Korea Digest No. 2 May, 2023

KOREA DIGEST

Korea Digest is a monthly publication of the Korea Centre, School of International Relations and Politics, Mahatma Gandhi University, that compiles major political, security, economic and diplomatic developments in the Korean Peninsula. Korea Digest aims to track, highlight and provide brief analysis of important developments in the Korean Peninsula for the Indian audience.

 

Korea Digest No. 2 May, 2023

Contents

  1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol Completes First Year in Office
  2. Japanese PM Fumio Kishida’s Visit to Korea
  3. Kim Jong-un Sends Regards to Putin
  4. South Korea Sends Team to “Inspect” Fukushima Nuclear Plant
  5. US Welcomes Japan-South Korea Summit
  6. North Korea’s Attempt to Launch a Spy Satellite Resulted in Failure
  7. North Korea Signals Tokyo that Pyongyang is Now Ready to Resume Dialogue
  8. The First Modi-Yoon Summit Called for Strengthening India-Korea Strategic Partnership in the Indo-Pacific

 

  1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol Completes First Year in Office 

 

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol completed his first year in office, receiving mixed reviews about his performance. The Yoon administration has been positively evaluated for the progress made in handling foreign policy, especially the ties made with America and Japan. He has also been referred to as Korea’s “Number one Salesperson”, reflecting President Yoon’s proactive role in sales diplomacy. Many MNCs remain in high hope for his business-friendly approach. However, all these efforts are not helping Mr. Yoon from the deteriorating public support. There are people in South Korea who consider he should be more available to the public and ordinary people, rather than with business magnets. Such a view reflects President Yoon’s inability to handle domestic issues. A survey by Yonhap News Agency, suggests that the current administration should focus on generating more job opportunities for future generations and also on social issues like the increasing suicide rate in South Korea, unemployment, and growing inflation.

 

  1. Japanese PM Fumio Kishida’s Visit to Korea

 

On May 6-7, 2023 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in South Korea for a Summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. It is pretty strange that Japan and South Korea, both American allies, haven’t conducted any state visits by leaders in 12 years. Earlier, South Korean President Mr. Yoon visited Tokyo for diplomatic talks, resuming the “Shuttle Diplomacy” between the two nations. The historical conflicts linked back to Japanese colonial rule in Korea pertaining to human trafficking, forced prostitution, and forced labor. The victims of these horrible treatments, the opposition parties, and other interest groups are asking for an official ‘apology’ and proper compensation from the state of Japan. Earlier this year, the South Korean administration decided to solve the forced labor issue by compensating their own citizens, which was applauded by the United States but received huge widespread protests from South Korean citizens. Earlier, the Japanese companies who were involved in forced labor had shown their reluctance to pay compensation as per the verdict of the South Korean Supreme Court. Thus, the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to Seoul is seen as a departure in the bilateral relationship, which has been at a historical low since the diplomatic normalisation in 1964. At the same time, it is too early to say that this is the beginning of a new phase, given the unpopularity of the matter in Korean domestic politics.

 

  1. Kim Jong-un Sends Regards to Putin 

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent his greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian people to express his warm regards on the occasion of celebrating the78th anniversary of victory in the “Great Patriotic War”. The Russian Federation celebrates the triumph of the USSR against Nazi Germany in 1945. The message from Mr. Kim conveyed that the Red Army and the People of Russia contributed much and made many sacrifices to defeat the evils of Nazism. He also added that Russia is still continuing its anti-imperialist approach. A good relationship with Russia and China is significant for North Korea as it is getting more isolated from the outside world. It is also important to note that the message from Pyongyang reaches Moscow in the middle of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and also in the midst of the diplomatic talks between South Korea and Japan.

 

  1. South Korea Sends Team to “Inspect” Fukushima Nuclear Plant

 

South Korea sent a 21-member team to inspect the discharge of treated wastewater from Japan’s earthquake wreck Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. The decision of Japan to release wastewater from the Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean raised concerns in the neighboring countries, including South Korea. The team includes experts from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology. Wade Allison, a Physics professor at Oxford University, who the ruling party invited, made sure that there is nothing to worry about regarding the release of water. All the mess began in March 2011, when a massive tsunami hit the power plant, which resulted in damage to the plant’s cooling system. At the same time, the opposition in South Korea accused the Yoon administration is acting according to the Japanese government and not paying attention to the concerns of South Korean citizens and the environmental hazards that might happen as an aftereffect of the release of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. Apart from the Korean specialist team, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is also conducting its own inspection and sample collection from the Fukushima Nuclear plant.

