South Korean teams rally to protest Japanese PM’s upcoming go to

People in Seoul protest the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear energy plant, Seoul, South Korea, May 2, 2023. /CFP

South Korea’s fundamental opposition Democratic Party and representatives of civic teams rallied on Thursday, protesting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s upcoming go to to Seoul.

Kishida is scheduled to go to South Korea for 2 days from Sunday to verify cooperation with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. The go to is hoped to pave the way in which for the Group of Seven summit in Japan later this month. Kishida has invited Yoon to attend the gathering.

Thursday’s rally was stuffed with banners, criticizing Japan for distorting historical past, exploiting pressured Korean labor and luxury ladies throughout World War II, planning to launch nuclear-polluted water into the ocean and forging army alliances with the U.S. and Japan. 

Days forward of Kishida’s journey to Seoul, a verbal duel over disputed islets had been sparked between the 2 international locations. 

On Tuesday, a South Korean lawmaker visited the Dokdo islets (additionally referred to as the Takeshima Islands in Japan), that are at present beneath the management of South Korea, however Japan claims them, saying South Korea is illegally occupying them. The Japanese Foreign Ministry mentioned the go to occurred regardless of Japan’s opposition and calls for for it to be referred to as off, and Japan had lodged a protest towards the lawmaker’s touchdown on the islets, which “is absolutely unacceptable.”

South Korean Foreign Ministry rejected Japan’s protest, calling it an “unfair claim” and mentioned “Dokdo is South Korea’s sovereign territory historically, geographically and under international law.”

Tokyo and Seoul have lengthy been at odds over points associated to Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945. The relationship had plunged to the bottom level over wartime labor compensation beneath the earlier administration. 

Relationship has improved beneath the conservative authorities of Yoon, who took workplace in May 2022, with Seoul proposing an answer to the problem in early March.

Yoon paid his first go to to Tokyo on March 16. The two sides agreed to restart reciprocal visits by Japanese and South Korean leaders, which had been suspended since 2011.

However, South Korea’s opposition events have been more and more crucial of Yoon’s administration of creating compromises to Japan.

Source: CGTN