South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yoon Dong-min gives farewell speech to Prime Minister Kishida - a scene symbolizing the improvement of Japan-South Korea relations

On the 25th, South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yoon Dong-min, who is soon to leave his post, visited the Prime Minister's Office and met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. When Ambassador Yoon took up his post two years ago, Japan-South Korean relations were strained.
"If we can use our wisdom, we can definitely return to the good times," he said. True to his words, Japan-Korea relations have improved significantly, and today there are many exchanges in areas ranging from politics and security to the economy and culture.
On the 25th, Prime Minister Kishida met with Ambassador Yoon and conveyed his respect for the role the Ambassador has played.
Ambassador Yoon took up his post in July 2022. He was succeeded by President Yoon Seok-yeol, who took office in May of the same year.
Ryo expressed a desire to improve Japan-South Korea relations, which had deteriorated to the point that they were described as the "worst since the war," and entrusted the important responsibility to Yoon Deok-min, a well-known international political scientist with a good understanding of Japan.
When Ambassador Yoon arrived at Haneda Airport in July 2022, he told reporters, "I want to change the current Korea-Japan relationship, where trust has been damaged. Korea and Japan are both democracies,
"We are the most important partner, sharing values such as human rights and strategic interests," he said. The Yoon administration has been focusing on resolving the former forced labor lawsuit issue, which was the biggest issue between Japan and South Korea, and in March last year,
The government announced a "solution" to this issue. According to an article in the Asahi Shimbun, Ambassador Yoon said in an exclusive interview with the newspaper shortly after the solution was announced that he had spoken to President Yoon and Kishi about the announcement of the solution.
According to an article in the Chunichi Shimbun, in an interview with the newspaper the following month, Ambassador Yoon said that in order to gain the understanding of the Korean people about the solution,
"Japan needs to take another step forward to resolve this issue," he said. Since the South Korean government presented its "solution," Japan-South Korea relations have been moving in earnest toward improving, and now the two countries are in a good position to improve their relations in politics, the economy, and beyond.
Exchanges between the private sectors are also active. Ambassador Yoon gave a speech at the annual Japan-Korea Exchange Festival, a mutual exchange event held by the two countries in September last year, saying, "I want to go beyond normalizing (Japan-Korea relations) and
"It is necessary to take Korea-Japan relations to a higher level," he said. From the way Ambassador Yoon conducts his official duties, it seems that he is thinking about how Korea can cooperate with Japan and how it can contribute.
In response to the North Korean abduction issue, he visited the area around the site where Megumi Yokota was abducted in Chuo Ward, Niigata Prefecture in December last year. The visit was reportedly requested by Ambassador Yoon.
This was the third time since 2016 that Ambassador Yoon has visited Niigata Prefecture to discuss the abduction issue. After the visit, Ambassador Yoon said, "There are abduction victims in South Korea as well. The two countries should join forces and cooperate to resolve the issue."
In February of this year, he and other embassy staff visited Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, an area affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, to provide support. Korean food was prepared at the evacuation center, and Ambassador Yoon called out to the victims, "Please hang in there."
He also made a public appearance at the Sado Island Gold Mine in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, which is seeking to be registered as a World Heritage Site, and has made a public appearance in Korea, claiming that there was "forced labor" of Korean former members during the war.
In April of this year, Ambassador Yoon paid a courtesy visit to Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, amid growing calls within the country for the withdrawal of the registration drive. After the meeting, he told reporters that "there is also a negative history," and asked for consideration in the content of the exhibition on Sado Gold Mine.
Regarding the registration, he said, "We (the South Korean government) are not opposed," and added, "We need to have a win-win relationship with Niigata Prefecture."
Yoon is due to leave his post soon and met with Prime Minister Kishida on the 25th. Prime Minister Kishida commented on the achievements of Ambassador Yoon during his term in office.
He expressed his respect for his role and said, "I hope you will continue to take an interest in Japan-Korea relations even after you leave your post." Yoon responded, "I would like to continue to work hard to develop relations."
The previous ambassador, affected by the worsening Japan-Korea relations, met with the Japanese foreign minister for the first time when he left office and never met with Prime Minister Kishida.
Ambassador Yoon left Japan without having been able to do so. He returned to his home country after paying his respects to the various parties concerned, and this difference also suggests a change in Japan-Korea relations.
His successor has been selected as Park Cheol-hee, president of the National Diplomatic Academy and one of the Yoon administration's diplomatic brains.