The Japan Times reported on its front page that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's visit to Japan will highlight common challenges.

When South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol arrives in Japan on Saturday for talks with Liberal Democratic Party President Ishiba Shigeru, he will make history - not the kind of controversial history that sometimes strains relations between the two countries.

Yoon Suk-yeol will become the first South Korean president to visit Japan before traveling to the United States - the common ally of these two Asian countries. Japan was the former colonial overlord of South Korea. South Korean leaders have traditionally chosen the United States as their first overseas destination.

After a two-day visit to Japan, he will immediately head to Washington, where he will hold a summit with US President Donald Trump on Monday. This unprecedented visit to Tokyo is expected to be symbolic, coming at a time when it marks the 80th anniversary of Japan's brutal colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 and the anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

But this visit is more than just commemorating important anniversaries. It will highlight that Yoon Suk-yeol seems to have put aside his previous anti-Japanese views. Seoul and Tokyo hope to move past old grievances - at least temporarily - because they face some common challenges.

Both countries are struggling with how best to respond to Trump's tariffs on key economic sectors and the US president's demands that they take on more defense burdens. Meanwhile, North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal and missile forces, as well as its increasing military cooperation with Russia in the Ukraine war, continue to worry Tokyo and Seoul.

Yoon Suk-yeol, who was elected in June and was once known for his hardline views toward Japan, had previously raised concerns in Tokyo that he might overturn agreements reached under his predecessor Yoon Suk-yeol's administration that aimed to resolve contentious historical issues, which had thawed relations and also halted trilateral military cooperation with the US.

These concerns were largely eased after Yoon Suk-yeol's first meeting with Prime Minister Kishida at the G7 Summit in Canada. In that meeting, the two agreed to continue so-called "shuttle diplomacy," which involves mutual visits.

On Thursday, Yoon Suk-yeol told the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun that his government would continue along this path. "I think Japan is very important to South Korea. I also think South Korea is beneficial to Japan. The most important issue is certainly the historical issue, but we cannot keep focusing on it all the time," he said in his first media interview, including for South Korean media. "Uncomfortable aspects of our relationship will not disappear even if we try to ignore them," Yoon said. "So we must acknowledge reality as much as possible, strive for mutual understanding, and make compromises when necessary, not solve problems through confrontation."

Historical grievances, including the issue of Korean wartime laborers working in Japanese factories and mines, and the "comfort women" issue, where women were subjected to the Japanese military brothel system before and during World War II, have long hindered efforts to improve relations.

South Korea announced in March 2023 a plan to resolve the wartime laborer issue through a third-party payment system, which opened a new chapter in bilateral relations. Yoon reiterated his commitment to maintaining this agreement on Thursday, saying that although it has flaws, "it is a commitment made by the country, so overturning it is undesirable."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841111374516224/

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