Lee mentions ‘historical wounds,’ but not Japan, in Liberation Day address

President Lee Jae Myung leaves a theater in Seoul on Aug. 17 after watching the documentary ″La Resistance.″ [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

 
President Lee Jae Myung used his Liberation Day address to take a measured view of history and distance himself from anti-Japan rhetoric, signaling a two-track strategy that separates the past from future cooperation ahead of a Korea-Japan summit on Friday
 
Lee joined citizens at a theater in Seoul on Sunday to watch the documentary “La Resistance,” produced by the Heritage of Korean Independence and General Hong Beom-do Memorial Society to mark the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation.
 
 
“Through the life of General Hong Beom-do, we can see the sacrifices and devotion that built the foundation of Korea,” Lee said. “I hope the film helps us reflect on the questions it raises for us today and the meaning of the 80th anniversary of liberation.”
 
Lee made no reference to the issue of pro-Japanese collaborators, which the film mentioned repeatedly. He struck a similar note in his Liberation Day address on Friday.
 
“Many among us still suffer from historical wounds,” he said. “At the same time we remember the dreams of independence fighters.”
 
Yet he avoided sensitive disputes such as Japan’s wartime sexual slavery or forced labor, and he did not call on Tokyo to issue an apology.
 
Since taking office in June, Lee has kept his distance from both anti-Japan sentiment and the idea of positioning Korea against Japan as a rival.
 
He told the Japanese government that he hoped it would “face the painful history of the past and work to ensure that trust between the two countries is not damaged.” He also acknowledged that defining the bilateral ties between Korea and Japan is both important and difficult, “because Korea and Japan have long shared a turbulent history.”
 
Observers describe Lee’s recent approach to Japan as the “shared yard neighbor” theory.
 
In his Liberation Day speech, he called Japan “a neighbor with whom we share a yard and an essential partner in economic development.” He first used the metaphor in June at a bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru at the Group of 7 summit in Canada.
 

President Lee Jae Myung, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru shake hands during a Korea-Japan summit at the Group of 7 meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

 
“Like neighbors sharing a front yard, our ties, our relationship cannot be severed,” Lee said at the time.
 
“The message has been consistent, so Japan has started to see Lee as a stable counterpart,” said Lee Won-deog, a professor of Japanese studies at Kookmin University. “For years, historical disputes blocked pragmatic cooperation between the two countries, but this administration has set its direction clearly from the start, which is to confront history while pushing forward with strategic cooperation.”
 
Some officials around the president believe the approach was solidified during trade talks with Washington.
 
“Korea relied heavily on Japan’s examples during negotiations on tariffs, and that seems to have underscored the importance of cooperation between the two countries,” a Democratic Party spokesperson said.
 
In fact, during his June summit with Ishiba, Lee pointed to the challenges of the global trade environment and suggested deeper collaboration.
 
“Korea and Japan have complementary strengths and can help each other greatly if we cooperate across many areas,” Lee said.
 
Inside the Democratic Party, many also see urgency in moving Korea-Japan relations forward during Lee’s term. Some officials even speak of reviving the spirit of the “Korea-Japan Joint Declaration: A New Korea-Japan Partnership towards the 21st Century,” signed in October 1998 by then-President Kim Dae-jung and Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.
 
“It may be worth considering in the long term but will not be on the agenda for the Aug. 23 summit,” a senior presidential official said. “Scheduling issues could make the meeting more working-level.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY OH HYUN-SEOK [[email protected]]