 

  1. US Welcomes Japan-South Korea Summit

 

The summit between South Korea and Japan has been viewed very positively in Washington. Since both countries have been important allies for the US for a long time, America can ensure a geopolitical grip on East Asia regardless of the increasing influence of China in the region. A US spokesperson said that they would continue to work with both allies in a combined manner to promote security and peace in the region. Earlier in November 2022, during the East Asia Summit held in Cambodia, the leaders of the US, Japan, and South Korea assured that the trilateral partnership between these countries will continue through negotiations and shared values. Japan and South Korea have been keenly trying to mend the relationship between the countries by resuming state visits and diplomatic talks. Recently, South Korea has announced special schemes for the upliftment of the victims of Japanese colonialism during 1910-1945. The United States has stepped up on several occasions in the past to patch the relations between Japan and Korea, including diplomatic normalization between them in 1964 and stopping them from severing a military agreement in 2019.

 

  1. North Korea’s Attempt to Launch a Spy Satellite Resulted in Failure

 

According to various sources, including KCNA, North Korea’s attempt to launch a spy satellite has reportedly ended in failure. The failed launch comes in the middle of growing concerns over North Korea’s military capabilities and its efforts to develop ICBMs. Soon after the failure of the space mission, Pyongyang stated that it would conduct a second launch in the near future. According to the North Korean National Aerospace Development Administration, the failure was due to the low reliability and stability of the new-type engine system applied to carrier rocket Chollima-1 and the unstable character of the fuel used. The launch sparked emergency warnings in the Japanese island of Okinawa and the South Korean capital Seoul; both warnings were later lifted. Even if the launch ended in failure, North Korea faced severe disapproval from the international community, including the United Nations.  South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) called the rocket launch “a grave violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions” and a serious provocation, threatening peace on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the UN, criticized the North for implementing ballistic missile technology, which contradicts the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

 

  1. North Korea Signals Tokyo that Pyongyang is Now Ready to Resume Dialogue

 

North Korea’s vice foreign minister, Pak Sang-gil conveyed that Pyongyang is ready to engage in diplomatic measures with Tokyo. The move comes amidst ongoing efforts to ease tensions in the region and explore diplomatic avenues for resolving long-standing issues. Earlier, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida expressed his willingness to arrange a summit with Kim Jong-un, mainly to placate the pending issue of North Korea abducting Japanese citizens. In the DPRK’s defense, the issue has been ‘solved already’. In 2002, Pyongyang admitted that it had kidnapped several Japanese citizens during the period between the 1960s and 1970s. According to KCNA, “there is no reason for North Korea and Japan not to meet”. The dialogue between both countries holds the potential for addressing different issues, including humanitarian aid, cultural exchanges, Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, regional security, economic cooperation etc. In the coming weeks, further discussions and preparations are expected to take place to lay the groundwork for the formal talks. The international community remains cautiously optimistic, hoping that this positive step will pave the way for constructive engagement and progress in resolving the longstanding issues between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. South Korea had already started negotiations to sort out the issues with Japan and reestablish “shuttle diplomacy” between the two countries.

 

  1. The First Modi-Yoon Summit Called for Strengthening India-Korea Strategic Partnership in the Indo-Pacific

 

On May 20 on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol had their first Summit meeting. The leaders reviewed the progress of India – Republic of Korea Special Strategic Partnership and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in areas of trade & investment, high technology, IT hardware manufacturing, defense, semiconductors and culture. The leaders noted that both countries are celebrating 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year, and agreed to enhance their cooperation further. According to Korean sources PM Modi agreed and asked Yoon to enhance strategic communication and cooperation between the two countries. The two leaders expressed their shared commitment to promoting regional peace and stability, in alignment with South Korea’s Indo-Pacific strategy and India’s Act East Policy.

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Prepared by Mirash Cherian Kurian Research Associate, Korea Centre

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