South Korea’s president will not be present at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo as planned. A Japanese diplomat has misjudged the tone.
Seoul / Tokyo – Japan and South Korea actually wanted to use the opening of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 to move a little closer together. The first meeting between South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was planned – but Moon Jae-in has now canceled the trip. According to the Reuters news agency, the reason for this was a report published on Friday (July 16, 2021) about the statement by a Japanese diplomat in the embassy in Seoul.
He is alleged to have said that Moon “masturbated” while describing his efforts to improve the relationship between the two countries. The South Koreans replied on Monday (July 19, 2021): “President Moon has decided not to travel to Japan,” his press spokesman said in a meeting. Both sides have found ways to transcend the boundaries of history but failed to reach a final agreement. “The discussions were peaceful and made considerable progress, but it was not far enough to be called a result. We have now taken other circumstances into account, ”said Park without going further.
Olympia 2021: Hope for relaxation between Japan and Korea destroyed
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga did not want to comment on Moon’s decision not to come to the opening of the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, but called the Japanese diplomat’s comment “inappropriate”. Moon’s office said he became skeptical of his potential trip following the “unacceptable” comment. Instead, he will send the Minister of Culture of South Korea to the celebrations in Tokyo on Friday (23.07.2021) and wish the Japanese a safe and successful Olympic Games.
The statement destroyed the last hope that the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo could lead to a fresh start in bilateral relations and regional cooperation in the two countries. There is still a conflict between the two nations over territorial claims and their war history. In addition, for many years the neighbors have been at odds with the compensation for Koreans who were forced to work in Japanese firms and military brothels during Japanese colonial rule between 1910 and 1945.
Not the first disagreement between Japan and Korea due to the 2021 Olympics
Only last month there had been disagreements between the two countries when a map appeared on the homepage for the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, on which some Korean islands were designated as Japanese territory. The Japanese Yomiuri newspaper reported on Monday that there would be a meeting between Moon and Suga on Friday. However, both sides denied this report directly and stated that the meeting had not yet been finalized.
Japanese cabinet chairman Katsunobu Kato said Japanese ambassador Koichi Aiboshi in Seoul had admonished his deputy based on his “unfortunate” comments but did not elaborate on whether the diplomat had been fired, Yomiuri reported. Japanese Prime Minister Suga recently described relations between Japan and Korea as “very complicated”. A relaxation is now also not in sight due to the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. (msb)
This is not the first setback for Japan in the run-up to the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. New problems keep cropping up, most recently one of the main sponsors, Toyota, more or less withdrew.
