Tomorrow (3rd) South Korean presidential election, the leading candidate pledges to ”practical diplomacy”

In the run-up to the South Korean presidential election, which will be held tomorrow, the 3rd, Lee Jae-myung, the candidate of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, who has been leading the election campaign so far, announced his foreign and security pledges on the 26th of last month.
Lee announced that he would "strengthen cooperation between the ROK, the US and Japan" by promoting "pragmatic diplomacy." He also described Japan as an "important cooperative partner." On the 27th, he held a major summit on the theme of diplomacy.
A televised debate among the candidates was held, and Lee once again emphasized his intention to strengthen cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea in areas such as security.
Lee, the official candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, was in the final stages of the election campaign when he was asked by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.
Although opinion poll results showed that the gap between him and Kim Moon-soo of the Democratic Party of Korea has narrowed slightly, he has been fighting the election campaign with an advantage up until now.
As neighboring countries are closely watching what kind of foreign policy the person closest to becoming the next South Korean president will pursue, Lee posted on social media on the 26th of last month about diplomacy.
・He announced his security pledge. Lee stated, "I will pursue pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests, based on the solid ROK-US alliance." The importance he places on relations with the US is already evident in the actions of those around him.
On the 8th of last month (local time), Kim Hyun Jungformer, second vice director of the National Security Office and Lee's advisor for foreign affairs, security and trade, visited Washington as Lee's foreign affairs and security advisor and met with Trump.
Kim held a meeting with administration officials. It is unusual for a presidential candidate's advisor to meet with U.S. government officials. After his visit to the White House, Kim told reporters, "The ROK-U.S. alliance is
"Ri emphasized that it is extremely important and that it needs to be strengthened and upgraded as much as possible, and that it is also his position that cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan needs to be strengthened," he said.
Regarding policy toward Japan, Lee stated in his pledge that Japan is an "important cooperative partner," and that "historical and territorial issues will be resolved in principle, while in the social, cultural and economic fields, we will take a positive and forward-looking approach."
"We will respond in a proactive manner and consistently lay the foundation for a strong Korea-Japan relationship," he said. Speaking of Lee, he has been known for his anti-Japanese actions and remarks.
In 2016, while he was president, he participated in a sit-in protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest against the agreement on the comfort women issue that Japan and South Korea had reached the previous year.
During his term as governor of Gyeonggi Province, he promoted the "Pro-Japanese Remnants Liquidation Project." He liquidated the pro-Japanese and Japanese imperialist remnants in the educational field in Gyeonggi Province. When he ran for the last presidential election in 2022,
He repeatedly made strong statements against Japan. When the previous Yoon Seok-yeol administration came to power, he labeled it a "pro-Japanese, traitorous administration" and continued to criticize it.
When the government decided to release treated water from the Shimada Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, he incited anti-Japanese sentiment, calling it a "contaminated water terrorism" and a "second Pacific War." He himself went on a hunger strike in protest.
However, recently, Lee has not made the same "hardline" remarks against Japan as he used to. In a video posted on social media on the 20th of last month, he said, "I really
"I want to be friendly with Japan," he said, expressing his desire to advance cooperation in areas such as cultural exchange and the economy. He also pointed out that "there is a preconceived notion that I am hostile toward Japan," and said that South Korea
Referring to the Takeshima Islands (known as Dokdo in Korean) in Shimane Prefecture, over which South Korea claims sovereignty, he said, "We have no choice but to take a firm stance on historical issues and the Dokdo issue, but I am proactive and open-minded in areas where Korea and Japan can cooperate, such as cultural exchange."
He added, "I have a very good impression of the Japanese people. I have traveled to Japan several times, and I find the people to be truly humble, kind, hardworking, and frugal, with a lot to learn from them."
On the 26th of last month, when he announced his pledges on diplomacy and security, Lee was in Suwon, where he was campaigning, when he recited the 1998 Japanese Constitution, which expresses remorse and apologies for colonial rule and calls for the future-oriented development of relations.
He touched on the Korea-Japan Joint Declaration and expressed his recognition that it is a desirable and realistic principle. On the other hand, he said that he would "deal in principle" with territorial and historical issues. However, among historical issues, the biggest concern between Japan and Korea is
The former forced labor issue was resolved by the previous Yoon administration, and this led to a dramatic improvement in relations between the two countries. The former forced labor issue is still being resolved, but if Lee becomes president, the former administration's proposal will likely be implemented.
It is unclear whether the settlement reached in this way will continue to be implemented as is. Regarding the comfort women issue, the previous administration made no notable moves, but in 2015 the Japanese and South Korean governments agreed to a "final and irreversible settlement."
Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his "apology and remorse," and the Japanese government contributed 1 billion yen to a victim support fund in South Korea. From the Japanese government's perspective, this issue has been resolved.
However, on April 25, the central Cheongju District Court handed down a ruling ordering the Japanese government to pay compensation in a lawsuit filed by the surviving family members of former comfort women.
This is the third case in which a court has ordered Japan to pay compensation. At the time of the ruling, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya issued a statement saying, "This is clearly against international law and agreements between the Japanese and South Korean governments. It is extremely regrettable and completely unacceptable."
" The ruling was finalized by the 15th of last month. Korean civic groups supporting former comfort women are calling on the new government that will take office after the election to proactively tackle the comfort women issue.