[Japan Commentary] The Trilateral Summit and Korea-Japan Relations: Achievements and Significance

Author

Cho Yang-hyun_Professor, Department of Asia-Pacific Studies, Korea National Diplomatic Academy, and Director, Center for Diplomatic History. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Diplomacy and earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Tokyo. He served as an Academic Associate at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. His primary research interests include Japanese politics and diplomacy, East Asian international relations, and diplomatic history. His major works include "Asian Regionalism and America" (University of Tokyo Press, 2009), "Regional Characteristics of the Global Cold War" (Sahoepyeongnon, 2015, co-authored), "Korea-Japan Relations: How to Resolve Them" (Kimyoungsa, 2015, co-authored), and "East Asian Power Transition and Changes in Japanese Foreign Strategy" (East Asia Foundation, 2014, co-authored).

Key Achievements

The Trilateral Summit among Korea, China, and Japan

The 6th Trilateral Summit among Korea, China, and Japan was held in Seoul on November 1st, attended by President Park Geun-hye, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, and Premier Li Keqiang of China. This summit, held annually since 2008, had its fifth meeting in Beijing in 2012. Its resumption after approximately three and a half years, during which relations between Korea and Japan, and between China and Japan, had cooled due to issues concerning comfort women, Dokdo, and the Senkaku Islands, was fraught with difficulties.

Therefore, the greatest achievement of this meeting lies in the resumption of the trilateral summit itself and the agreement to restore momentum for trilateral cooperation and strengthen its institutional foundation. The three leaders agreed on the "full restoration of trilateral cooperation" and reaffirmed the principle of regularizing the trilateral summit. They agreed to expand and develop the approximately 50 intergovernmental consultative bodies currently in place, expressed support for strengthening the capacity of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) through participation in ministerial meetings, and confirmed the importance of establishing the Trilateral Cooperation Fund (TCF).

More specific achievements include setting the direction for practical cooperation among the three countries. According to the "Joint Declaration on Peace and Cooperation in Northeast Asia" adopted at the meeting, in the economic sphere, the three countries agreed to accelerate negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) and strive to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Furthermore, regarding 'sustainable development,' the three countries agreed on the successful hosting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, expanding cooperation on air pollution and yellow dust issues, establishing a high-level Arctic cooperation dialogue, pursuing joint monitoring of marine debris, and continuing policy dialogues on biodiversity. In the area of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, they agreed to expand youth exchanges, such as Campus Asia and the Youth Summit, and promote tourism exchanges. The confirmation of their intention to jointly strive for the early resumption of the Six-Party Talks concerning the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the North Korean nuclear issue is also a significant achievement. In global issues, the three countries found common ground on cooperation and joint responses to cyber security, non-proliferation, and violent extremism, effective responses to global economic and financial trends, and exploring cooperation on climate change, sustainable development, and health security.

Meanwhile, the fact that the meeting only confirmed principles at a fundamental level regarding historical issues demonstrated the limitations of the cooled trilateral relations. According to media reports, President Park Geun-hye mentioned that issues causing political and security conflicts and antagonism have not been resolved, and Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that a common understanding of historical issues is the basis for mutual trust. In response, Prime Minister Abe reportedly referred to his 70th anniversary of the end of World War II statement, stating that it inherited the perceptions of previous cabinets and that focusing solely on specific past events is not productive. Nevertheless, the inclusion of the principle "facing history and moving towards the future" in the joint declaration, thereby elevating and confirming the agreement from the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in March to a part of the leaders' joint declaration, was a positive outcome.

Korea-China Summit

In the Korea-China summit held on October 31st on the occasion of the trilateral summit, the two leaders were able to reaffirm their common understanding and cooperation framework regarding the deterrence of North Korea's strategic provocations, the non-acceptance of North Korean nuclear weapons (denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula), and the issue of Korean unification. Since the launch of the Park Geun-hye administration, through a series of intergovernmental consultations, including summit meetings, efforts have been made to elicit China's constructive role in North Korean and Korean Peninsula issues, and the administration's stance is to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Korea, the US, and China on North Korean issues. The recent Korea-China summit, following the Korea-China and US-China summits in September and the Korea-US summit in October, is expected to contribute to fostering an atmosphere of cooperation among Korea, the US, and China regarding North Korea's nuclear program and North Korea.

