Obama faces key balancing act

US President to visit Korea April 25-26 after Japan stopover

U.S. President Barack Obama has his work cut out for him during his Asian tour later this month.

At a time when the U.S. and Japan look tighter, Obama needs not to hurt the Korea-U.S. alliance, if he wants to forge a united front against China, a new powerhouse that is competing with U.S. for regional hegemony.

President Park Geun-hye maintains closer ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping with bilateral ties better than those seen by her predecessors.

The fact that China is Korea’s largest trading partner is also a factor. Obama has reportedly finalized his Asian swing that includes a stop in Seoul on April 25 and 26 after his Tokyo visit.

“Under its pivot to Asia policy, a watertight coalition with Seoul and Tokyo is crucial for Washington. In this sense, Obama would attempt to address the lingering conflicts between its two significant allies,” journalist-turned-commentator Lee Kang-yun said.

“From the perspective of President Park Geun-hye, she should strive to make Obama understand Korea’s stance against Japan, which is causing problems on a variety of historical issues.”

After Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office late 2012, Seoul-Tokyo ties continued to deteriorate because of the ultra-rightist politician’s controversial remarks and acts, which experts said showed his lack of contrition for Japan’s past misdeeds.

Against this backdrop, President Park refused to meet Abe before Obama arranged a three-way summit late last month on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague.

However, the event failed to dramatically thaw the icy relations between the two estranged neighbors.

Prof. Choi Chang-ryul at Yong In University said that Seoul and Tokyo should expect Obama to act as mediator once more.

“On top of North Korea’s nuclear weapons, history disputes including sex slaves will be on agenda in the Park-Obama summit. We might want Obama to play a role in tackling Japan’s swing to the right,” Choi said.

“For the United States, which cares so much about the rise of China, it would be burdensome if its two main allies are at odds. Obama may try to persuade the two sides to mend fences.”

The issue of sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II has been a major bone of contention between Seoul and Tokyo as the latter has been reluctant to admit to and apologize for the wrongdoing under the stewardship of Abe.

In the lead up to the Hague meeting, Abe promised to abandon his scheme to review the 1993 Kono Statement in which Japan expressed repentance to the sex slavery victims but many Koreans still remain suspicious.

Some domestic newspapers complained that Obama is scheduled to pay a state visit to Japan for three days while staying in South Korea for less than 24 hours. Yet, Choi rebuffed such a “childish” response.

“Originally, Obama was not scheduled to visit Korea after the first state visit to Japan in almost two decades by a U.S. president. Accordingly, we don’t have to be overly sensitive,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae refused to confirm Obama’s schedule.

“The itinerary of Obama is currently under discussion through the two countries’ diplomatic channels. What I can say for sure is that he will stay here for two days later this month,” presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said. By Kim Tae-gyu, The Korea Times