Japan-South Korea summit in a limbo after diplomat makes disparaging remark

Plans to hold the first in-person summit between leaders of Japan and South Korea have hit a snag following a disparaging remark made by a Japanese diplomat over South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Previously, multiple reports circulated in the Japanese media ascertained Moon’s visit to Tokyo on July 23, the same day when Tokyo Olympics commences. However, on Monday both the pacific countries denied finalizing the summit with Moon’s office citing a “last-minute obstacle” for the same. 

What did the diplomat say? 

Last week, a Seoul-based senior Japanese diplomat described Moon as “masturbating himself”. According to German tabloid DW, the Japanese official made the comments while talking about the Korean President’s desire to hold a bilateral meeting with Yoshihide Suga. Later, a local broadcaster disclosed that the diplomat added that Japan had "no space to pay attention to Seoul-Tokyo relations" at the moment. The comment triggered widespread outrage across South Korea and on Sunday, the country’s authorities summoned the Japanese ambassador. 

According to the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun, both the leaders were planning to discuss issues that have strained relations over generations, including compensation for people forced to work in Japanese firms and military brothels during Japan's 1910 to 1945 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, Tokyo has taken a firm stance against the “inappropriate comments” and is planning to replace the senior diplomat, who made the comments, the newspaper report added. Later, commenting on the same, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said that the remarks were 'inappropriate as a diplomat, and that they think that they were very regrettable'.

The relationship between the two countries has reached a very low ebb in the recent past. Earlier this year, Japan's foreign minister accused South Korea of worsening already-strained ties by making “illegal” demands for compensation for the sexual abuse of Korean women and use of forced laborers during World War II. Toshimitsu Motegi, in a diplomatic policy speech in parliament, said a recent South Korean court ruling ordering Japan to compensate 12 South Korean women who were sexually abused in Japanese military brothels during the war was 'an abnormal development absolutely unthinkable under international law and bilateral relations'. Seoul had demanded the Japanese administration to give 100 million won ($91,360) to each one of the 12 elderly women. 

Image: AP