South Korean President Lee Jae-myung responds to criticism over inadequate handling of the historical issues with Japan!

Lee Jae-myung responded to domestic public opinion in South Korea criticizing the "historical issues" not being properly addressed during the South Korea-Japan summit, stating: "I know that some people in the Republic of Korea are raising this issue, and I am prepared to be pointed out about it. However, this is only the first step. If we rush, it may be difficult to bear. If we give more time, it will bring more significant results, including more substantial progress on historical issues and territorial issues."

After meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shunichi on August 23, Lee Jae-myung issued a "Joint Press Statement" outlining future South Korea-Japan cooperation plans. The statement did not mention the historical issues, which caused an uproar in South Korean public opinion, with critics calling it a meeting result that avoided historical justice.

Lee Jae-myung said: "Ideal things cannot be achieved to our complete satisfaction at once. There are always opposing positions in the world, and both sides hope to solve problems perfectly from their own interests. In situations where it's impossible to satisfy everyone, thinking that nothing has been done is actually a common trend in politics. Even if criticized or considered insufficient, we must take feasible measures."

"Among what we have done so far, there have been losses as well as gains. We cannot abandon the partial achievements just because we have not reached our goals perfectly at once, otherwise, we will not make progress."

Lee Jae-myung emphasized that he has consistently advocated for facing historical issues, but believes that historical issues should not hinder issues such as security and economic cooperation between South Korea and Japan.

"Historical issues and territorial issues do exist and need to be resolved, but we don't need to put economic, security, technological cooperation, climate, and civil exchanges on hold simply because these issues remain unresolved."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841400125090828/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.