South Korea: President's Unprecedented Visit to Disputed

[논둑길맨발로]

Lee puts Japan-Korea relations on the rocks
By Kosuke Takahashi
Aug 11, 2012

TOKYO - August 10, 2012 will be long remembered in the history of Japan-Korea relations as a day that laid the seeds for future calamity.

Despite strong demands from Tokyo to cancel his plans, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Friday made an unprecedented visit to disputed islets in the Sea of Japan called Dokdo by Koreans and Takeshima by the Japanese.

The first such trip by a South Korean president to the islands, this will send already-chilly Japan-South Korean relations to their lowest point in decades. Repercussions will be felt not only in Seoul and Tokyo, but also Beijing, Washington and Pyongyang, likely impacting on a united front the US planned to build against China's naval expansion and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Japan has summoned South Korea's ambassador to protest against the visit, a Kyodo news agency report said. Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba had already said any such visit "would have a great impact on Japan-South Korea relations" and that Japan would "have to respond firmly".

South Korea's presidential office said the purpose of Lee's visit to the area was partly to confirm‎ how the environment on nearby Ulleungdo Island was being protected. Lee's ministers of environment and culture accompanied him. It seems Lee is stressing this purpose of environmental research, perhaps to appease Tokyo.

His visit came ahead of August 15, when Korea will mark its independence in 1945 from Japanese rule. Korean nationalism and patriotism always rise to the fore at this time.

It seems that Lee, already seen by many as lame-duck ahead of the presidential election in December, aims to recover his and his party's place in political power by fanning ethnic sentiment.

He also may want to distract the public from corruption scandals involving his elder brother and mentor, Lee Sang-deuk, 76, and his former aides, who were arrested on bribery charges last month. Lee was forced to apologize to the public on national television for the scandals.

"The lame-duck Lee administration in the last year is trying to make Japan into a scapegoat," Masao Okonogi, emeritus professor at Keio University in Tokyo and a noted expert on the affairs of the Korean Peninsula, told Asia Times Online on Friday. "In South Korea, no media can criticize such popularism openly, as long as the target is Japan."

Hideshi Takesada, a professor at Yonsei University of South Korea, echoed Okonogi's views. "Lee has become a lame duck faster than previous [Korean] presidents. The damage of the bribery scandals is also huge. To recover public support for him, he needs to take a hard-line stance toward Japan, which is a popular thing in both ruling and opposition parties as well as among both conservatives and liberalists."

As if reflecting growing anti-Korean feelings, on the Internet young Japanese even been claiming that Lee is visiting the disputed islands to provoke racial resentment as both nations face each other in bronze medal volleyball and soccer matches at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Bilateral relations remain strained over historical issues, especially the unresolved issue of former "comfort women", who were mobilized, or often coerced, as sex slaves during Japan's Asia-Pacific War (1930-1945).

Although Seoul has repeatedly demanded the Japanese government compensate the women, Tokyo has refused to do so, saying it has no legal obligation to compensate war victims, including those forced to become laborers and comfort women.

Moreover, Japan's 2012 Defence White Paper, published by the Japanese Ministry of Defense on July 31, explicitly mentioned that the disputed islands were Japan's "inherent territory", prompting a strong South Korean protest. For Seoul, the islands are not only a subject of territorial dispute but also a legacy of Japan's brutal 1910-1945 colonial occupation. All of these factors have put Tokyo and Seoul on a collision course.

South Korea has had a permanent presence on the Dokdo islands since 1954, but Japan has never renounced its claim over the territory, which it incorporated in 1905. Both countries point to historical records dating back several centuries to support their cases.

This is not the only territorial dispute faced by Japan. To the south, it is engaged in a sovereignty dispute over the Senkaku Islands (known in China as the Diaoyu Islands) and competing development of offshore gas fields in the East China Sea. In the north, it has the thorny issue of the Russian-held Northern Territories, known in Russia as the Southern Kurils.

Russo-Japanese relations have also deteriorated as Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has repeatedly visited those disputed islands since November 2010, triggering fierce protests from Tokyo. "South Korean President Lee may have taken a cue from Medvedev's visit to Northern Territories," Okonogi said.

Japan's neighbors appear to be taking advantage of the country's weakening political and economic muscle

"Japan is looked down on by China, so South Korea thinks it not necessary to make a compromise with Japan," Takesada said. "This is the centerpiece of Seoul's stance toward Japan. Since China's influence over South Korea's economy is growing, people are increasingly thinking that as long as Seoul maintains good relations with Beijing, the nation will not have any difficulties."

