Why Do South Koreans Object to Japan Military Pact?

Protesters in Seoul on June 29, the day South Korea walked away at the last minute from a military pact with Japan.

It hasn’t been a banner couple of months in relations between South Korea and Japan, despite Tokyo’s declaration this week that it has its closest historical, economic and cultural bonds with Seoul.

Long-running disputes over a rocky outcrop between the nations and the treatment of women who were used as sex slaves during World War II have flared up once again. Amid those tensions, Seoul dramatically backed off an agreement in late June over military information sharing with Tokyo, a decision widely portrayed as due to public unease about closer ties with Japan.

A new survey suggests that there was a more significant factor at work in the collapse of that deal than concerns about relations with Japan: the rampant unpopularity of anything connected with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

In its latest monthly survey of public opinion, conducted in July, The Asan Institute for Policy Studies found that 61% of the public were opposed to the pact, or General Security of Military Information Act, which in effect just allows the two militaries to communicate more smoothly.

The study then asked respondents whether they would change their opposition if Japan offered a formal apology to Korea for its war crimes—an act often portrayed in Korea as a requirement for better relations. Around 70% said no, suggesting a relatively weak link between bitterness towards Japan and opposition to the pact.

The survey also found that opposition to the agreement was strongest among those in their 20’s to 40’s and weaker among older generations. But when asked about their views about Japan, favorability towards South Korea’s neighbor was stronger among the younger age groups.

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