September 20, 2019

Excellent The Diplomat Article on South Korea, Japan, US, GSOMIA.


DongJoon Park at The Diplomat (paysite) has written an excellent article which corroborates 

much of Anonymous’ advice here, here and here. DongJoon Park’s article, of September 19, 2019, at https://thediplomat.com/2019/09/the-us-japan-and-south-korea-should-shelve-gsomia-for-now/ is titled:

The US, Japan and South Korea Should Shelve GSOMIA (For Now)”. Parts include:

“Insisting that Seoul rejoin [the
General Security of Military Information Agreement] GSOMIA may make South Korea more skeptical about Washington’s ability to arbitrate impartially.

...In Washington, experts are alarmed at Seoul’s decision to discontinue GSOMIA, arguing that it plays right into the hands of North Korea and China by weakening trilateral security cooperation between the United States and its two most important allies in East Asia. 
Many have pointed to historical animosity between [Seoul and Tokyo's] contrasting views over the “final and irreversible” nature of the 2015 agreement, and lack of mediation by the United States as key reasons behind this rapid downturn in bilateral relations. Even the threat posed by Pyongyang evidenced by its frequent missile tests in recent months appears to have done little to curb rising tensions.  
...Jennifer Lind has noted how the “crisis fits a predictable pattern” in which a progressive [Seoul] government tends to be “more dovish toward North Korea and more prickly toward Japan and the United States.”
...Seoul has also used its quarrel with Tokyo to signal its independence from Washington. High-ranking South Korean officials have openly retorted that Seoul would not seek mediation because they would then get slapped with a hefty bill in return.
...Though it may resemble similar instances from the past, what is unique about this present moment is U.S. President Donald Trump’s apparent eagerness to pursue negotiations with North Korea...Recent reports suggest that the United States and North Korea may meet again as early as late September
However unrealistic a breakthrough may seem to be, the fact that there is an ongoing dialogue of sorts between the United States and North Korea gives Seoul further leeway to maintain its current conciliatory stance vis-à-vis Pyongyang. 
Moreover, this unique set of circumstances has exposed the stark differences that lie in how Seoul and Tokyo perceive North Korea as a threat to their national security. North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs often overshadow the fact that most South Koreans still believe unification between the two Koreas to be both desirable and feasible. And in this regard, Pyongyang will never be an adversary for Seoul in the same way it is for Japan. 
...Historically, calls for a stronger partnership between Seoul and Japan, and by extension trilateral cooperation including the United States, have been predicated on the notion that it is necessary to deter North Korean aggression, and for good reason.
 ...Much like it did a few years ago, the United States can and should play a positive role in facilitating reconciliation between its two allies through such processes. But to do so, it must not overly stress the importance of a vigorous trilateral relationship when it rests on such shaky ground. Insisting that Seoul rejoin GSOMIA, for example, will only exacerbate the situation by making South Korea more skeptical about Washington’s ability to arbitrate impartially...”
 DongJoon Park is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Government at Georgetown University.”
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Read the whole excellent THE DIPLOMAT (paysite) article, by DongJoon Park, HERE.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Pete,

Given how things are between Japan and Korea, and the number of times Japan has apologised, set up payment arrangemenets, and other things, I do wonder what it would take for SK to be appeased. Do they want the current leaders of Japan to allow SK to arrest and/or execute them, in a like for like punishment? I really think that the SK political powers either want to agitate for an extremely harsh punishment, or they want to divert attention from issues in SK by using Japan.

(Yes I know there's the issues with Japan visiting their shrine with war heroes, including several from WW2, and some wording of the apologies, and supposed revision of Jpn history being taught)

I do also wonder how pragmatic SK is being, given their giant neighbour, who has their own violent history as well.

Andrew

Pete said...

Hi Andrew

I think the Japan-should-again-pay-reparations movement has a popular following and its exploited by South Korean politicians.

I assume the only a few thousand 90+ year old SK slaves/comfort woman still alive is no limiter. This is assuming the children and grandchildren of now dead slaves/comfort woman also demand reparations?

