한일 관계의 현주소와 해법의 모색 (Stalemate in Korea-Japan Relations and its Solution)

서지정보

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· 저자명 : 유명환

초록

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of relations between Japan and Korea. In addition, 70 years have already passed since the end of the Pacific War. However, the bilateral relationship seems to have returned to where it was before the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two countries are in conflict due to several issues related to the perception of history. As a result, a bilateral summit has not been held, although over a year has passed since the change of government in both nations.
Korea and Japan share universal values such as democracy, market economy and respect for human rights, and share a duty to cooperate not only for the security and prosperity of Northeast Asia but also for world peace. The two countries should promptly find a solution to heal their strained bilateral relationship. To this end, the two nations should identify the reason for their deteriorating relationship and come up with solutions for the next 50 years.
The “Treaty on Basic Relations” signed in 1965 does not include Japan’s apologies or regret for the colonization of Korea. The “Agreement on the Settlement of Property and Claims” does not deal with the problem of "comfort women" or wartime sex slaves, which is currently a hot issue. The territorial issue of "Dokdo"was not solved by the normalization treaty and now poses the most difficult problem in our bilateral relations.
Nevertheless, Korea-Japan relations have greatly improved over the past 50 years. Japan apologized for the comfort women issue in the 1993 “Kono Statement” and expressed deep regret for its wartime transgressions in the 1995 “Murayama Statement.” Based on these two statements, the two countries announced a landmark “New Partnership towards the Twenty-first Century” in 1998. In the meantime, the Republic of Korea has emerged as a middle power and China has overtaken Japan as the world’s second largest economic power, a result of its rapid economic growth over the last 20 years. As a result, the balance of power in the Northeast Asia region that had been maintained for more than a century since the China-Japan war in 1894 is now shifting.
The Abe administration is attempting to reverse the previous administrations’ stance on historical views under the slogan of “a departure from the postwar regime.” The administration in Tokyo seems to insist that Japan is also a victim of the Pacific War. But there is no doubt, at least among Koreans and Chinese, that Japan is a perpetrator. By signing the Treaty of San Francisco with Japan in 1951, the United States settled postwar issues, but it did not take rigorous punitive measures against the defeated nation. Instead, the U.S. seemed to focus on joining Japan in containing the spread of communism and tried to stabilize the country as soon as possible. The U.S. actively supported Japan’s postwar recovery at the time ofthe outbreak of the Korean War. In consequence, Japan did not have an opportunity to clear up its militarist past by itself and concentrated its efforts on economic revival.
The issue of historical perception is critical to the improvement of Korea-Japan relations. It is only natural for Korea to be extremely sensitive to the issue since the country endured Japan’s colonial rule. Over 70years have passed since the end of the war and many Japanese do not know of past affairs. History must not be forgotten, but we should not make the mistake of becoming blinded by failing to look to the future. Abalanced view on history, reality and the future is required.
Korea cannot survive alone inthe rapidly changing circumstances of Northeast Asia: the geopolitical position of the Korean Peninsula will not change. Korea should always consider its relationship with its four neighboring power nations. Significantly, Korea-Japan relations also directly affect Korea-US relations.

영어초록

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of relations between Japan and Korea. In addition, 70 years have already passed since the end of the Pacific War. However, the bilateral relationship seems to have returned to where it was before the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two countries are in conflict due to several issues related to the perception of history. As a result, a bilateral summit has not been held, although over a year has passed since the change of government in both nations.
Korea and Japan share universal values such as democracy, market economy and respect for human rights, and share a duty to cooperate not only for the security and prosperity of Northeast Asia but also for world peace. The two countries should promptly find a solution to heal their strained bilateral relationship. To this end, the two nations should identify the reason for their deteriorating relationship and come up with solutions for the next 50 years.
The “Treaty on Basic Relations” signed in 1965 does not include Japan’s apologies or regret for the colonization of Korea. The “Agreement on the Settlement of Property and Claims” does not deal with the problem of "comfort women" or wartime sex slaves, which is currently a hot issue. The territorial issue of "Dokdo"was not solved by the normalization treaty and now poses the most difficult problem in our bilateral relations.
Nevertheless, Korea-Japan relations have greatly improved over the past 50 years. Japan apologized for the comfort women issue in the 1993 “Kono Statement” and expressed deep regret for its wartime transgressions in the 1995 “Murayama Statement.” Based on these two statements, the two countries announced a landmark “New Partnership towards the Twenty-first Century” in 1998. In the meantime, the Republic of Korea has emerged as a middle power and China has overtaken Japan as the world’s second largest economic power, a result of its rapid economic growth over the last 20 years. As a result, the balance of power in the Northeast Asia region that had been maintained for more than a century since the China-Japan war in 1894 is now shifting.
The Abe administration is attempting to reverse the previous administrations’ stance on historical views under the slogan of “a departure from the postwar regime.” The administration in Tokyo seems to insist that Japan is also a victim of the Pacific War. But there is no doubt, at least among Koreans and Chinese, that Japan is a perpetrator. By signing the Treaty of San Francisco with Japan in 1951, the United States settled postwar issues, but it did not take rigorous punitive measures against the defeated nation. Instead, the U.S. seemed to focus on joining Japan in containing the spread of communism and tried to stabilize the country as soon as possible. The U.S. actively supported Japan’s postwar recovery at the time ofthe outbreak of the Korean War. In consequence, Japan did not have an opportunity to clear up its militarist past by itself and concentrated its efforts on economic revival.
The issue of historical perception is critical to the improvement of Korea-Japan relations. It is only natural for Korea to be extremely sensitive to the issue since the country endured Japan’s colonial rule. Over 70years have passed since the end of the war and many Japanese do not know of past affairs. History must not be forgotten, but we should not make the mistake of becoming blinded by failing to look to the future. Abalanced view on history, reality and the future is required.
Korea cannot survive alone inthe rapidly changing circumstances of Northeast Asia: the geopolitical position of the Korean Peninsula will not change. Korea should always consider its relationship with its four neighboring power nations. Significantly, Korea-Japan relations also directly affect Korea-US relations.

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