A noteworthy aspect of the Korea-China summit was the specific agreements in areas of practical cooperation, such as economic trade and cultural exchange. The two leaders agreed to pursue the early conclusion of the Korea-China FTA within the year and for China to ease non-tariff barriers for the export of Korean rice, samgyetang, and kimchi. They also agreed to expand cooperation in high-value, new growth engine sectors such as finance, robotics, and healthcare, and to explore joint ventures in third-country markets. In terms of the cultural industry, they reached an agreement in principle to launch an industry consultative body to ease relevant regulations and jointly enter the global market.

Regarding regional development issues, the two countries agreed to strengthen the linkage between Korea's 'Eurasia Initiative' and China's 'One Belt, One Road' (一带一路). The Eurasia Initiative, which aims to promote economic cooperation among Eurasian countries to induce North Korea's reform and opening and build a foundation for unification, is a cornerstone of the Park Geun-hye administration's foreign strategy, along with the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative. One Belt, One Road is a concept that combines the land-based 'Silk Road Economic Belt' (一带) stretching from Central Asia and Russia to Europe, and the maritime 'Maritime Silk Road' (一路) connecting China's coastal areas, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. It is a key project of the Xi Jinping administration. Immediately following the Korea-China summit, the governments of the two countries signed a "MOU on Cooperation between the Eurasia Initiative and One Belt, One Road." Economic cooperation between the two countries is expected to expand in various fields, including infrastructure construction and finance.

Korea-Japan Summit

The Korea-Japan summit held on November 2nd was the first bilateral summit between President Park and Prime Minister Abe since their respective inaugurations. During the one-on-one summit, the issue of Japanese military comfort women, which was the primary concern, was mainly discussed. The two leaders reportedly "instructed to accelerate consultations to resolve the issue of comfort women victims as early as possible, keeping in mind that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan." President Park likely demanded a sincere response from the Japanese side, based on the fundamental position that the comfort women issue must be resolved at a level acceptable to the victims and understandable to the Korean people. Prime Minister Abe, however, appears to have maintained his existing stance that the comfort women issue was resolved by the 1965 Claims Agreement. Ultimately, both sides agreed to accelerate consultations to resolve the comfort women issue promptly, given its importance in Korea-Japan relations.

Meanwhile, during the expanded summit, the two sides confirmed a "two-track approach" strategy of expanding mutual cooperation on other pending issues, separate from progress on historical issues, and reached various agreements on a wide range of discussions and practical cooperation on matters other than historical issues. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of trilateral cooperation among Korea, Japan, and the US on the North Korean nuclear issue and agreed to strengthen mutual cooperation in addressing the North Korean nuclear issue at the multilateral level. They also agreed to strengthen global cooperation related to the new climate regime, such as the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 21), and to expand exchanges of young talent.

Furthermore, regarding economic, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges, it was agreed to endeavor to accelerate negotiations and reach a swift agreement on the China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (CJK FTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Japan expressed interest in South Korea's participation trends, anticipating the expansion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to regions in Asia, including South Korea, leaving room for cooperation regarding South Korea's participation in the TPP.

Evaluation and Tasks

As the chair country of the Korea-China-Japan summit, South Korea succeeded in restoring the trilateral cooperation mechanism, a symbol of regional cooperation in Northeast Asia, and reaching an agreement on regularizing the summit. Not only did it demonstrate its role as a mediator between China and Japan, but it also achieved discussions and convergence of opinions in areas of sustainable development and contribution to the international community, which are linked to the agreements from the Korea-US summit last month. This has largely dispelled the "China-leaning" argument raised by some and reinforced South Korea's role as a mediator among the US, China, and Japan.

In a situation where the need for improving individual bilateral relations within the region is increasing, the fact that this trilateral meeting provided opportunities for bilateral talks between Korea and China, Korea and Japan, and Japan and China within its framework, and offered opportunities for dialogue and cooperation, is assessed to have contributed to easing tensions in the fluid and uncertain geopolitical landscape of Northeast Asia. Furthermore, at a time when international attention is focused on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's DMZ provocation, the joint message from the three leaders regarding North Korea's nuclear program and Korean unification, in conjunction with the Korea-China and Korea-US summits, and the securing of welcome and support from Japan and China for the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, are noteworthy achievements.

