Ukraine, China main focus as South Korean president visits White House
Washington PostNov 29, 2022
S. Korea Restores Japan's Place On Export 'White List'
Image copyright: Pool Photo/AP [via Al Jazeera]
The Facts
South Korea's ministry of trade, industry, and energy on Monday announced Japan's reinstatement to its "white list" of trusted trading partners, which grants simplified procedures for countries buying sensitive goods that can be diverted to military use.
The change took effect the same day, subjecting firms exporting strategic items to Japan to a shorter review period of five days — rather than the usual 15 — and less paperwork than those excluded from the list.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
This is another move taken under the Yoon administration to strengthen South Korean ties with its democratic allies. While this decision can indeed be in the country's national interest, Seoul should refrain from creating enmities with its powerful neighbors — China and Russia — and rather maintain its decades-old strategic balance.
Pro-establishment narrative
Japan and South Korea have been warming ties — without any pressure from the US — after decades of distant relations, in response to Beijing's growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific. While some claim that moves to counter China are part of US-led groupthink, it gets more clear by the day that the demand is in fact being exerted the other way around, directly from US allies in Asia.