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By Kang Seung-woo
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| Wendy Sherman |
"Nationalist feelings can still be exploited, and it's not hard for a political leader anywhere to earn cheap applause by vilifying a former enemy," U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman said in a seminar in Washington, D.C., Friday. "To what extent does the past limit future possibilities for cooperation? The conventional answer to that question, sadly, is a lot," she added.
The under secretary didn't specify whether she referred to President Park Geun-hye, Abe or Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The foreign ministry was cautious about her remarks being misunderstood.
"The full context of her speech was about close cooperation between the three countries for peace and stability in Northeast Asia coinciding with the interests of the U.S.," a ministry official said in a briefing, Sunday.
"She also praised the bilateral free trade agreement that is building an even stronger foundation for the future of the U.S. alliance with Seoul."'
"The Koreans and Chinese have quarreled with Tokyo over so-called comfort women from World War II. There are disagreements about the content of history books and even the names given to various bodies of water. All this is understandable, but it can also be frustrating," she said.
"Such provocations produce paralysis, not progress. To move ahead, we have to see beyond to envision what might be," said Sherman, who visited the three nations last month.
Sherman's remarks, not necessarily in a related development, were followed by President Park's reiteration Sunday that Tokyo should own up to its wrongdoing such as sex slavery and offer a heartfelt apology. Sunday was the 96th anniversary of the March 1, 1919 Independence Movement Day against Japanese colonial occupation.
The sex slavery issue has been the main impediment to an improvement in relations between Seoul and Tokyo in the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Historians estimate that the number of sex slaves was 200,000 in Asia. Currently, only 53 Korean victims are still alive and their average age is 88.
Considering the age of the survivors, the Korean government has called for an apology and compensation from the Japanese.
In an apparent reference to Japan, she also said, "In thinking about the possibilities, we don't have to look far for a cautionary tale of a country that has allowed itself to be trapped by its own history."
Her remarks came as Shinzo Abe is seeking to give a speech at the U.S. Congress in April.
The hawkish premier, driven by a political shift to the right, is expected to whitewash Japan's militaristic past and wartime atrocities, including sexual enslavement. Critics claim that he should not be allowed to do so. Korean organizations in the U.S. have launched a campaign to derail Abe's plans.
The U.S. has been supporting Japan in it apparent bid to contain China in the region, putting Korea at a dilemma, according to experts.
"Although Korea and Japan are important allies to the U.S., it is known to everybody that the latter far outweighs the former," said Paik Hak-soon, senior researcher at the Sejong Institute.
He added that Sherman apparently meant to urge both countries to improve their frayed bilateral ties, which would meet U.S. interests in the region.
"The U.S. government has urged or encouraged Korea and Japan to mend fences with each other, but to no avail, and it again calls for both nations to make efforts," said Paik.
Last year, President Park Geun-hye proposed a trilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Abe this year and as a prelude for the three-way foreign ministers' meeting to be held here next month.
Sherman hoped this could lead to a first trilateral summit, saying, "Plans are afoot for a three-way ministerial meeting to be held in Korea next month with the expectation of a summit to follow."
Along with the tensions between the three nations, she said that North Korea will not be recognized as a nuclear weapons state.
"They see in Pakistan — a country whose nuclear program was first protested, then accepted — and hope to follow that example, which isn't going to happen," she said.
The repressive state has carried out three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 and despite growing pressure on the North to give up its nuclear weapons program, its leader Kim Jong-un has shown no sign of backing down.
