Go to contents

US urges Korea, Japan to resolve diplomatic rows via dialogue

US urges Korea, Japan to resolve diplomatic rows via dialogue

Posted August. 25, 2012 06:13,   

한국어

The U.S. government reiterated its call Friday for Korea and Japan to resolve through dialogue bilateral diplomatic rows over the disputed Dokdo islets and Korean sex slaves for the Japanese military during World War II amid intensifying diplomatic friction between Seoul and Tokyo.

"Both of these countries are strong, important, valued allies of the United States," Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, told a regular news briefing. "It`s obviously not comfortable for us when they have a dispute between them. Our message to each of them is the same: Work this out, work it out peacefully, work it out through consultations.¡±

On Japan`s move to take the Dokdo dispute to the International Court of Justice, she said the U.S. has no position on this, ¡°What we want is a resolution between the two countries.¡±

Referring to a meeting between U.S. Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell and Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama, director general of the Asia bureau of Japan`s Foreign Ministry, Nuland said Washington reiterated its position that it wants to see the two countries work it out together.

The U.S. has taken an ambiguous position on friction between the two countries, but China is paying keen interest to how Korean-Japanese relations will develop, with Chinese media highlighting the tension between them. China`s official Xinhua News Agency reported in detail Friday a recent series of diplomatic rows between Seoul and Tokyo over Dokdo, saying their bilateral ties had entered an ice age.

Friction between Korea and Japan are escalating in all sectors including diplomacy, politics and economy, Xinhua added, and projected that the Korean government`s tough response will likely lead to a hardline policy by Korea`s next president toward Japan.

China is apparently interested in the Dokdo dispute since it could cause a crack in the trilateral alliance among the U.S., Korea and Japan.



yhchoi65@donga.com koh@donga.com