In Tokyo, experts say South Korea is hoping Japan will take on the dangerous role of having to stand up to China, while Seoul itself pursues good terms with Beijing.

Kosuke Takahashi is a Tokyo-based Japanese journalist. His twitter is @TakahashiKosuke

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/NH11Dg02.html

South Korea: President's Unprecedented Visit to Disputed

Islands a Smokescreen?

Posted 10 August 2012 21:15 GMT

Written byLee Yoo Eun

Countries	Japan, South Korea
Topics	Breaking News, War &Conflict, International Relations, Politics, Citizen Media, Media &Journalism
Languages	Korean, English

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South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made an unprecedented visit to the Dokdo islands, a group of islets which have been at the center of a decades-old territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan. It was not only the very first public visit by a South Korean leader but a highly controversial one which has sparked an international media frenzy.

The initial public response in South Korea was positive and Lee got rare compliments for his bold action, but as time went by, skepticism and suspicion grew stronger on the Korean Twittersphere, with many calling Lee's daring political stunt a smokescreen on other issues.

Angry reactions from Japan, which claims the islands as an integral part of its territory, were expected. But South Korean Twitter users made harsh accusations regarding the motive and effectiveness of Lee's visit on August 10, 2012.

Although a majority of Koreans left comments below related online news article praising Lee and describing his visit as either ‘patriotic' or ‘bold‘ [ko], many out-spoken Twitter users stressed that it was a political wild card designed to restore Lee's popularity and cover up his and his party's bribery cases before the upcoming presidential election.

Image of Dokdo Islands, Image by 머찐만두 at Naver, Wikipedia Commons (CC BY SA 2.0)

One of South Korea's most influential Twitter users who is also a  journalist Huh Jae-hyun (@welovehani) tweeted [ko] that the visit was actually counter-productive in settling the dispute over the islands:

이명박 대통령의 독도방문. 잘 한건 잘한거라고 칭찬하자고요? 됐습니다. 대통령이 방문하건 말건 독도는 우리땅입니다. 괜한 퍼포먼스로 국제적으로 시끄러워지는 빌미만 제공했습니다. 대신 대통령은 애국자 이미지 득템하셨고.

Lee Myung-bak's visit to Dokdo islands: Should we be complimenting since it is good thing anyway? No way. Whether the president visited the islands or not, it is still our territory and actually, Lee made it all the more complicated by providing a good excuse for the other side to raise more disputes and invite commotion with his “political performance”. Moreover, Lee succeeded in building himself a patriotic image.

He also reminded [ko] of what Lee has gained in return:

독도방문으로 엠비가 얻은 것. 한일군사협정 밀실 추진 비판 물타기. 민간인사찰-새누리당 공천뇌물 뉴스 축소. 그러나 독도방문으로 얻은 외교적 실익은 없음. […]

What MB has achieved by the Dokdo visit [note: MB is president's initial and his nickname]: Diffused criticism on his secret military agreement with Japan and attenuated media coverage on his administration's monitoring on civilians and the governing Saenuri Party's cash-for-nomination scandal. There is zero practical, diplomatic advantage our nation has gained through his visit.

Another popular Twitter user @mindgood expressed worries [ko] that the visit overshadowed other issues:

MB의 독도 방문에 한일 축구 4강전…여기에 일본 각료들 8.15에 야스쿠니 신사 참배 계획…언론들 한일 양국 극단 대립양상 보도로 새누리 공천비리 등 완전 덮힐 듯.

Followed by MB's Dokdo visit, these are lined up: A soccer match between South Korea and Japan, Japanese high-officials' planned visit to Yasukuni Shrine on August 15. The ruling Saenuri party's money-for-nomination scandal will all be forgotten after we got through these intense spats between South Korean and Japanese media.

@mettayoon raised similar points [ko]:

독도를 가셔서 새로운 이슈 만들어 공천뇌물사건, 4대강 녹조라떼 건등 대선에서 새누리당에 불리하게 작용하는 의제들을 덮어 주시려고 독도방문을 통한 애국심코스프레를 결심하신 것은 아닌신지 모르겠습니다[…]

By visiting Dokdo, Lee has created a new issue which covers up other issues disadvantageous to his Saenuri party, such as the cash-for-nomination scandal and the fact that major rivers are turning into a green tea latte [note: a sarcastic comment on the government's Four Major Rivers Project which caused severe environmental damages to the rivers] It seems Lee wants to (play) with patriotism.

