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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s trip to Japan on Thursday is aimed at overcoming decades of disputes and mistrust between the two countries.
Some issues, like intelligence sharing and economic cooperation, will be on the agenda. Other long-standing sources of tension are unlikely to be addressed immediately.
– Relations between the two North Asian U.S. allies have been strained over disputes dating to Japan’s 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. Koreans accuse Japan of forcing women to work in wartime brothels for the Japanese military and using forced labor, among other abuses.
– Measures over the years have attempted to resolve the issues. Japan says compensation for forced labour was settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic ties and providing South Korea with economic assistance.
– In 2015, South Korea and Japan reached a settlement under which Tokyo issued an official apology to women who say they were enslaved in wartime brothels, and provided 1 billion yen ($9.23 million) to a fund to help the victims.
