SK President Criticizes Japan At Meeting With US Congress
by Beth on Friday, May 10, 2013
by Beth on Friday, May 10, 2013
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In her address to the US Congress, given in English, she thanked the US for its enduring co-operation in maintaining security in South Korea over the past sixty years, as well as discussing South Korea’s economic future and relations with the North. As her speech drew to a close, she referred to what she calls “Asia’s paradox”, the idea that despite increasing economic dependency, political and security co-operation has shown little progress due to disagreements over their shared history.
In the Japanese media, this reference to troubled relations between East Asian states has been taken as a direct criticism of the Japanese government’s firm stance on its narration of Japan’s colonial past. This article from the Yomiuri Shimbun was the most shared article on Facebook among Japanese users, and attracted thousands of tweets.
From Yomiuri Online:
President Park Geun Hye Criticizes Japan As “Asia’s Paradox” During US Meeting
On May 8, South Korean President Park Geun Hye gave a speech in English at a joint session between the Upper and Lower Houses and the Senate in the United States. Regarding the regional situation in North East Asia, President Park indicated that there was constant conflict over the “history issue”, thus criticising Japan while avoiding singling out any nation by name.
During a meeting between the two leaders on April 7, following on from President Obama’s statement that “Japan ought to have a correct understanding of history”, he voiced a sense of uncertainty over the Abe administration.
While President Park indicated that economic interdependence between nations in North East Asia is increasing, little progress was being made in the areas of political and security relations due to the continuing conflict surrounding historical issues. President Park termed this current state of affairs as “Asia’s paradox”, and criticised the Japanese government’s understanding of history with the phrase, “Those who are bind to the past cannot see the future”.
