June 22, 2015, marked the 50th anniversary of the Treaty on Basic Relations between South Korea and Japan that established formal diplomatic relations between the two nations for the first time. President Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended separate ceremonies in Seoul and Tokyo to celebrate the treaty, actions viewed as a sign of reconciliation after several years of tense relations.
The world was different 50 years ago. The defining paradigm was the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both nations towered over world affairs and their respective client states.
One year after the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan was in the middle of the economic boom that would turn it into an economic superpower. South Korea, which was still behind North Korea, was under the firm rule of Park Chung-hee, who had just begun the long push for economic development. After breaking away from Soviet influence, China had turned inward and was about to descend into the chaos of the Cultural Revolution.
Looking at the world from Seoul in 1965, opening relations with Japan was critical to plans for industrial development. Japan had money and technology and South Korea needed both to jump-start its economy.
At the time, the gap between the two nations was huge. At $90 billion, Japan’s gross domestic product in 1965 was 30 times that of South Korea at $3 billion. In 2014, Japan’s GDP was a little under four times bigger than South Korea’s. Per capita GDP tells the same story. In 1965, Japan had a per capita GDP of $919, whereas that of South Korea was $105; in 2014, Japan’s was $36,000, whereas South Korea’s was $28,000. Some predict that South Korea will overtake Japan in per capita GDP by the end of the 2010s.
South’s ability to narrow the gap with Japan in 50 years reflects the unprecedented speed of its economic rise. Among nations under colonial rule in the 20th century, South Korea and Taiwan are the only ones to join the elite group of “advanced industrial democracies.” The narrowing of the gap ― both economic and political ― is the most important change during the past 50 years. Korea is no longer a “problem” to be dealt with, but a partner to work with.
The narrowing of the gap also explains the recurring controversies over the interpretation of history. In 1965, South Korea was more interested in economic development than dealing with the past. This interest fit Japan’s needs as well because it was able to deal with its historical responsibility through grants and loans to the South Korean government, rather than payments to individuals. In 2005, the South Korean government released records of the negotiations that confirmed this convergence of interest. The South Korean government used the money for economic development instead of compensating individuals.
As South Korea has developed and become more confident, it has taken a more strident stance on history. The 1965 treaty is now seen as a symbol of the weakness Korea had, rather than a practical move for economic development. The continuing controversy of the Dokdo Islets has exacerbated tensions over the past.
To go forward, South Korea and Japan need to deal with the past while looking toward the future. To deal with the past, both nations need to agree on a way for Japan to compensate individuals, such as the “comfort women” who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II.
The administration of Kim Dae-jung offers insight into how to approach the future. Desperate for foreign investment in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Kim reached out to Japan by abolishing a long-standing ban on Japanese pop culture. He used the 2002 World Cup as a chance to deepen the relationship through cultural exchange. The period of amity laid the foundation for the hallyu boom in Japan that began in 2004.
South Korea and Japan are both aging societies that sit nervously next to an increasingly assertive China. They share many cultural, economic, and social similarities that form a core of shared values. As two of the seven nations in the “20-50 club” of nations that have a per capita GDP over $20,000 and a population over 50 million, South Korea and Japan can work together to deal with regional and global issues. Focusing on cooperation based on shared values will help stabilize the relationship for the next 50 years and beyond.
By Robert J. Fouser
Robert J. Fouser, a former associate professor of Korean language education at Seoul National University, writes on Korea from Ann Arbor, Michigan. ― Ed
