Japanese lawmaker says Lee Nak-yeon proposed returning to “square one” in S. Korea-Japan dispute

Takeo Kawamura, a senior member of the Japan-South Korea Parliamentarians’ Union

S. Korean prime minister apparently suggested reversing both countries’ white list removals

Takeo Kawamura, a senior member of the Japan-South Korea Parliamentarians’ Union

Following a visit to South Korea, a Japanese lawmaker claimed that the South Korean prime minister proposed that the two countries go back to “square one” in their dispute by re-adding each other to their white lists of trusted trading partners and by reversing Seoul’s decision to terminate their intelligence-sharing agreement.

After arriving at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Sept. 3, Takeo Kawamura, a senior member of the Japan-South Korea Parliamentarians’ Union, told Japanese reporters that he’d received a proposal to roll back the measures taken by both sides, including the decision about the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) and their respective white list removals. Kawamura said that since the problem had begun with the forced labor issue, the two sides needed to look into dealing with that.

Kawamura quoted South Korean officials as saying that “internal deliberations” were underway and that South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon had hinted that he wanted to find a solution by November, when GSOMIA officially comes to an end.

Kawamura served as Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary in 2008-2009, during the premiership of Taro Aso. He met with Lee on Sept. 2 during a four-day trip to South Korea that began on Aug. 31.

After returning to Japan, Kawamura met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sept. 3. According to Kawamura, Abe remarked during this meeting that “Resolving the forced labor issue is the top priority. Countries should definitely keep the international agreements they make with each other.”

By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent

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