Japan and China likely to replace envoys to Korea

As the diplomatic tides shift on the Korean Peninsula, the replacement of both the Japanese and Chinese ambassadors to Korea in the second half of this year is very likely. Observers point out that in the case of the new Japanese ambassador, app ...

Japanese Ambassador Koichi Aiboshi speaks at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul last November. [YONHAP]

As the diplomatic tides shift on the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese and Chinese ambassadors to Korea will likely be replaced in the second half of this year.

Observers point out that in the case of the new Japanese ambassador, appointing a so-called "Korean expert" to the post will improve the warming Seoul-Tokyo bilateral relationship even further. In contrast, the new Chinese ambassador will likely continue so-called "wolf warrior diplomacy," or a more confrontational, coercive style of diplomacy that the Xi Jinping government has favored.

Koichi Aiboshi, the current Japanese ambassador to Korea, took the post in February 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic and will complete his three-year term at the end of this year.

Diplomats say that Aiboshi, who has experienced both the lows and highs in Korea-Japan relations, will step down soon and could be replaced by someone with more experience working in Korea and fluent in the language, a representative of the so-called "Korean Wave" era.

Aiboshi became ambassador to Seoul when Korea-Japan relations were at a new low due to spats over historical issues, including compensation for wartime forced labor victims.

Aiboshi's appointment came just as a Korean court ordered the Japanese government to compensate wartime sexual slavery victims, with some figures in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) even proposing to postpone an envoy to Seoul altogether in protest.

The Korean and Japanese foreign ministries had attempted to resolve the wartime sexual slavery issue with a bilateral deal in 2015, which included an apology by the Japanese government and a 1-billion-yen ($6.9 million) fund for the victims. The Moon Jae-in administration dissolved the Japanese-funded foundation in 2019, though it did not completely walk away from the agreement.

Relations also soured over the 2018 Supreme Court rulings ordering Japanese companies to compensate Korean victims of forced labor during World War II. Japan slapped export restrictions on Korea in the summer of 2019, widely seen as retaliation for the ruling.

Bilateral ties have rapidly improved under the Yoon Suk Yeol government, which assumed office in May 2022.

Ties have normalized and "shuttle diplomacy" between the two countries has resumed since Seoul's proposal to resolve the issue of compensation of forced labor victims via a Korea-backed fund in March.

As a result, observers say that the next Japanese ambassador will be tasked with maintaining the momentum.

Kenji Kanasugi, then-director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan’s Foreign Ministry and currently ambassador to Indonesia, visits the Korean Foreign Ministry in Seoul in December 2018. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

A likely candidate to take this role is Kenji Kanasugi, the current Japanese ambassador to Indonesia and highly regarded for his understanding of Korea. A seasoned diplomat with over 35 years of experience, Kanasugi is a leading expert on Korea in the Japanese Foreign Ministry with extensive experience in handling Korea-related and Northeast Asian affairs.

He has held key posts, including senior deputy minister for foreign affairs and director general of the ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, doubling as top nuclear envoy for negotiations regarding North Korea.

In 2019, he was promoted to senior deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, one of the top administrative positions in Japan's Foreign Ministry.

However, during this period, the Japanese Foreign Ministry moved to replace its so-called "Korean school," or experts in Korean affairs, due to the deterioration of Seoul-Tokyo relations. Kanasugi was thus appointed as ambassador to Indonesia in late 2020, after around 10 months in the post.

Multiple diplomatic sources said that Kanasugi has a good network in Korea and understands the country well, making him a leading candidate as the next ambassador to Seoul.

Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming, right, speaks in a meeting with Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung at his residence in Seongbuk District, northern Seoul on June 8. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

In turn, Beijing has been expressing concern as the Yoon government seemingly aligns itself with Washington amid the intensifying Sino-U.S. strategic competition.

Last month, Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Xing Haiming caused controversy after he said that "those who now bet on China's defeat will surely regret it later" during a meeting with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung.

Xing's remarks on June 8, interpreted as a warning to Seoul against siding with Washington over Beijing, elicited a sharp rebuke from the Korean government.

The presidential office requested China take "appropriate action" against Xing, although Beijing does not appear to have followed up.

However, Xing, a Korean expert posted to Seoul in early 2020 after previously serving in Pyongyang several times, will likely be replaced later this year as well.

Xing has actively resumed public activities since June 19, attending an investment briefing for Chinese businesspeople and recently appearing at an event hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. The ambassador has yet to express regret for his controversial remarks.

However, with public sentiment turning against him in Korea, his activities could significantly decrease during the remainder of his tenure unless measures are taken, according to diplomatic observers.

"Ambassador Xing has practically lost the momentum to work in Korea, and since he has completed his three-year term, a replacement will be a natural step," a diplomatic source familiar with Korea-China relations told the JoongAng Ilbo. "Since it would be like admitting to China's own mistakes, they will likely take time to change ambassadors naturally in the second half of the year."

Observers point out that the next Chinese ambassador to South Korea will continue an aggressive diplomatic stance, further strengthened since President Xi Jinping secured a third term earlier this year.

Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai, who is also considered a hardliner, is being discussed as Xing's replacement. Chen previously served as a minister counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul.

In December 2016, Chen, then deputy director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Asian Affairs, was in charge of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) issue and unilaterally visited Korea without prior coordination with the Seoul government.

During a meeting with Korean businesspeople at the time, Chen was reported to have said, "Can a small country stand against a large country?"

This came as Beijing strongly protested a decision made by Seoul and Washington to deploy the U.S.-led Thaad in Korea, a move backed by economic coercion which hurt Korean businesses, tourism and the entertainment industry.

BY PARK HYUN-JU, SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]