South Korean presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's views on Japan are unclear

Ahead of the South Korean presidential election on the 3rd of next month, Lee Jae-myung, candidate of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, mentioned Japan-South Korea relations in a video posted on social media on the 20th of this month.
"I want to be friendly with Japan," he said, expressing his desire to promote cooperation in areas such as cultural exchange and the economy. Speaking of Lee, he has been critical of the Japanese policy of the previous administration of President Yoon Seok-yeol, who established a friendly relationship between Japan and South Korea.
He has been criticizing the "humiliating diplomacy" of the past, and has been described in the Japanese media as a "hardliner on Japan." Lee is currently leading the polls regarding the presidential election.
In this context, Lee's recent actions and words, including this latest post, do not show the "hardline" statements he made in the past. If he becomes president, diplomacy will not be possible if he takes a hardline approach to Japan.
On the other hand, recently, Lee made some controversial remarks that could be interpreted as mocking Japan.
Lee has been known for his anti-Japanese actions and statements.
In 2016, while he was in the military, he participated in a sit-in protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest against the agreement on the comfort women issue that had been reached between Japan and South Korea the previous year.
During his term, he promoted the "Pro-Japanese Remnants Liquidation Project." He liquidated the pro-Japanese and Japanese imperialist remnants in the educational field in Gyeonggi Province. When he ran for the last presidential election in 2022, he said he would go to Japan.
When the previous Yoon administration was inaugurated, he labeled it a "pro-Japanese, traitorous administration" and continued to criticize it.
As soon as he decided to go ahead with the plan, he incited anti-Japanese sentiment, claiming that it was a "contaminated water terrorism" and a "second Pacific War." He himself went on a hunger strike in protest.
Lee is running for president for the second time, and so far this time the polls have shown that he is the favorite.
He is the clear leader in the presidential election. In his campaign pledges, he emphasized that he would realize an economic superpower by establishing growth industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), the content industry, and the defense industry.
At a television debate attended by the four main candidates, he expressed his opinion that "Sales for the self-employed are declining, and in the short term it is important to stimulate the general public's economy and domestic demand with a supplementary budget."
"There will be no distribution. In the long term, we will develop AI and renewable energy industries and regain the momentum for growth," he said. Regarding diplomacy, he also advocates "pragmatism" that puts national interests first.
In a video released on the 15th of last month, he said, "We need to respect the ROK-US alliance and build a solid cooperative system among the three countries of ROK, Japan and the US, while also properly managing our relations with Russia and China."
Kim Hyun Jungformer, second vice director of the National Security Office and a staff adviser in the fields of foreign affairs, security and trade, visited Washington on the 8th (local time) as Lee's foreign affairs and security adviser and met with Trump administration officials.
It is unusual for a presidential candidate's advisor to meet with a U.S. government official. After his visit to the White House, Kim told reporters, "The ROK-U.S. alliance is very important.
"I emphasized that Lee's position is that we need to strengthen and upgrade the bilateral relationship as much as possible and that we also need to strengthen the cooperative relationship between Korea, the United States and Japan," he said.
Regarding the relationship between the two countries, Kim said, "I think that Korea and Japan need to cooperate at the same level as the Choshu and Satsuma clans of Japan cooperated (to overthrow the Edo Shogunate)," after making the preface that this was a personal expression.
From his words, it appears that Lee has begun to shift his stance from his previous anti-Japanese and anti-American inclinations to a pro-Japanese and pro-American one.
On the 20th of this month, Lee mentioned Japan-Korea relations in a video posted on social media. In the video, Lee said,
"There is a preconceived notion that I am hostile towards Japan," he said, referring to the Takeshima Islands (known as Dokdo in Korean) in Shimane Prefecture, over which South Korea claims sovereignty, and said, "We have no choice but to take a firm stance on historical issues and the Dokdo issue.
"I don't have the opportunity to speak to the Japanese people, but I am open-minded and proactive in areas where we can cooperate, such as cultural exchanges," he said. "I have a very positive impression of the Japanese people. I have traveled to Japan several times, and
He also said, "They are truly humble, kind, hardworking, frugal people with a lot to learn." Japanese media reported Lee's remarks, saying, "With the change of government in sight, we need to get rid of the anti-Japanese image and
"The aim is likely to be to demonstrate the continuation of the Japan-Korea cooperation that the Yeol administration has promoted," said the Sankei Shimbun, adding, "With two weeks left until the election, the aim is to demonstrate a stance of promoting smooth diplomacy."
On the other hand, in a speech given in the southeastern city of Daegu on the 13th of this month, Lee imitated the pronunciation of Korean spoken by Japanese people who are not fluent in Korean, saying, "The Japanese ambassador
"I said 'kamsahamnida' (thank you) to the Japanese people," which sparked controversy. The remarks were taken as mocking the Japanese, and the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that "there has been a growing debate that he is looking down on the other country."
Han Dong-hoon, former head of the ruling People Power Party, criticized the government, saying, "The ignorance and light-heartedness that makes a caricature of a diplomatic issue is deplorable." Lee, the presidential candidate of the New Reform Party,
- Rep. Jun-seok (Lee Jun-seok) criticized, "Was it really necessary to make that remark (about the Japanese ambassador)? It seems that (Lee Jae-myung) doesn't understand what the problem is."
While he makes favorable remarks about Japan, at speech venues where his supporters have gathered, he also blurts out derogatory remarks about the Japanese. It is difficult to gauge Lee's view of Japan.