Korea-Japan Relations during the Period of US-China Strategic Competition: Polarized Politics and South Koreas Policy toward Japan

Abstract

It is evident that disputes and complexities within the bilateral relationship between South Korea and Japan have escalated since the 2010s. The primary factors contributing to this phenomenon encompass the decline of the power disparity and the rise of competition, conflicts over identity, and divergent foreign policy stances toward China and North Korea between the two countries. These sources of conflict have mutually interacted with each other and further exacerbated the discord. Tensions between the two nations nearly exploded as specific events like the Japanese military sexual slavery issue and the forced mobilization issue became entangled with the broader conflict. On the one hand, it became difficult for South Korea to act as one Korea in terms of policy, strategy, and changes in its state identity, which have occurred as Koreas state power has become equivalent to that of Japan. South Korea is experiencing fragmentation, and the rift between conservatives and progressives within South Korea appears larger than the dissimilarities between the two countries. This landscape of polarized politics underscores the necessity of adopting a fresh perspective, which places greater emphasis on domestic variables when analyzing Korea-Japan relations. This article analyzes how polarization in politics has impacted on Korea-Japan relations from this specific point of view. At first, it examines perceptions and strategies adopted by South Korean conservatives and progressives amid the US-China strategic competition. Subsequently, it explores the influence of polarized politics on the political dynamics related to three significant issues in Korea-Japan relations: firstly, the Korea-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) as a symbol of security cooperation; secondly, the North Korea policy as a primary source of contention; and finally, the historical issues serving as immediate triggers for friction.