Yoon reaffirms importance of security ties with Japan in Liberation Day speech

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Thu, December 7, 2023 | 21:51

Foreign Affairs

Yoon calls Japan 'partner' in defense against rising threats

Posted : 2023-08-15 16:21

Updated : 2023-08-16 11:35

President Yoon Suk Yeol gives a speech during a ceremony marking the 78th anniversary of National Liberation Day from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Tuesday. Newsis

President vows not to give in to 'communists disguised as democracy or human rights activists'

By Jung Min-ho

President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to strengthen security ties with Japan, calling the country a partner which South Korea must work with to defend shared values against intensifying threats. He made the comments in a speech, Tuesday, marking the 78th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial rule.

He delivered the speech ahead of a trilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden at Camp David, Friday (local time), which Yoon said would "set a new milestone" for their cooperation in preserving peace not just on the Korean Peninsula but in the entire Indo-Pacific region.

"South Korea and Japan are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests," Yoon said at the National Liberation Day ceremony held at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

"As partners cooperating in security and the economy, South Korea and Japan can contribute to peace and security across the world by collaborating and exchanging in future-oriented matters," he added.

If North Korea attacks the South, Japan can serve as an essential military base for United Nations Command (UNC) forces, who could then come to the aid of the South, Yoon said. For this reason, he added that Seoul's strong partnership with Tokyo serves as an effective deterrence against such an invasion attempt.

"The UNC is a great example of international solidarity that has played a key role in firmly safeguarding the Republic of Korea's freedom 'under one flag,'" Yoon said.

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"The ROK-U.S.-Japan summit to be held at Camp David in three days will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation, contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee wave the national flag during a ceremony marking the 78th anniversary of National Liberation Day from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap

Given that South Korea's security "is very much aligned with" the security of the Asian region and beyond, it should not overlook security situations involving partner nations battling for the same values in other parts of the world, he said.

Within this context, Yoon stressed the need for cooperation with NATO in fighting North Korea or any other nation that threatens those shared values, adding that supporting Ukraine in a war against Russia would ultimately help protect "South Korea's own freedom, peace and prosperity."

"The government putting its resources and efforts in Official Development Assistance, international development projects, and in assisting Ukraine for its freedom and peace is ultimately promoting (South) Korea's freedom, peace, and security," Yoon said.

He added that those shared values that unite Seoul, Tokyo, Washington and other governments have helped South Korea become what it is today ― a prosperous democratic powerhouse that many developing countries seek to emulate.

The values, however, have come under increasing threat in recent years by "communists and their sympathizers" who remain active in spreading lies and false promises, he noted.

"In a divided country, where the confrontation between liberal democracy and communist totalitarianism is a reality, the activities of those anti-state forces are likely to persist," Yoon said.

"The forces of communist totalitarianism have always disguised themselves as activists for democracy, human rights or liberalism while engaging in despicable and unethical tactics and propaganda … We must not be deceived by or give in to communists or sympathizers," he said, leaving potential future disputes open with the liberal opposition over who the "forces of communist totalitarianism" disguised as "activists for liberalism" really are.

People wave the South Korean national flag during an event celebrating National Liberation Day from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule near Seokchon Lake in southern Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

The president also honored the sacrifices of those who fought for Korea's independence.

"It (their fight) was not to just reclaim our sovereignty or return to monarchy. It was never an attempt to establish a communist totalitarian state where freedom and human rights are ignored," he said. "The journey of the Republic of Korea that began as a quest for freedom has brought us not only freedom and independence but also peace and prosperity. We should now embrace our historic mandate: contributing with responsibility to the freedom, peace and prosperity of citizens around the world."

mj6c2@koreatimes.co.kr