Viewed in this light, the recent trilateral summit among Korea, China, and Japan is not only significant in its very holding but can also be evaluated as having yielded considerable gains in terms of regional peace in Northeast Asia and the enhancement of South Korea's diplomatic presence. Ensuring that this leads to the establishment of trilateral cooperation, genuine improvement of relations, and the prompt resolution of the comfort women issue will be important tasks for our diplomacy going forward.

To this end, sustained efforts are required for the institutionalization and normativization of trilateral cooperation. Trilateral cooperation is a highly advantageous forum for South Korea, which is geographically positioned as a mediator between China and Japan, to expand its international influence at regional and global levels without getting bogged down in the competition for regional cooperation leadership between Japan and China. For the expansion and deepening of Korea-China-Japan cooperation, the efforts of the three countries towards institutionalization and normativization, which prevent bilateral conflicts such as historical issues, territorial disputes, ideological confrontation, nationalism, and regional power competition from spilling over into trilateral cooperation, are crucial, along with South Korea's role as a mediator.

The failure to present specific solutions for the comfort women issue during the recent Korea-Japan summit remains a significant challenge for future diplomacy with Japan. However, it is noteworthy that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to accelerate consultations for the "resolution" of the comfort women issue, even while maintaining that the issue was "resolved" by the 1965 Claims Agreement. This means that since the Japanese government acknowledges the existence of the problem and shows willingness for a prompt resolution, this "golden time" must be utilized. To this end, it may be effective to persuade Japan that resolving this issue independently is essential for Japan's national interests and the expansion of its international role, and that it is a matter that must be settled for the sake of Korea-US-Japan cooperation and Korea-Japan security cooperation, by maximizing international pressure from the US, the UN, and other international actors. Furthermore, it is necessary to hold Korea-Japan summits on the occasion of multilateral meetings such as APEC and the G-20 to confirm and urge progress in consultations on the comfort women issue.

In addition, forming domestic consensus on realistic solutions for the comfort women issue and the decision of the top leadership are crucial. Given that the positions discussed over nine rounds of director-level meetings regarding the comfort women issue have been reaffirmed through this Korea-Japan summit, the remaining task is political decision-making. In a situation where it is difficult to find a solution that fully satisfies both Korea and Japan regarding Japan's legal or state responsibility for the comfort women issue, a realistic approach would be a political and diplomatic compromise rather than a legal resolution. Therefore, the resolution of the comfort women issue depends on the resolve to pay the political costs of mutual concessions for the improvement of Korea-Japan relations and the formation of consensus within both countries.

Establishing a policy of "separate response" in diplomacy with Japan and overcoming the historical issues framework will hold significant meaning for our future diplomacy. With the confirmation of the "two-track approach strategy" by the leaders of Korea and Japan, thereby eliminating diplomatic gaps, it is necessary to expand practical cooperation between Korea and Japan as much as possible, based on the principle of maintaining principles on historical issues while pursuing national interests and tangible benefits in areas such as economy and security. Considering that the biggest obstacles in foreign and security policy during the first half of the Park Geun-hye administration were the stagnation of Korea-Japan and inter-Korean relations, it is necessary to break through the deadlock in Korea-Japan relations in the latter half of the administration and use it as leverage to expand diplomatic strategic space.

In a situation where the power balance in East Asia is shifting and the competition among the US, China, and Japan is intensifying, South Korea, with its relatively weaker national power compared to neighboring major powers, realistically has options such as middle power diplomacy, multi-directional diplomacy, and mediator diplomacy. It must cultivate diplomatic capabilities that permeate multilateral diplomacy, strategic diplomacy, and pragmatic diplomacy to become a trendsetter in the regional order. In a situation where external attention is focused on our strategic choices following North Korea's provocations and China's Victory Day celebrations since last summer, South Korea has been able to open breakthroughs in Korea-Japan and inter-Korean relations through a series of summit diplomacy, including bilateral summits with China (and the US) and the US, and the trilateral summit with Korea, China, and Japan, by taking the lead in agenda setting. We must secure diplomatic presence through "well-prepared proactive engagement" on issues related to the Korean Peninsula. ■

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