The Moon Jae-in government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) faces a critical phase over the relationship with the Japanese government. Focal points are two: one is a response of the Japanese government to a personal letter of President Moon handed over during the bilateral premier meeting on October 24 and the other is developments to be seen with regard to the reform in the prosecutor office of the republic. We will watch how the Japanese government will seek for a sincere talk with the counterpart and how the ROK’s prosecutor system will be rearranged.

BOTH OF JAPAN AND ROK FACE CRITICAL PHASE

Attacks against former Justice Minister of ROK Cho Kuk have been waged horrendously by the prosecutors’ circle and the conservative forces. The Japanese rightist media stir up danger every day, accusing Cho Guk and the Moon government. People supporting the former president Park Geun-hye as well as opposition politicians and far-right forces have organized rallies of several hundreds of thousand participants. Meanwhile, civic groups in favor of Mr. Cho Kuk and the Moon government held, in parallel, street meetings of several hundreds of thousand citizens.

The former mobilized the elderly in a systematic way, while the latter attracted the youth. Mr. Cho resigned from the post of minister of justice on October 14. As is seen in the subsequent citizens’ rallies, majority of people demand the Moon government to reform the prosecution.

Assertions of the Conservative

On October 15, the following day of Mr. Cho’s resignation, the Moon’s cabinet approved the draft of the prosecution reform plan which has been keenly focused by many. Developments will attract attention.

The Moon government had proposed a plan to reform the prosecution system of the country as a major pledge during the election campaign and last January it laid out a concrete sketch. It was Mr. Cho, the then-chief secretary, who was in charge of the announcement. The ROK’s prosecutor office has an independent authority, advocating voices of the conservative. Many politicians and activists have been threatened, prosecuted and indicted by the prosecution in alliance with the National Intelligence Office in the crackdown of progressive forces.

The reform program includes: (1) establishment of an independent ‘office to investigate crimes committed by high-ranking officials’ and (2) transfer of major powers to the police authority. These measures represent a long-waited, finalized arrangement of people of ROK who want democracy. Currently the social opinion of the country is divided into two and the Moon government faces a low supporting rate, but before long it will recover popularity if the reform goes successfully.

Citizens’ Anger

The Abe government and the rightist forces here hope failure of the Moon government, expecting weaker accusation voices on the Japan’s colonial rule over the country in the previous century. This government position is a total error. Though the ROK’s conservative are against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and in favor of intensifying the US-ROK alliance, they oppose to the Japanese government.

President Moon has consistently addressed to Prime Minister Abe to have talks, but the latter has been disregarding the calls. As for the wartime Korean slave laborers, the ROK government suggested the 6/19 Program (=a joint compensation fund of businesses of both Japan and ROK), but the Japanese government flatly rejected it.

The ROK government has municipalities reserve their ‘ordinances to boycott goods of the war-criminal enterprises’, trying to restore good atmosphere necessary to hold bilateral talks. The number of tourists to Japan, however, has dropped by 60% and the food export figures to ROK have declined by more than 60%.

Korean citizens’ anger to the Japanese government will not stop; the Abe government denounces ROK as ‘unreliable’ and remains irresponsible for the colonial domination.

Will relations be worse?

Premier Lee Nak-yeon has brought with him a personal letter of President Moon, which conveys a sincere wish of Korean people to improve the current relations through dialogue. Premier Abe, however, only repeats saying, ‘observe the agreement concluded by the two states’.

The GSOMIA, the General Security of Military Information Agreement, will expire in November. Defendants of the slave laborers suits, the Japanese business bodies, will see that their properties in ROK will be put on sale in December. More complicated, grave situation will emerge. The Abe government, intentionally, aggravates relations. It provokes hatred to ROK among Japanese people, drives viciously to revise the Constitution of Japan and disturbs aspirations of reconciliation between the north and the south. We must topple the government’s plan to build an Imperial Japan.

November 5, 2019