Jeju Peace Institute

CHO Sei Young(Professor, Dongseo University/Former Director-General of the Foreign Ministry’s Northeast Asian Affairs Bureau)

The so-called 1965 regime acted as a brake on conflicts over the history between the two countries amid the need for mutual cooperation on security and economy. The said regime has reached its limit due to the end of the Cold War, changes in the international situation including the rise of China, a reduction of the economic power gap between the two countries, and so forth. The two countries need to take their relationship to a new level with the focus on cooperation for unification of the two Koreas, as well as on security and economy, through reciprocal understanding and exchanges between the peoples.

South Korea’s diplomacy needs to develop a logical minuteness that can persuade the Japanese as well as Koreans. The country should maintain cooperative relations with Japan in the areas of security and economy, while adopting a resolute attitude against any attempt to distort historical facts, including sovereignty over Dokdo. The country should also adopt three-dimensional thinking focusing on peace and stability in all of Northeast Asia. The two countries need to cooperate with each other to establish stability in the region and develop a new agenda designed to make their voices heard.