University of Seoul Professor Recommends that Seoul Confirm the 1965 Treaty Between Korea and Japan
Here is what Chung Jae-jeong, professor emeritus at the University of Seoul has to say about the current trade dispute between Korea and Japan.
Q: Since the Supreme Court ruling, has Seoul given the impression that it may be disregarding the 1965 pact?
A: There is a high possibility that Japan takes this view. Seoul says that it is addressing the insufficiencies of the 1965 pact, but from Japan’s point of view, all issues regarding compensation were completely resolved with the deal. The Korean government has only said it respects the ruling, and has not given clear explanations about the discrepancy between the 1965 pact and the Supreme Court ruling. There has not been any statement from the foreign minister or the President declaring once and for all that Seoul does not deny the pact. If this position was declared through an official channel, it could help to assuage the considerable level of concern Japan has. This will facilitate negotiations on how to resolve the current disputes. Abe and the Japanese foreign minister have continued to demand Korea “keep state-to-state promises and treaties.”
Q: If the President were to make such a declaration, the Korean public may see it as a humiliation and get the impression that we are succumbing to Japan’s demands.
A: I think we as a country have passed a stage where we approach state-to-state conflicts emotionally. They should be handled with professional judgment and knowledge.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link.
Professor Chung recommends that a third party arbitrator be used to resolve this issue, but this is whole is issue is about driving anti-Japanese sentiment for future elections not resolving it, so the Moon administration will continue to down play the 1965 Treaty.
The new leftist government of Chairman Moon is to blame for all this conflict.
The reason why Moon admin can’t make such a declaration is that Moon and his leftist supporters believe ROK was established in 1919 as the constitution of ROK states.
The leftists have been pushing this agenda/ideology and the right are against it because it has something to do with political legitimacy. So, in the past decades, the constitution and school textbook has been changed and revised back and forth or left and right. The left want to erase history related the right, including Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee. Moon himself repeatedly said those were “illegitimate” governments.
In this leftist’s view, ROK was established in 1919 and Japanese occupation is legally invalid because the “1919 government” is the legitimate one. Thus, if Moon is to admit the validity of the 1965 treaty (and possibly the validity of Japan’s rule), that would be a political suicide for Moon.
Oh, here we go. This article explains it in English.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180814000606
Also, this political legitimacy battle and the constitution is the root cause and the reasoning behind the the supreme court ruling. The court said, the constitution states the country was founded in 1919, so Japanese rule was illegal therefore Japan must pay regardless of 1965 treaty.
Pretty crazy stuff.
Can anyone here tell me why the Japanese government sparked the current trade war between Japan and Korea? Japan says its economic export restrictions on South Korea has nothing to do with the squabble with historical issues.
By the way, this “ROK was founded in 1919” ideology and Moon’s revisionism is pretty common knowledge among Korea watchers in Japan. But, I’ve never seen/read anything about this in English papers. No English speaking professionals have discussed anything about this.
I’m so disappointed by the US academics and journalists.
Man1, because ROK has kept ignoring Japan’s inquiry for 3 years.
“Since 2004, Japan had applied to South Korea simplified procedures for exporting such materials, compared to the rules applied to most countries and regions including the rest of Asia. The arrangement was predicated on sufficient trust between our two governments, which was to be fostered through continuous consultations.
Such consultations have not been held for the past three years, despite repeated requests from the Japanese side. Meanwhile, there have been several inappropriate cases concerning export control related to South Korea. For that reason, Japan concluded it could no longer maintain the simplified procedures applied to exports to South Korea.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-09-03/japan-south-korea-trade-spat-boils-down-to-trust
Toru@koreasparkling, what are these inappropriate cases and what is the evidence?
Man1, Japanese government has said it is against the duty of confidentiality (agreement) to name a specific Korean company, etc. But the point is, SK government has been avoiding and ignoring Japanese government’s inquiry for 3 YEARS.
Toru@koreasparkling
Even the US government gave proof and specific examples as to how Huawei spied on US companies. What is Japan accusing South Korea of doing with the materials? What is Japan’s proof?
Man1, well, I think you misunderstand what the export control is. It is entirely Japan’s own internal procedure. Japan does not need any “proof”. The fact that South Koran government has ignored the multiple request of consultations alone is good to reason and “proof”.
