S Korean president calls Japan 'partner' on Liberation Day

I fear for his life.

ManyJapan colonial territories now back in bed again with Japan, not only south Korea, Taiwan too.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-ex-pm-asos-fight-taiwan-remark-line-with-official-view-lawmaker-says-2023-08-10/

@TaiwanIsNotChina

I fear for his life.

Indeed. Yoon's father died yesterday and instead of the usual condolences, news article comments were flooded with celebration cheers and curse words. This has never happened before and everyone was shocked by how deep rooted public hatred of Yoon has become.

This S. Korean leader is one classy act.

ManyJapan colonial territories now back in bed again with Japan, not only south Korea, Taiwan too.

And what's the problem with that? Hell former enemies and occupiers became best buddies, and culturally and historically speaking Japan and Korea, least wise SK and the average people of NK should be close!

Korean are not like Japanese,they sometimes embrace foreigner,if they get to know them

Now the South Korean leadership has finally realized that they can’t live without Japan. Better late than never.

What's wrong with getting on well with your next door neighbor?

ManyJapan colonial territories now back in bed again with Japan, not only south Korea, Taiwan too.

> >

I like this guy. He's got the right attitude.

It looks like Yoon is making preparation for his retirement in Japan in a couple of years after his one presidential term is finished. He'll get a nice, cushy job at a think tank or university. Good riddance.

By "embrace" do you mean hug ?

Or just in a general context ?

Yrral

>

Yoon is pro-US and therefore popular with many posters here, but within South Korea people take a dimmer view.

July 24, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell for the third consecutive week to 36.6 percent, a poll showed Monday.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/08/113_355556.html

One more step in the right direction, S. Korea and Japan have so much to gain working together than arguing about the past, always look ahead and move forward in the interest of your people.

Yoon just gets it. Whether his country and people want to follow him over the bridge to brighter psychological shores we shall see. ( maybe they do, but maybe the pettier and fearful sides of their nature don’t ) It’s a leap of faith if they do, a mature and respectable one.

Pre-warning this is gunna sound hippy, but a mindset that can put the past in its place , be proactive and positive , open and eager to demonstrate a newly found spirit of genuine good will can pretty much do anything. It’s human potential at its best, healthy energy, but it takes getting off your high horse to do it. Yoon is pushing the bar so strongly ( and at great risk to himself which makes it even more compelling ) that Japan too is obliged to follow suit. It would be awesome to see these two cousins finally make up and start walking together in solidarity, it would show the whole world how mature they both have become.

Japan, your move. Match the public statements and sentiments as bravely as Yoon has, put them out there in no uncertain terms. Keep raising guys. Am inspired!

Yoon's wife has received so much plastic surgery that she doesn't look human anymore

?

Amazing, brilliant President. Best in Korean history.

Refreshing to see a Korean leader not whipping up a frenzy of hatred against Japan. The worry is that the K-media will do what they can to tear Yoon down.

I think you can assess quiet accurately his personality/wish/desire?? From this, he sang America Pie, in congress, as a leader of S Korea, representing S Korea.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called former colonial ruler Japan a "partner" that shares his country's values and common interests

Former Korea and former Japan. Currently part of the United States. So, yes, common interests indeed.

Finally good. Together Japan and Korea can help make a better Asia. The only people that drum up the past to stoke tensions between Japan and Kora are not doing it for the people but for their own personal gains.

From Junnosuke Kibata, Nikkei staff writer:

"Today is the day we honor the liberation from the colonial rule of Japanese imperialism," a spokesperson for the opposition Democratic Party told journalists in a written statement. The text slammed Yoon's administration, citing the controversy over former wartime Korean laborers and the coming release of wastewater from Japan's damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima."

There was an old saying in South Korea about their politicans: No good ending for all South Korean presidents !

In the past 75 years almost all presidents ended up in prosecution, imprisonment suicide, assassination or in exile. This "Yoon" is hated by many and his controversial pro Japan stance made him being more unpopular. He better watch his steps !

Meiyouwenti: "Now the South Korean leadership has finally realized that they can’t live without Japan. Better late than never."

It's amazing how one-sided these efforts are. Against all odds we now have a SKorean leader who is trying to improve things and not use public sentiment (the right-wing side) to fuel politics, and Japan? Well comments like these, and the Japanese politicians saying "About time!" No effort made at all on the part of Japan, just idea that SKorea should know it has to do it all.

