In a speech commemorating the end of Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula, Yun also called for better ties with Japan, calling the two countries partners in facing challenges to freedom and saying their shared values will help them to overcome historical grievances linked to Japan’s brutal colonial rule before the end of World War II. Yun’s televised Liberation Day speech came days after North Korea claimed a widely disputed victory over COVID-19, but also blamed Seoul for the outbreak. The North insists leaflets and other items thrown across the border by activists are spreading the virus, an unscientific claim Seoul has described as “ridiculous”. North Korea has a history of pressuring the South when it doesn’t get what it wants from the United States, and there are concerns that the North Korean threat foreshadows provocation, which could potentially be a nuclear or major missile test or even border skirmishes . Some experts say the North could stoke tensions over joint military exercises that the United States and South Korea begin next week. Yun, a conservative who took office in May, said North Korea’s denuclearization would be key to peace in the region and the world. If North Korea halts its nuclear weapons development and truly commits to a denuclearization process, the South will respond with huge economic benefits delivered in phases, Yun said. Yoon’s proposal was not substantially different from previous South Korean offers that have already been rejected by North Korea, which is accelerating its efforts to expand its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program, which Kim Jong Un sees as his strongest guarantee of survival. “We will implement a large-scale program to provide food, provide assistance to build infrastructure for electricity generation, transmission and distribution, and carry out projects to modernize ports and airports to facilitate trade,” Yun said. “We will also help improve North Korea’s agricultural production, provide assistance to modernize its hospitals and medical infrastructure, and take initiatives to enable international investment and financial support,” he added, insisting such programs would “significantly improve » the life of North Korea. Inter-Korean relations have soured amid an impasse in major nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, which derailed in early 2019 over disagreements over the release of crippling sanctions against the North and the North’s disarmament steps. North Korea has stepped up its test activity in 2022, launching more than 30 ballistic missiles so far, including the first intercontinental ballistic missile displays since 2017. Experts say Kim intends to take advantage of a favorable environment to advance his arsenal. program, with The UN Security Council divided and virtually paralyzed over Russia’s war in Ukraine. North Korea’s unusually rapid pace of weapons displays also underscores the spike aimed at forcing Washington to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power and negotiate ugly economic benefits and security concessions from a position of strength, experts say. The US and South Korean governments also said the North was preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since September 2017, when it claimed to have detonated a nuclear warhead designed for its ICBMs. In the face of growing North Korean threats, Yun has pledged to strengthen South Korea’s defenses in conjunction with its alliance with the United States and also strengthen security ties with Japan, which is also concerned by its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. weapons of the North. South Korea’s relations with Japan have sunk to post-war lows in recent years as the countries have allowed their grievances over history to spill over into other areas, including trade and military cooperation. While Yoon has called for future-oriented cooperation with Japan, history may continue to be an obstacle to relations. The countries have struggled to negotiate a solution after Japanese companies rejected South Korean court orders in recent years to compensate South Koreans who suffered wartime industrial slavery, an issue that could cause a further diplomatic rift if it results in forced sales of the companies ». local assets. “In the past, we had to break free from the political control of Imperial Japan and defend our freedom. Today, Japan is our partner as we face common threats that challenge the freedom of global citizens,” said Yoon. “When South Korea and Japan move towards a common future and when the mission of our time is aligned, based on our shared universal values, it will also help us to solve the historical problems that exist between our two countries.” While Washington has said it will push for additional sanctions if North Korea conducts another nuclear test, the prospects for meaningful punitive measures are unclear. China and Russia recently vetoed US-backed UN Security Council resolutions that would have increased sanctions on the North over its ballistic missile test this year. North Korean state media reported on Monday that Kim exchanged messages with Russian President Vladimir Putin and celebrated their strengthening ties. Kim said the countries’ relations were forged by the Soviet contribution to Japan’s defeat in World War II and were strengthening their “strategic and tactical cooperation and support and solidarity” in the face of enemies’ military threats. Putin said closer ties between the countries would contribute to stability in the region, North Korea’s official news agency reported. North Korea has repeatedly blamed the United States for the crisis in Ukraine, arguing that the West’s “hegemonic policy” justifies Russia’s attack on Ukraine to protect itself.
