Jeju Peace Institute

LEE Ju-heum(Visiting Professor, GSIAS, HUFS/ Former RoK Ambassador to Myanmar)

International relations in Northeast Asia are largely characterized by the separation of economy and politics: Countries are suffering from rising political tension over the interpretation of war atrocities in the region while yet seeking a win-win trade situation, combined with the conflict between China aspiring to change the existing international order on the one hand and the United States and Japan wanting to maintain it as it is on the other. Japan’s rightward shift has been a cause of conflicts between itself and Korea and China. It stems from the country’s failure to recognize its responsibility for its historical atrocities among other things. Also, the country is seeking to recover its former status as a great power, adopting aggressive approaches in its international policies. Korea needs to look squarely at the reality of the situation in Japan and wage creative diplomacy. While strict when it comes to the matter of principles, Korea needs to put the long-term goal of national unification within its sight. With universal values as the connecting link, the countries in the region must seek the common ground of their national interests and build up Western-type friendly relations among the regional powers.