South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives in Japan on Thursday looking to open a 'new chapter' in relations as security challenges from Pyongyang and Beijing rattle the region.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives in Japan on Thursday looking to open a "new chapter" in relations as security challenges from Pyongyang and Beijing rattle the region.
Since his election last year, Yoon has made clear that resetting ties with Japan is a top priority, and he called Thursday's two-day trip "an important step forward". But history has loomed large in relations, particularly atrocities committed during Japan's 35-year colonial rule, including the use of wartime sex slaves -- euphemistically termed "comfort women" -- and forced labour.
As ties frayed, the two sides imposed tit-for-tat trade measures and halted cooperation on several fronts.However, Yoon's election, and growing concerns about North Korean sabre-rattling and Chinese military power, have driven momentum for reconciliation. "It is meaningful that Korea-Japan relations are finally starting to normalise, but it becomes a bit complicated in terms of outcome," he told AFP.
Internationally, however, the rapprochement has been welcomed, particularly in Washington, which is keen to see two key Asian allies make up.
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