South Korean President Moon Jae-in has decided not to visit Japan for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, citing a failure to set up a summit with Japan's prime minister that would produce meaningful results in improving relations. (More Sports News)
Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been strained since South Korea바카라s Supreme Court in 2018 ordered some Japanese companies to compensate Korean forced laborers
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has decided not to visit Japan for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, citing a failure to set up a summit with Japan's prime minister that would produce meaningful results in improving relations. (More Sports News)
Moon바카라s office said Monday that officials from Seoul and Tokyo held talks over longstanding disputes about wartime history and a 바카라future-oriented바카라 development of their relations, but did not find enough common ground to support a summit between their leaders.
The countries had been discussing the possibility of Moon visiting Tokyo to participate in the Olympics바카라 opening ceremony and having talks with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga about repairing bilateral ties that have sunk to postwar lows in recent years with disputes over history, trade and military cooperation.
It was unclear how close they came to setting up a summit. Seoul said their talks were damaged by a 바카라last-minute obstacle.바카라
The announcement by Moon's office came after the South Korean Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned Japanese Ambassador Koichi Aiboshi to protest remarks made by another senior Japanese diplomat who, according to a local broadcaster, used lewd language with its reporters to ridicule Moon바카라s hopes about using the Olympics to improve relations.
According to JTBC, Hirohisa Soma, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy, said Moon would be 바카라masturbating바카라 if he thinks he would have a summit during the Olympics, saying Suga has more on his plate than just South Korea-Japan relations.
When asked whether the incident influenced Moon바카라s decision not to go to the Olympics, a senior South Korean presidential official acknowledged that the 바카라internal atmosphere바카라 at the Blue House 바카라shifted toward skepticism바카라 after the JTBC report. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity during a background briefing, did not provide details about the discussions with Japan on setting up Moon바카라s visit.
Suga told reporters he hopes to 바카라continue to communicate firmly바카라 with South Korea's government in order to restore a healthy relationship between the neighbors. He said Soma바카라s comments were 바카라very inappropriate and regrettable.바카라
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said no decision has been made on whether Soma will be removed from his current position.
The South Korean government delegation at the Olympics will be led by Hwang Hee, the minister of culture, sports and tourism.
"The Tokyo Olympics are a festival of peace for people around the world, and we hope that Japan holds the Olympics safely and successfully,바카라 said Park Soo Hyun, Moon바카라s spokesperson, reading a statement on TV.
"We also hope our athletes, despite the difficult conditions, fully display the skills they have developed in competition and return home healthy.바카라
Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been strained since South Korea바카라s Supreme Court in 2018 ordered some Japanese companies to compensate Korean forced laborers for their ordeals during Japan바카라s 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. The rulings led to further tensions over trade when Japan imposed export controls on chemicals vital to South Korea바카라s semiconductor industry in 2019.
Seoul accused Tokyo of weaponizing trade and threatened to terminate a military intelligence-sharing agreement with Tokyo that was a major symbol of their trilateral security cooperation with Washington. South Korea eventually backed off and continued the deal after being pressured by the Trump administration, which until then seemed content to let its allies escalate their feud in public.
The countries have been trying to improve relations since the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden, who has called for stronger three-way cooperation in the face of North Korean nuclear threats and challenges posed by China. But progress has been slow and friction between the countries has continued as the Olympics approach.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said South Korea and Japan have squandered an easy opportunity to signal their willingness to improve relations.
"The Moon administration has not made enough domestic progress in addressing legal and historical challenges to diplomacy. Meanwhile, the Suga government has mismanaged the situation by insufficiently prioritizing Korea to the point of discourtesy,바카라 Easley said.
"Members of the Biden administration are no doubt disappointed while leaders in North Korea and China delight in the disunity of U.S. allies.바카라
Also on Saturday, South Korea바카라s Olympic Committee removed banners at the Olympic athletes바카라 village in Tokyo that referred to a 16th-century Korean naval admiral who fought off an invading Japanese fleet after the International Olympic Committee ruled they were provocative.
In agreeing to take down the banners, the South Koreans said they received a promise from the IOC that displays of the Japanese 바카라rising sun바카라 flag will be banned at stadiums and other Olympic venues.
The flag, portraying a red sun with 16 rays extending outward, is resented by many people in South Korea and other parts of Asia who see it as a symbol of Japan's wartime past.
(AP)