Critics blast Seoul’s ‘submissive’ Tokyo ties as Kishida seeks Yoon talks before exit

South Korea’s opposition has accused President Yoon Suk-yeol of being pro-Tokyo – as Japan’s PM plans one last visit before stepping down

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Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol meet in Lithuania last year. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 10:00am, 27 Aug 2024Updated: 11:48am, 27 Aug 2024

Fumio Kishida is reportedly making progress on plans to hold talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul before the Japanese prime minister hands over power to his successor. Analysts say the planned meeting is also aimed at bolstering the two countries’ three-way alliance with the US.

However, South Korea’s main opposition party appears determined to undermine the chances of a positive outcome from such a summit. On Monday, the Democratic Party (DPK) accused Yoon of taking a “submissive” diplomatic stance towards Japan, criticising him for allegedly appointing pro-Japanese officials and ordering the removal of models of the Dokdo islands from Seoul’s subway stations.

The two islets, also known as the Liancourt Rocks, are controlled by South Korea but claimed by Japan, which refers to them as Takeshima.

“We have seen continued pro-Japan submissive diplomacy and a desperation to erase history” under Yoon, the DPK’s parliamentary leader, Park Chan-dae, was quoted as saying by Yonhap News.

“On the one hand, the pro-Japan faction is gaining power, while on the other, Dokdo is disappearing, which can hardly be dismissed as a coincidence.”

Nevertheless, Seoul’s presidential office has confirmed that discussions are under way regarding the timing of Kishida’s potential visit. Japan’s Kyodo News has also reported on the prospect of such a summit occurring before a planned September 27 election for a new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who will then assume the post of prime minister.