship and cooperation." On the other hand, Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi (at the time) talked about the solution by saying, ``Improve Japan-Korea relations.
We evaluate this as a way to restore a healthy relationship." After South Korea presented a solution, relations between the two countries improved dramatically. Currently, economic and private exchanges are becoming more active. Last October, Israel
South Korean military transport planes supported the departure of Japanese from Israel as armed conflict between Israel's military and the Islamic organization Hamas continues. The event was not held in November due to deteriorating relations between Japan and South Korea.
The Japan-China-South Korea foreign ministers' meeting was held for the first time in four years. Park is expected to run in the general election to be held in April this year, and will soon step down as foreign minister. On the 5th of this month, I held a telephone conference with Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa before retiring.
We talked. According to Yonhap News, Park conveyed a message of sympathy following the Noto Peninsula earthquake. The two leaders also talked about the close communication they have had and the efforts they have made to develop the relationship between the two countries.
Evaluate. They agreed to continue their cooperation in the future. On the 19th of last month, President Yoon nominated former United Nations Ambassador Cho Tae-yeol (68) as the new foreign minister candidate. Mr. Cho is a veteran of trade and multilateral diplomacy.
Diplomat. ``We will make every effort to weather the harsh external environment and further solidify the foundations of national security and prosperity.'' Prioritizing cooperation with Japan and the United States, which Park has been responsible for so far
The diplomatic policy of the Yun administration is expected to continue as is.