South Korea Presidential Office “The Japanese government has made dozens of official apologies．．．we are feeling quite fatigued．”

Controversy grows as explanation of “Japan’s feelings are important” remarks

Opposition party: “Declaration of pro-Japanese, traitorous government… Apologize to the people”

Kim Tae-hyo, First Vice Director of the National Security Council, has caused a stir by saying, “Japan’s feelings are important (regarding past historical issues).” While the opposition party criticized the move as a “declaration of a pro-Japanese, traitorous government,” the presidential office responded by saying that “the Japanese government has apologized dozens of times for its colonial rule,” and the controversy is expected to continue. A senior presidential official met with reporters at the Presidential Office in Yongsan on the 18th and explained the background to Kim’s remarks, saying, “If you understand the context carefully, it is easy to sympathize with,” and “The meaning was that we should move Japan’s feelings by showing that South Korea is playing an active role.” The official added, “Since the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea in 1965, the Japanese government has made official apologies dozens of times for its past colonial rule.” He added, “These apologies have piled up and are starting to cause fatigue. The Yoon Seok-youl administration has also been proactively raising the issues of the past that need to be addressed between Japan and South Korea and is making efforts to resolve them with Japan.” Prior to this, in an interview with KBS on the 16th, in response to a question to the effect that “the government is not saying what it should say to Japan,” Kim said, “If Japan turns a blind eye to past issues and is not saying what needs to be said, we should question them strictly and try to make change, but what’s important is Japan’s feelings.” His remarks sparked controversy, saying, “Even if we force an apology on someone who has no feelings and then receive an apology, is that really a true apology?” Hwang Jeong-ah, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the government in a written briefing on the same day, saying, “Despite Japan’s constant betrayals, such as the Rhine incident and the Sado mine incident, Vice Director Kim has declared that the government is pro-Japanese, traitorous, and says that ’what’s important is Japan’s feelings.’” She emphasized, “President Yoon Seok-yeol, Vice Director Kim Tae-hyo, and People Power should apologize in front of the people and immediately stop their complicity in the pro-Japanese, traitorous government.” Han Min-soo, spokesman for the Democratic Party, also issued a statement the day before, asking, “Is the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s view of justice that if the perpetrators refuse to apologize, they should not be held accountable?” and criticizing the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, saying, “I am astonished at the Yoon Seok-yeol administration for turning a deaf ear to the demands and voices of the people and speaking on behalf of Japan’s feelings.” Kim Bo-hyup, chief spokesman for the Fatherland Reform Party, also commented the previous day, “(Kim’s remarks) can be interpreted as meaning that ’Japan has no intention of apologizing, so we did not even make a demand.’” He added, “Someone who claims that what is important is ’Japan’s feelings,’ not ’the feelings of the Korean people,’ is not fit to be the commander-in-chief of the Republic of Korea Security Council.”

대통령실 “일본 정부, 수십차례 공식 사과…피로감 많이 쌓여”

김태효 국가안보실 1차장(사진)이 “(과거사 문제에 대해) 중요한 건 일본의 마음”이라고 발언한 것을 두고 파장이 확산하고 있다. 야당이 ‘친일매국정권 선언’이라고 비판하자 대통령실이 반박 과정에서 “수십 차례에 걸

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