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.
“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.
-----------------------------------------
Read the whole excellent THE
DIPLOMAT (paysite)
article, by DongJoon Park, HERE.
5 comments:
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
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
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
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”
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
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