South Korea's Japan policy under the new ROK government/ Yul Sohn

Despite the recent conciliatory moves made by South Korean and Japanese leaders, this paper cautiously argues that dualism will persist: a deepening of economic and cultural interdependence in contrast to a fragile political relationship. It identifies two structural impediments behind bilateral relations that will most likely persist in the near future. One is the resilience of historical issues. Given the nationalist tendency prevalent and resilient in Japanese as well as South Korean society, the intensity of historical animosity will not abate to any great extent. The other is the gap in perception of external conditions in the region. South Korean and Japanese perceptions of the United States, China and North Korea that affect the degree of political-strategic cooperation are diverging. Given the changing structural conditions in North Asia, uncertainty and anxiety for one vis-a-vis the other will not fade away. This provides an account of what the new government can and cannot do.

KOREA, JAPAN