It is a good idea that the countries cooperate for their common good.

I seem to have read somewhere that the USA and Britain fought a couple of wars some time ago, but they get along well enough these days.

winstonToday 04:10 pm JST

South Korean should just sign a peace treaty with North korea

When did North Korea show any signs of being interested in peace? When did they show just a hint of willingness to make the necessary concessions? Unilateral concessions to North Korea would only validate and encourage their aggression.

Roy thanks for your input

If you really want to know if North Korea was ever interested in signing a peace treaty the answer is yes

Unfortunately the USA intervened and only a armistice was achieved

That sounds like the usual garbage pushed around here and we've never been able to get the evidence for it, so evidence please.

Unilateral concessions to North Korea would only validate and encourage their aggression.

That's just your opinion and can't be validated

No unilateral concessions are by definition not in a country's direct interest, and unless SK has done something wrong, it owes nothing. The north should make unilateral concessions by getting rid of its nuclear program and thereby the sanctions on it.

The South Korean government's position on North Korea is clearly stated in the law.

From South Korea's point of view, North Korea is nothing more than a terrorist who illegally occupies the Korean Peninsula.

Some South Korean presidents have tried to adopt a policy of reconciliation with North Korea, but history has proven that it never leads to a peaceful resolution.

Unless South Korea voluntarily corrects its historical problems and apologizes and compensates Japan, there will be no opportunity to resolve the issue. A superficial pro-Japan act like President Yoon's is nothing more than a temporary friendship.

The only reason President Yoon is taking pro-Japanese actions is because the South Korean economy is at a dangerous level. All he is counting on is Japanese financial aid.

Agent_NeoToday  05:54 pm JST

The South Korean government's position on North Korea is clearly stated in the law.

From South Korea's point of view, North Korea is nothing more than a terrorist who illegally occupies the Korean Peninsula.

The preamble to the North Korean constitution states that "reunification" of the Korean Peninsula under the DPRK (Kim Regime) is the national goal. From North Korea's view South Korea us a torrorist

The return of Takeshima, the return of Buddhist statues, the irradiation of fire control radar on Self-Defense Force aircraft, the lies about comfort women, and the lies about recruited workers. There are many other details.

In the first place, historically, South Korea did not win its independence by going to war with Japan. The preamble of the law is a lie.

It is true that Korea did not become independent from Japan on August 15th, but became independent from the US military administration.

The South Korean economy is declining due to trade deficit, current account deficit, household debt exceeding 100% of GDP, high suicide rate even in OECD, 20,000 to 30,000 expatriates per year, even in OECD Worst youth and old poverty rate, extreme low birth rate even in developed countries.

As a country, its GDP ranking fell from 10th to 13th. It is expected to fall further in the future. GDP per capita is also declining.

Even when the South Korean economy collapsed in the past, it was manipulated numerically that it had an abundance of foreign assets, but the contents were junk bonds.

At least in terms of predicting the future of the Korean economy, there are no decent numbers.

winstonAug. 16 10:15 pm JST

That sounds like the usual garbage pushed around here and we've never been able to get the evidence for it,

If your looking for evidence of garbage then how that helps you validate history is mind boggling

It's not everyone else's problem you cant access the information

I mean really

Are you one of those conspiracy types that thinks everyone goes out of thier way to lie about history just to amuse themselves ?

Only the truly arrogant stubborn types haven't taken the time to actually learn history from multiple sources to find the truth and instead attempt to foo foo everyone else basically because their too lazy and bovine headed to study

So from this we will conclude you don't have anything. In the future don't bring this up so I don't have to put this on the waste pile for you every time.

winstonAug. 16 10:23 pm JST

They didn't signal interest in peace, they signaled interest in concessions -- and the same vague commitment to "firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" his predecessors gave. Remind us how that denuclearization went in the half decade since?

Roy before the armistice was achieved the peace treaty was already drawn up and the Korea's were ready to sign but the USA stepped in and blocked it because it didn't fit in with their Asia-Pacific agenda

Iam telling the truth

Iam sorry if you don't believe me but look and ye will find the truth

Iam an American

We stepped in

Look it up

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Geneva_Conference#Korea_2

To make it clearer for you the Chinese proposed a peace agreement and of course it was garbage but under delusions of grandeur Rhee didn't reject it out of hand but he did not agree. He didn't even agree with the armistice for the longest time. Without Rhee's support any "peace" treaty talk is just fan fiction on your part.