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South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

South Korea President Moon Jae-in raised the issue of “popular sentiment” on the comfort women issue in a telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on May 11.

In the conversation, Moon attempted to send a clear message that the comfort women agreement reached by the administration of predecessor Park Geun-hye on Dec. 28, 2015, cannot be enforced under its current terms due to intense objections at home. At the same time, Moon also immediately stressed the need for “joint efforts” rather than renegotiation - sending the message that Seoul and Tokyo should work together on a solution rather than remaining at odds on the issue. Moon also stressed the need for a “two-track” approach of dealing separately with historical concerns and other issues in the two sides’ cooperative relationship, including the North Korean nuclear issue.

During the telephone conversation, Moon responded to remarks from Abe expressing “hope for faithful implementation of the comfort women agreement.”

“The reality is that a majority of South Koreans do not emotionally accept that agreement,” Moon replied.

Moon went on to say there were “limits to the government’s ability to resolve issues that arise in civilian domains,” adding that “some time will be needed.”

Moon further expressed “hope that historical issues such as the comfort women issue are something we can intelligently overcome as we advance our relationship.”

He added that Japan’s leaders “need to show their respect and continuation of the content and spirit of the Kono Statement [of 1993], Murayama Statement [1995], and Joint Communique by [former South Korean President] Kim Dae-jung and [former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo] Obuchi.”

Moon’s remarks were seen as sending the message that the comfort women agreement - hurriedly signed by the Park administration without first establishing a consensus with the survivors or general public - cannot be carried on as is. But while Japan is most concerned about the possibility of renegotiation or overturning of the agreement, Moon said instead that the two sides should “acknowledge the public’s feelings and the reality and work together.” It’s a message that appears to reflect Seoul’s practical difficulties overturning the agreement between states unilaterally even with a new administration in power.

Moon went on to say he wanted to “clearly state that historical issues must not be allowed to hinder the future-oriented development of bilateral relations.”

“I feel the two sides need to work together to intelligently overcome those issues for what they are, while working separately on responding to the North Korean nuclear and missile programs and achieving future-oriented development for both sides,” he continued.

In essence, Moon was articulating a two-track approach to relations with Tokyo, where the two sides cooperate on shared concerns as a separate issue from conflicts over historical matters.

Cho Se-young, director of the Dongseo University Japan Center, said the conversation was “fine in its overall content,” with Moon “saying what needed to be said about the general situation with South Korea-Japan relations.”

At the same time, Cho said, “The problem was [Moon’s] failure to mention the statement by Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Aug. 10, 2010, around the 100th anniversary of Japan’s annexation of Korea.”

“The Kan statement, in which the Japanese Cabinet approved an acknowledgement of the forcible nature of [Japan’s] colonial rule [over Korea], was the most progressive in the history of South Korea-Japan relations,” he explained.

“The Japanese government keeps trying to stay away from the Kan Statement, but the South Korean government needs to put it front and center,” Cho said.

On the comfort women agreement, Cho observed, “If they had started from a blank slate, they might have been able to mention things like legal responsibility, but it was an awkward situation after the Park Geun-hye administration turned that into spilled milk.”

“Before asking Japan what it’s going to do, we first need to control traffic on the issue at home,” he advised.

“We should be able to find a solution as we work on establishing a national consensus on the comfort women agreement process, its problem areas, and a better alternative.”

By Jung In-hwan, staff reporter

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