I think Germany had many more slaves than Japan in WWII and I don't hear calls for Germans to pay up again.

I wonder how much compensation money SK has demanded of NK and China for their invasions of SK in the Korean War?

Regards

Pete

Anonymous said...

Hi Pete

Jennifer Lind’s recognition of disputation between Japan and South Korea is not partially based on the facts. She said, “Japan annexed Korea in 1910. For the next 35 years, Japan brutalized Koreans in many ways ⁠ — forcing them to work as slave laborers in Japanese companies and as sex slaves, or “comfort women,” as they were known, for Japanese soldiers during World War II.” Also she said, “ forcing them to work as slave laborers.” [1]

But, according to a Korean expert on this issue, Lind’s statements are factually incorrect . Drafting of Korean laborer started in October 1940, not in 1910. Wage of laborer (72yen) in 1940 is much higher than starting salary (42yen) of policeman. If laborer hoped, he could save 40% of wage. And wage gap between Korean and Japanese miner was not significantly different. Slave laborer cannot receive money at all. [2-7]


[1]”The Japan-South Korea dispute isn’t just about the past”, by Jennifer Lind, Aug/30/2019, Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/08/30/japan-south-korea-dispute-isnt-just-about-past/?noredirect=on

[2] “Wage of war-time-mobilized Korean miner (coal and metal) and wage gap between ethnic groups”, by Lee Wo-youn, Kyushu University Institutional Repository, page 63-87, May/24/2017, https://catalog.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/opac_download_md/1807618/p063.pdf
“Previous research claimed that wage of Korean miners was not payed or extremely low. But, we demonstrated that this claim was against the fact. Wage gap between Korean and Japanese miner was not significantly different.”
Lee Wo-youn, is a research fellow of Nakseongdae Institute of Economic Research, South Korea.

[3] id., page64,
“Many people think Japan did not pay as it was war-time-mobilization. Buy, it is factually inaccurate. Japan started the mobilization of laborer as the recruitment of laborer in September 1939. Since the mobilization and in the stage of the draft of laborer in October 1940, wage was payed.”

[4] id., page65, Table 1 “Wage and spending in major mines in 1940”,
Average wage (as shown in left and bottom column) is 71.96 yen.

[5]id., page 66.
“After excluding forced savings, food expenses and other miscellaneous expenses, Korean miner could receive 40% of wage as net income.”

[6] “History of price form Meiji era to Heisei era”, Table 2 “Payment and wage”.
In 1945 (from left to right column) , annual income of salary earner (748yen), monthly real income of working household (125yen), starting salary for government official (75yen), starting salary for college graduate (75-80 yen), starting salary of police man (45yen), starting salary of junior high school graduate (42yen), daily wage of carpenter (3yen), daily wage of day laborer (2yen).

Regards

Anonymous said...

South Korean (SK) Navy officially admitted it is making effort to secure nuclear submarine [1].

The Chief of Staff of SK Navy officially told that nuclear submarine is most convenient to follow and destroy North Korea (NK) SSBN and effective deterrence against neighboring countries. He explained that it is not restricted by Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons(NPT) and Safeguards Agreement of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Japanese government will think that “neighboring countries” except NK means Japan and that SK Navy considers Japan as a virtual enemy [2]. Because, SK Navy never attack China and Russia.

[1] Korean Navy "Efforts to secure nuclear submarine ... convenient for North SLBM", Radio Free Asia, Oct/10/2019
https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/nk_nuclear_talks/ne-hw-10102019083107.html

[2] “Development of SSN by SK preceding Japan”, Jun Kitamura, Oct/17/2019, JBpress,
https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/57942?page=4
Figure “Simulation of attack Japan by SK nuclear submarines”

Pete said...

Hi Anonymous [October 17, 2019 at 1:38 PM]

As you know I'm preoccupied selling and buying housing - so your comment above is very useful and timely.

I have just turned it into an article "Future South Korean Nuclear Submarine Seen As Threat to Japan" at https://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2019/10/future-south-korean-nuclear-submarine.html

Regards

Pete