Last weekend marked a significant turning point for South Korea and Japan, as the Yoon Suk Yeol government attempted to move beyond one of the longstanding historical disputes stemming from Imperial Japan's occupation of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
Simultaneously, the defense chiefs of Seoul and Tokyo, meeting on Japanese soil for the first time in 15 years, committed to revitalizing military exchanges and signed an agreement institutionalizing trilateral security cooperation with the United States.
The unfolding developments were largely driven by a top-down diplomatic approach and direct, active engagement between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Two high-profile events over the weekend, however, highlighted the challenges of attempting reconciliation: efforts to strengthen ties between Seoul and Tokyo were made without fully addressing Japan's colonial history and the longstanding grievances of its associated crimes and atrocities.
Forced labor narrative
South Korea's approval on Saturday of the Sado Island Gold Mines' inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list, where over 1,500 Korean workers were subjected to forced labor during Japan's colonial period, has sparked heated controversy.
The criticism focuses on the Yoon government's agreement to support Japan's bid for the mines to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, despite Japan failing to acknowledge the forced nature of the mobilization of Korean workers -- a crucial and sensitive issue in the history of the site.
South Korean local media have criticized Japan's omission of the forced nature of the mobilization, bringing widespread condemnation. The media collectively argued that this omission represents a regression from the Japanese government's 2015 statement during the inscription of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list, where it was acknowledged that Koreans were "brought against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions."
Takehiro Kano, Japan's ambassador and a permanent delegate to UNESCO, did not explicitly acknowledge that workers from the Korean Peninsula were forced to work or worked against their will during his statement Saturday.
Multiple civic groups have criticized the Yoon government for giving its consent to support Japan's UNESCO bid.
Two groups said in separate statements that Japan's exhibition, titled "The Life of Mine Workers, Including Those From the Korean Peninsula," at the Aikawa History Museum on Sado Island, fails to acknowledge the fact that Koreans were subjected to forced labor. They also pointed out that the Japanese government's use of the term "workers from the peninsula" in the exhibition to refer to Koreans, who were subjects of the Japanese Empire at the time, is Japan's attempt to portray the mobilization as legal.
The Civic Group for the Issues of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan on Monday called for a "thorough investigation" into whether the exclusion of the term "forced labor" was prearranged through prior coordination between the two governments.
The Center for Historical Truth and Justice in Seoul, which studies Japan’s colonial history and reports on forced labor, issued a statement Saturday that the South Korean government had "accepted Japan's historical denialism, which denies forced mobilization, without any criticism."
Rep. Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, condemned the Yoon government's stance Monday, emphasizing that "Japan still refuses to acknowledge any coercion in the mobilization of Koreans."
Park said his party will ensure a "thorough investigation" into the Yoon government's decision, expressing concerns about the South Korean government's apparent acquiescence to "Japan's distortion of war crimes."
Scars of Rising Sun flag
South Korea and Japan, meanwhile, have strengthened their security and military cooperation in response to growing threats from North Korea.
The issue of the Rising Sun flag, which is associated with Japan's imperialist and militaristic past, including acts of aggression and atrocities in countries like Korea, came to the fore once again following the defense ministerial meeting between the two nations on Sunday.
When asked if the activation of military exchanges could lead to more frequent entries of Japanese vessels bearing the Rising Sun flag, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik dismissed the criticism during a meeting with South Korean reporters in Japan.
Shin asserted, "It is certain that any country's warships, including those from Japan, will naturally fly their ensign flags in accordance with international protocol. Therefore, I believe there's no need to treat this issue as something special, as it is governed by established international conventions."
Though the previous Moon Jae-in government restricted its display, the Yoon government has permitted Japanese warships bearing the flag to enter South Korean ports.
The Rising Sun flag, first adopted by the Japanese military in the 19th century, has been a controversial symbol in South Korea. It gained infamy during World War II as the Japanese Navy's flag, under which numerous atrocities were committed in occupied territories, including the Korea Peninsula. Today, a slightly modified version is still used by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Shin emphasized that South Korea and Japan should avoid repeating past mistakes of stalling or regressing in military and security cooperation due both countries' domestic political issues.
"During the period of stagnation in South Korea-Japan defense and security cooperation, I believe both the South Korean and Japanese people learned important lessons," Shin told reporters.
"It's clear that Korea and Japan have various points of conflict, with each nation holding its own perspective. However, there are no disagreements when it comes to security cooperation, as both countries have a shared interest in addressing common security threats."
Shin and his Japanese counterpart, Minoru Kihara, agreed to "promote defense exchanges and cooperation" between South Korea's Armed Forces and Japan's Self-Defense Forces and jointly establish an annual plan to that end, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry.
Shin, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Kihara also signed the "Memorandum of Cooperation on the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework," the first document institutionalizing trilateral security cooperation amid North Korea's recently mounting threats.
Although the document is not legally binding, Shin emphasized that "the security cooperation among the US, Japan, and South Korea will persist, irrespective of changes in the US administration or the continuation of a Democratic administration."
Shin also remarked, "This is due to the fact that North Korea's nuclear and missile threats will inevitably remain a security challenge for South Korea. Additionally, there are various other challenges in the region that are of common security interest to South Korea, the US and Japan."
