As the controversy spreads as the Japanese government pressures Naver to hand over management rights to Naver’s global messenger service ‘Line’ to a Japanese company, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not providing a clear position on this.
A high-ranking official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who met with reporters on the 26th did not say anything about the point that the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is taking administrative action against Line Yahoo, which is jointly owned by a Korean-Japanese company, to improve its shareholding structure, which may be in violation of the Korea-Japan Investment Agreement. Didn’t answer.
Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is asserting that Korea’s Naver Cloud is responsible for the leakage of approximately 510,000 personal information due to a hacking of Line last November and that the governance structure should be changed to resolve the problem. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications issued administrative guidance to Line Yahoo, the company in question, to reexamine its capital relationship with Naver.
In relation to this, Japan’s Kyodo News reported on the 23rd that Japan’s Softbank is negotiating to purchase Line Yahoo’s intermediate holding company shares from Naver. Naver and Softbank invested half each to create a holding company, A Holdings, which holds a 64.5% stake in Line Yahoo.
In this regard, it is evaluated that it is quite unusual for the government of a country to order a private company to change its shares due to hacking. Of course, administrative guidance is not legally binding, but considering the characteristics of Japanese society, which, like Korea, has strong government influence over the private economy, some say that change in governance structure is not impossible.
Although the Yoon Seok-yeol government went ‘all in’ on improving Korea-Japan relations by extinguishing the legal rights that victims of forced mobilization during the Japanese colonial period received from the Korean Supreme Court in March last year, Japan is attempting to virtually take over companies in the economic field, let alone changing its attitude toward past history. It is like that.
Kim Jun-hyung, a former National Diplomatic Academy member who was elected to the National Assembly of the Fatherland Innovation Party and the chairman of the board of directors of Diplomacy Square, said in response to this, “When the security of a company’s personal information is an issue, it is common to order measures to correct technical vulnerabilities in security and impose fines if the measures are not implemented.” However, the Japanese government is pressuring the company to sell its shares, and the administrative guidance itself is absurd.”
Former Director Kim said, “It is even more serious that this repercussion is spreading throughout the related industry. As this is happening repeatedly in Japan, companies doing business in Japan with Korean technology are said to be shrinking. Related industries say, ‘The Korean government is “There are lamentations like, ‘Where on earth are they?’” he said.
He said, “The Japanese government should not force for-profit companies to change their shares. It would infringe on the freedom of corporate activities. If our company encounters such a thing in that country, the Korean government will naturally protest and take corrective measures. “We have to demand it,” he said, pointing out that “the Yoon Seok-yeol government and the Korean Embassy in Japan are just watching.”
Former Director Kim said, “The Yoon Seok-yeol government said that if we fill the cup with half of the water first, then Japan will fill the rest. But Japan drinks half the cup and is not satisfied with that, so they are telling us to give up the whole well.” pinched
He said that the government, “expecting blind good will from Japan, has sold our history, and that is not enough, now they are planning to give it to us as well, and now they are going to give it to us as well,” adding, “Will the government just watch as Japan tries to swallow up a commercial enterprise with a market capitalization of 25 trillion won? Or will it just watch?” “Once Korea’s Naver hands over all of its shares in Line, will they take action against the Japanese ambassador to Korea? How long will they continue to faithfully represent Japan’s interests?”
Former Director Kim said, “President Yoon Seok-yeol must stop subservient diplomacy against Japan, dismiss the main figures of subservient diplomacy in the National Security Office, and change the diplomatic tone to make national interests the top priority. And take strong measures to prevent the Japanese government from oppressing companies.” “Do it,” he urged.
This high-ranking official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who could not comment on Japan’s behavior, expressed the nuance that the position of the Japanese company as a defendant should be understood in relation to the issue of forced mobilization. When asked whether he thought it would be possible to improve Korea-Japan relations despite Japan’s lack of response to a solution to forced mobilization, he explained that there was a situation that companies were facing.
This official said, “Japanese corporations are very sensitive to attacks by right-wingers who own shares on the board of directors. So, it is not easy to do anything to the foundation (the Foundation for Supporting Victims of Forced Mobilization under Japanese Colonialism, hereinafter referred to as the foundation) openly,” adding that Japanese companies are supporting the proposal. It is expected that funds will not be invested into the foundation set up by the government for third-party repayment.
He said, “So, the Future Fund (Korea-Japan-Japan-Korea Future Partnership Fund) has emerged as an alternative. We are encouraging this, but we believe that reconciliation (between the parties) is necessary to completely resolve the problem, regardless of funds or foundations.”
The fund mentioned by this official is a private fund led by Korea’s Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and the Federation of Japanese Economic Organizations (Keidanren), and is intended to encourage the participation of Japanese companies. The problem is that this fund does not support victims of forced mobilization. It is not a place where direct compensation is paid. The main focus of the fund project is exchange of young talent between Korea and Japan and strengthening industrial cooperation.
The official’s statement that he is encouraging participation in funds rather than foundations can be interpreted as meaning that he has effectively given up on Japan’s response. On March 6 last year, then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin announced a solution to forced mobilization and said that since the glass is half full, Japan will fill the other half, and that he expected a positive response from Japan.
Although the government is implementing ‘third-party repayment’ through the foundation to repay the amount and interest owed by Japanese companies on behalf of Japanese companies, there are still victims and creditors who refuse this. The government used a method called deposit to remove their legal bonds, but even this was not accepted by local courts.
When asked what impact it would have on Korea-Japan relations if the current situation continues, this official said, “Currently, we are proceeding based on subrogation (third-party payment). There will be many problems, but I believe they will be resolved legally.” “He stated that there will be no change in the government’s solution.
He said, “I understand that the last government also approached the issue with the idea that there was no solution other than subrogation,” and added, “I think it is best for now to prevent this plan from collapsing.”
This official made it clear that although the so-called ‘Russian and Minority Leaders’ situation was created in which the opposition party won a landslide victory in the 22nd general election, there would be no change in foreign policy. When asked what the atmosphere in Japan was like after Korea’s general election, he replied, “Korea is telling Japan that even if it loses the election, the government will not change, and there will be no change in the areas of diplomacy and security as these are areas where presidential leadership is exercised.”
Meanwhile, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan next year, this official announced that they are considering a method that would allow passage between Korea and Japan without a passport. He said, “Korea and Japan have many similarities. They are the only ones in Asia where nothing happens if you criticize the leader, and the standards of living are similar. It doesn’t seem to make sense to travel between these two countries with a passport. Europe is all ( “Aren’t they coming and going even without a passport?”
He said, “There is considerable consensus even within Japan on how to travel between Korea and Japan without a passport or simplify the immigration process as much as possible and apply the same standards as domestic citizens.” He added, “It is necessary to find a common denominator between Korea and Japan.”
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this was the official’s personal plan and that there were no specific discussions between Korea and Japan.
Tags: Japan swallow Navers Line Yoon administration doing .. sacrifice history sacrifice company
-
