South Korea's Yoon renews hopes for improved ties with Japan

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South Korea Anniversary

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a ceremony of the 104th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement Day against Japanese colonial rule, in Seoul Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HYUNG-JIN KIM

Tue, February 28, 2023 at 9:03 PM AKST

In this article:

• Yoon Suk-yeol

  South Korean politician, 13th President of South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president on Wednesday called Japan “a partner that shares the same universal values” and renewed hopes to repair ties frayed over Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

Since taking office in May last year, President Yoon Suk Yeol has been pushing to mend the historical grievance with Japan and boost a Seoul-Tokyo-Washington security cooperation to better cope with increasing North Korean nuclear threats.

In a televised speech marking the 1919 uprising against the Japanese colonizers, Yoon urged his people to remember what he called “patriotic martyrs who gave their all for our country’s freedom and independence during the dark days.” But he avoided mentioning any specific colonial wrongdoing as he explained why greater cooperation with Japan is needed.

“Now, a century after the March First Independence Movement, Japan has transformed from a militaristic aggressor of the past into a partner that shares the same universal values with us and cooperates on issues of security, economy and global agendas,” Yoon said.

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“In particular, the trilateral cooperation among the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan has become more important than ever to overcome the serious nuclear threats posed by North Korea and global polycrisis,” Yoon said.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said Yoon’s address "offers hopeful signs not only for Seoul’s relations with Tokyo, but also for South Korea‘s role in the world.”

“Emphasizing shared values is much more than rhetoric if backed up by a foreign policy that deepens trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan while increasing contributions to global efforts, such as supporting Ukraine, strengthening supply chains, and countering climate change,” Easley said.

South Korea and Japan are closely linked economically and culturally and are both key U.S. allies in the region. But they often bicker over issues stemming from Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

 

North Korea's Kim orders 'fundamental transformation' of agriculture amid reports of food shortages

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the 7th enlarged plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang

Josh Smith and Hyunsu Yim

Mon, February 27, 2023 at 1:32 PM AKST

In this article:

• 

  Kim Jong-un

  General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and 3rd Supreme leader of North Korea

By Josh Smith and Hyunsu Yim

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged government officials to engineer a "fundamental transformation" in agricultural production, state media reported on Tuesday, amid fears that the country's food shortage is worsening.

Kim said hitting grain production targets this year was a top priority and emphasized the importance of stable agriculture production during the second day of the seventh enlarged plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea on Monday, according to state news agency KCNA.

The report did not elaborate on what measures North Korea would take, but Kim said the changes need to happen in the next few years.

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Collective farms account for the vast majority of North Korea's agriculture, according to researchers. Such farms typically host multiple small farmers who produce crops with joint labor.

Kim's remark comes amid reports of growing food shortages in the country, though North Korea has denied suggestions that it cannot provide for its citizens.

Earlier this month, South Korea's Unification Ministry said the food situation in the North "seemed to have deteriorated".

The ministry said at the time that it was rare for North Korea to announce a special meeting on agriculture strategy which was slated for late February.

In his address at Monday's meeting, KCNA said Kim mentioned the "importance of the growth of the agricultural productive forces" in ensuring socialist construction.

North Korea is under strict international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, and its economy has been further strained by strict self-imposed border lockdowns aimed at stopping COVID-19 outbreaks.

The full extent of the food shortages in North Korea is unclear, but in a January report, the U.S.-based 38 North project said that food insecurity was at its worst since famines that devastated the country in the 1990s.