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| Park Won-gon |
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| Yuji Hosaka |
Currently, it appears unlikely that the two sides will to come to an agreement any time soon, regarding their historical dispute over Japan's compensation of wartime forced labors, they said. Thoughts are that the South Korean government needs not to react emotionally to Japan's political rhetoric and economic retaliation, but instead, focus on bringing Tokyo back to the negotiating table.
"The South Korean government should convince Japan that it will play an active role in settling the dispute in the possibly upcoming rulings," Park Won-gon, a professor of international relations at Handong Global University.
With Japan showing no signs of abiding by the Supreme Court's ruling by South Korea, Seoul offered to launch a joint fund between companies from the two countries, as part of what the South thought was a "middle ground" that can resolve the dispute. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, however, stepped up his criticism on the South for "failing to take appropriate measures" on the ruling that ordered Japanese companies to compensate surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor.
Japan gave a flat refusal over the proposal, reiterating its position that the compensation issue concerning the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula was settled in a 1965 treaty between the two countries.
"There are some actions the South Korean government can take, and one of them is a government-wise participation in establishing the joint compensation fund with Japan," Park argued. "Such an action or promise can make Japan convinced over South Korea's willingness to resolve the historic dispute in a diplomatic manner, which can help restart suspended talks between the two.
Japan removed South Korea from a whitelist of countries receiving trade benefits. The South Korean government hinted at applying similar restrictive measures against their Japanese counterparts. Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min refuted Japan's repeated claims regarding the 1965 treaty under which Tokyo provided Seoul with a $300 million grant and $200 million in loans.
Yuji Hosaka, a professor at Sejong University, said South Korea should remain very careful not to be deceived by Japan's "political trick."
"Seoul should keep urging Japan to make its position very clear, and get a more concrete understanding of what Japan's demands and complaints are before taking any actions, such as the proposal to establish the joint fund under the participation of the South Korean government," according to the professor.
"The first thing South Korea should do is to accurately figure out Japan's complaints via official or unofficial channels," said the professor. "Holding talks is the only way to resolve the deepening feud between the two countries. Once the South makes any rash proposals to Japan, things may get worse without generating any outcomes."
Amid the deepening dispute, the two countries are also facing a series of political watershed moments ahead, such as the Aug. 15 Liberation Day marking Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.
Also noteworthy is whether South Korean President Moon Jae-in will be able to have talks with Abe when the United Nations General Assembly meeting convenes in September.