He added [ko] that although Lee acted (and indeed made remarks [ko]) as if his motive was purely patriotic and bold enough to disregard Japanese complaints, it was a carefully thought-out political event:

어제 일제히 일본언론에 독도 방문이 보도되었는데 청와대는 사전에 일본에 통보한 적 없다고 부인하네요. 사실이라면 대통령에 대한 일정도 일본에 보안이 안된다는 말인데 큰일이군요. 사전에 통보해 놓고 오리발을 내미는 거면 국민을 기망하는 것이고.

The Japanese media broke the news of Lee's Dokdo visit yesterday. But the presidential house denies it gave any prior notification to Japan. If the presidential house's claim were true, then there is a serious breach of security on its confidential information– such as the president's schedule. If their claim was a lie, then it means that they have fooled the Korean people.

Indeed, several local media revealed [ko] that although the South Korean presidential house stressed that there was no need to notify other countries in advance when visiting its own territory, Japanese media reported that the Japanese government was given prior notice.

Written by Lee Yoo Eun Posted 10 August 2012 21:15 GMT ·  Print version

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/08/10/south-korea-presidents-unprecedented-visit-to-disputed-islands-a-smokescreen/

Why Japan is angry over South Korea's visit to an island

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's surprise visit to a small rocky island marks an abrupt escalation in a territory dispute with Japan.

By Jason Strother, Contributor / August 10, 2012

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South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (c.) looks at a national flag upon his arrival at islands called Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan Friday, Aug. 10. Lee made a surprise visit Friday to islets at the center of a long-running territorial dispute with Japan, ignoring warnings from Tokyo that it would worsen the neighbors' already strained relations.

AP

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South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has sparked a diplomatic rift with Tokyo after visiting a pair of disputed islets. 

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The rocks located in the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, are known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese.  Both nations assert sovereignty over the rocky outcrops, but observers say President Lee’s trip there on Friday is Seoul’s strongest rebuke yet to Japan’s territorial claim.  

“President Lee’s visit is a departure from his old way of dealing with Dokdo,” says Moon Chung-in, a political science lecturer at Seoul’s Yonsei University. “In the past, the South Korean government pursued quiet diplomacy. But apparently, President Lee Myung-bak came to realize this is not working.”     

RELATED Top 5 East Asia Island disputes 

The reaction from Tokyo was swift. Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba called Lee’s visit “utterly unacceptable” and announced that Japan’s ambassador to Seoul had been temporarily recalled.  

The islets were left out of the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco that ended World War II and officially returned territory to Korea from Japan after its colonization of the entire peninsula from 1910-1945. Since that time, South Korea has stationed a small coast guard unit on one of the islets.

Waters around the rocks are rich with marine life and the seabed is reported to be rife with untapped gas and other natural resources. 

The territorial dispute is a sticking point in bilateral relations and has frequently led to very vocal demonstrations outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.  A recent defense department white paper released by Tokyo reiterated its claim to Takeshima, which many South Koreans see as proof that Japan is unrepentant for its colonization. 

Throughout his term in office, Lee has favored bolstering economic ties with Japan rather than dwelling on unresolved issues of the past. But Yonsei University’s Mr. Moon says given the lame-duck president’s unpopularity, sticking it to Japan was the politically beneficial decision to make.     

“This kind of political gesture can improve his approval rating at home.  Legacy politics might be one important factor in driving his decision to pay a visit to Dokdo. Lee Myung-bak was pushed by Japanese politicians to take this hard line position.”     

But if relations between Japan and South Korea are harmed by Lee’s visit to the islets, the blame should ultimately fall on Tokyo, says Robert Dujarric, director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University’s Tokyo campus.

“This is clearly a Korean island, it has effective control. The Japanese government is very blind to the historical, psychological background to this,” he says. Korea has a small coast guard presence on the islands since 1954, but Lee is the first South Korean president to visit. In 2008 the then prime minister made a visit, which also sparked a diplomatic spat with Japan.

Dujarric adds that the impact of this latest incident will fade away in short time. But if Tokyo continues to cave into to Japan’s minority of far-right politicians, the dispute will continue to escalate.   

“This nationalistic crowd has not had much to do since the end of the cold war. The leadership of both the LDP [Liberal Democratic Party] and the DPJ [Democratic Justice Party] have been too incompetent to put their foot down. The last thing Japan needs is worse relations with South Korea,” he says. 

Related stories

• East Asia's top 5 island disputes
• Think you know Asia? Take our geography quiz.
• In surprise move, South Korea postpones military intelligence pact with Japan

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2012/0810/Why-Japan-is-angry-over-South-Korea-s-visit-to-an-island