IIPS Lecture Series 2007

Cooperation towards a Future Oriented Relationship between
Japan and the Republic of Korea
Lecture by His Excellency Yu Myung hwan,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to JapanANA Inter Continental Hotel, Tokyo
25 September 2007
On September 25, 2007, the Institute for International Policy Studies (IIPS), with thesupport of the Nippon Foundation, hosted a lecture entitled “Cooperation towards aFuture-Oriented Relationship between Japan and the Republic of Korea,” delivered by His
Excellency Yu Myung-hwan, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Japan. The venue
for this event was the ANA Inter-Continental Hotel in Tokyo.
Ambassador Yu commenced his lecture bystating that Japan and Korea are partners whoshare many values, such as those of democracy
and the market economy, and that the two nations
have played a crucial role in bringing peace andstability to East Asia. He then continued asfollows.
Japan and Korea are making use of economic,
cultural, and personal exchanges to steadily
develop their relationship. As regards the stabilityof the Korean peninsula and of Northeast Asia (a vital concern in relation to the twonations’ security and prosperity), they are engaging in close cooperation towards a peacefulresolution of the North Korean nuclear issue that now confronts them.
Naturally, there are certain differences
between the two nations over specific policy
methodology in relation to North Korea; however,
the two governments share the aims of resolving
the North Korean nuclear issue and constructing
peace and security in East Asia, and cooperation
between the two nations is more vital than ever toprogress in the six-party talks aimed atdenuclearization of the North.
Given the current situation, building afuture-oriented Japan-Korea relationship will require that the two nations do the following:(1) lay the foundations for future-oriented bilateral cooperation by overcoming the issue ofhistorical awareness, (2) strengthen political trust by building channels for political©Institute for International Policy Studies 2007

dialogue, (3) pursue economic collaboration (for example, by concluding an FTA) andstrategic cooperation, (4) expand grassroots cooperation by increasing social and cultural
exchange and promoting civic solidarity, and (5) use the six-party talks to build structures
for resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and for peace and security in Northeast
Asia.
Realistically, it will naturally be impossible
to reconcile the two nations’ historical awarenessin the short-term. Hence, they must consider
splitting the process in two—on one level seeking
a fundamental resolution in the mid-to-long term,and on another level dealing with the short-term
issues that arise. In order to do this, it is probably
necessary to construct various channels for
dialogue between politicians in the two countries,
such as regular forums attended by legislatorsfrom both nations.
As regards economic relations between the two nations, the Korean government
recognizes that it must aim to achieve a high-standard Japan-Republic of Korea FTA thatwill serve as a model for East Asian economic integration, and it will also be necessary tofurther promote personal and material exchanges between the two countries.
After making these comments, Ambassador
Yu wound up his lecture by stating that 2007 is
the 400th anniversary of diplomatic exchange
between Japan and Korea, and that the two nations
must devise a shared future vision and take thelead in building an overarching framework forpeace and security in Northeast Asia and thus forshared prosperity, in keeping with the principle ofneighborly exchange based on sincerity and trust,as advocated by Hoshu Amenomori, who played aleading role in diplomatic exchanges with Korea. Finally, the ambassador responded toquestions from the floor on a wide range of subjects.

©Institute for International Policy Studies 2007

This lecture series are supported by the Nippon Foundation