The defense chiefs for South Korea and Japan are meeting in an effort to resolve historic animosities and bolster their military ties. South Korean defense minister Kim Kwan-jin and Japanese defense minister Toshimi Kitazawa agreed to a framework for “future-oriented” bilateral military relations.
Mutual fear of North Korea is bringing together the ancient antagonists. The ministers discussed North Korea’s recent attack on a South Korean island, which was described as “unacceptable.”
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“The ministers agreed that a series of provocative acts by North Korea, including its artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island and disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility, severely hamper peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia and agreed to closely cooperate on the issue,” the defense ministry said in a press release.
Japan’s 35-year colonial rule in the Korean peninsula ended in 1945 with the collapse of the Tokyo empire. But issues like the enslavement of Korean women as prostitutes during the war have kept anger alive.