If you are interested in these matter, watch this. A Japanese lawmaker, Rui Matsukawa discuss and explains all.
https://youtu.be/ExI11KGzslM
https://youtu.be/BPxewcPsTUk
https://youtu.be/6Zqqu87fA7M
So Japan does not need any “proof”. 🙁
Man1, like I said, watch the YouTube videos.
If the ROK was established in 1919, doesn’t that make the norks as “illegitimate” as any other government? Is it only governments that Mooncup likes that are legit?
And it makes Koreans liable for WW2 War Crimes committed by Koreans acting as soldiers, sailors, and PoW camp guards for the Japanese. The Wikipedia article about this has significant problems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Government_of_the_Republic_of_Korea
I don’t think these people have thought this through very carefully. If Rhee, who was the 1919 President as well as 1945 President, is invalid, so is the whole March 1st movement. And so is Mooncup.
I should add that my only concern in this matter are my in-laws who are suffering from the economic barrage of Mooncup’s “leadership.”
However, the Korean Government’s actions up to Korean voters to encourage or discourage. It’s their country. And I’m just an occasional tourist who basically loved to visit Korea when I was younger, more healthy, and more affluent…
I have no special love of Japan, no actual connections. In fact, I have some animus. But perhaps irritating customers and suppliers isn’t the smartest way to run a business.
setnaffa, “doesn’t that make the norks as “illegitimate”” Yes, ROK’s constitution states ROK is the only legitimate government of the Korean peninsula, I mean “entire” peninsula. And DPRK also consider DPRK is the only legitimate government of the peninsula. That’s why DPRK calls ROK as “puppet state South” every single time.
“I don’t think these people have thought this through very carefully”
I TOTALLY agree with you. Now, you are getting it. It is pretty crazy stuff.
setnaffa, Would you ask your in-laws about this “ROK was founded in 1919 ideology”? I’m very much interested to know his/her response.
Remember, Moon himself repeatedly advocated that “2019 would be the hundredth anniversary of the Republic of Korea’s foundation” etc. For him and leftist supporters, Park Chung-hee and other conservatives were just “Chinil” or “Chinilpa”. And Moon is determined to eradicate them.
https://koreasparkling.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/moon-jae-in-declares-purging-of-pro-japanese-parasites/
They’re all in Korea right now. And I wouldn’t trust the lines not to be bugged by our side or theirs. Wife doesn’t know/forgot the details of March 1, 1919 (we have both just been through about 4 years of cancer treatments and followups, so it hasn’t been a priority). And frankly, she reminded me, isn’t interested in any politics; but she dislikes communists for what they’ve done to Koreans.
I think her family would probably feel the same. In 1950, just before the war began, the members of the family that we know about escaped from above the 38th Parallel and traveled to Pusan. After the war, most resettled around Seoul. None of them were leftists, having seen what Communism looked like up close and personal. I think they liked the Japanese better than the Soviets or ChiComs.
setnaffa, thank you for your comment.
“None of them were leftists, having seen what Communism looked like up close and personal.” <- You know, that's why I've been saying ROK should stop censoring the internet and press. South Korean today don't know what DPRK is saying because of the censorship. So, many of them become leftists and have sympathy toward DPRK. They should know what DPRK truely is.
https://koreasparkling.wordpress.com/2019/08/25/why-is-south-korea-censoring-the-internet/
@Man1, the Japanese are saying the export restrictions are tied to the illegal export of materials to North Korea for legal reasons since the ROK is disputing the restrictions with the WTO. There has been exports from the ROK illegally sent to North Korea in the past.
However, everyone knows the real reason is the threat to confiscate property from Japanese companies to compensate forced laborers from World War II. Could you imagine the precedent this could set if all the nations effected by Imperial Japan could start confiscating property from private companies as “compensation” even if there are normalization treaties in place like they have with the ROK.
This is why the Abe administration has drawn such a hard line on this issue because they want the ROK to respect the 1965 normalization treaty. The Japanese have shown they are willing to make compensation payments, just not officially through the government out of respect for the treaty.
The comfort women agreement signed between the ROK and Japan during the Park administration, that the Moon administration scrapped had a private foundation set up to distribute payments to comfort women victims that received a grant from the Japanese government.
They Japanese would likely agree to another such private foundation setup for forced laborers as well, but remember this issue is not about compensation any more, but expanding anti-Japan sentiment before the 2020 National Assembly elections since the Moon administration has really nothing to run on.