What the South Korean media is more concerned about than the ”Japan-South Korea battle” over the Japanese government's diplomatic blue book

The 2024 Diplomatic Bluebook, which summarizes Japan's diplomacy, was published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 16th of this month. This year's Diplomatic Bluebook uses the word "partner" for South Korea for the first time in 14 years.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (equivalent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) appreciated this point, but was opposed to the description of Takeshima (Dokdo in Korean) in Shimane Prefecture as "Japan's inherent territory."
Meanwhile, the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh said, "More worrying than the repeated battles over Japan's diplomatic blue book every year is the 2015 Abe (Shinzo) Statement, which is a 'statement of forgetting.'"
"Since then, Japan's historical awareness has clearly regressed," he said, criticizing the Japanese government's stance on historical issues. When the Abe Statement was first released, there was a wave of "disappointment and anger at (Prime Minister Abe's) historical awareness" from South Korea.
"I feel that the situation is becoming more and more complicated," said an editorial from the Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo at the time. The Diplomatic Bluebook is a document that summarizes Japan's diplomatic policy and the international situation, and has been compiled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs every year since 1957.
The Foreign Minister reports to the Cabinet in April of each year, and the document is available for anyone to view on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website. A bound version is also available for sale from around June each year.
The name comes from the fact that the cover of the report of the British Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee was blue when the two countries first discussed the issue. In particular, the sections on bilateral relations and regional situations were written in blue, and the report's cover was written in blue.
This year's Diplomatic Bluebook was recently compiled and reported at the Cabinet meeting on the 16th. In it, the government stated that it will continue to strengthen its relationship with South Korea, which is an important neighboring country.
"We will continue to communicate closely at various levels to broaden the scope of our collaboration and cooperation in various fields and join forces as partners to pave the way for a new era," he said.
This is the first time in 14 years since the 2010 edition that the word "partner" has been used to refer to the two countries. The Diplomatic Bluebook further states, "Given the severe security environment in the Indo-Pacific, close cooperation between the two countries is now essential.
"There has never been a time when this has been more necessary," he said. "As the improvement of Japan-Korea relations gets on track, we will further strengthen cooperation on global issues."
On the other hand, regarding Takeshima Island in Shimane Prefecture, which South Korea calls "Dokdo" and claims sovereignty over, "in light of historical facts,
The Korean government once again asserted that the islands are "Japan's inherent territory under international law." Based on this position, the government will "determine a firm response."
An official commentary was issued stating, "We strongly protest against the repeated unjust territorial claims made through the Diplomatic Bluebook over 'Dokdo,' which is an inherent part of the Korean territory and is indisputable based on historical, geographical and international law, and we request that these claims be immediately retracted."
"We urge Japan to continue to take a firm stance against Japan's claims regarding 'Dokdo.' We would like to make it clear that any claims by Japan regarding 'Dokdo' will not affect Korea's sovereignty in any way, and we will continue to respond firmly in the future," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on the morning of the same day.
On the same day, the spokesperson said at a regular press conference that the Diplomatic Bluebook clearly stated that "Korea is a partner."
The report also assessed that "the description has been improved in some areas from last year." The response, which has been the same as in previous years, is the issuance of a press secretary commentary and the summoning of the envoy to protest. However, the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh said in an editorial dated the 17th that "the
The editorial cited "Japan's clearly backward historical understanding" as "more worrisome than the repeated attacks and attacks on the Korean Peninsula."
"For the sake of peace and stability in East Asia, including China, Japan must humbly reflect on its past historical mistakes," he said.
The editorial went on to say that since the 2015 statement by then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Japanese government has "considered the positions of past cabinets as a whole" with regard to historical awareness.
"The government is using the ambiguous expression 'taking over'," he said, criticizing the move as "a cowardly attitude that refuses to face up to responsibility for the crimes."
The 2015 Prime Minister Abe's speech was issued to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. In it, he spoke about Japan's past colonial rule and aggression.
While the document cites the words "reflection" and "apology" in the context of Japan's actions, it does not explicitly mention them in the context of Japan's actions, and is similar to the Murayama Statement delivered by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama at the 50th anniversary of the end of the war ceremony in 1995.
At the time of the announcement, criticism was leveled from South Korea, with some saying it gave the impression that the president was regretting and apologizing through someone else's words.
After expressing the above-mentioned concerns, the editorial concluded, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration
"However, for the sake of the sustainable development of Korea-Japan relations, we must take a firm stance and clearly point out Japan's mistakes."