“The advantage Japan’s economy has over us is
the size of its (overall) economy and domestic
market. If the South and North could create a
peace economy through economic cooperation,
we can catch up with Japan’s superiority in
one burst,” Moon said in the meeting at Seoul’s
presidential Blue House.
“Japan absolutely cannot prevent our economy
from taking a leap. Rather, (Japan) will serve as a
stimulant that strengthens our determination to
become an economic power,” he said.
Moon’s claim that South Korea could overcome
the trade dispute with Japan, the world’s third-
largest economy, by cooperating with North
Korea, a desperately poor nation currently under
crippling U.N. sanctions, shows that he is running
out of ideas for seeking leverage against Japan,
which for decades has maintained a huge trade
surplus with South Korea, some analysts said.
Even if economic cooperation between the
Koreas fully resumes after quick progress
in nuclear diplomacy — which looks
increasingly unlikely — rebuilding the North’s
economy following decades of isolation
and policy blunders could be a long and
excruciating process.
Opposition lawmaker Lee Man-hee, spokesman
for the conservative Liberty Korea Party, said
Moon’s comments were shocking and delusional.
“After refusing to issue a single warning over
North Korea’s blunt provocations targeting
(South Korea), why is the president talking about
inter-Korean economic cooperation now?,”
Lee said. “A peace economy — where peaceful
relations drive economic growth — only sounds
good, and it’s not clear what it is and how things
will be actually done.”
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