Page 184 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

sound relationships among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.
I cautiously would also suggest that to enhance the stability
and sustainability of trilateral cooperation, South Korea-
Japan relations should take a two-track approach, which puts
historical legacy issues on one side, while both cooperate on
economic and military security matters. The weak point for
trilateral cooperation is South Korea-Japan relations. The
Yoon administration has made a huge effort to reconcile the
bilateral relationship. However, the stability and sustainability
of recent developments is yet to be determined. Korean
public opinion is divided, and the division will possibly
affect the bilateral relationship through the results of future
Korean national elections, including presidential and general
elections.

For example, various 2023 public opinion polls from Korea
and Japan on the bilateral relationship revealed that the
perception gap between Koreans and Japanese was clear.
For instance, according to the result of a public opinion poll
conducted by Maeil Business Newspaper in South Korea
in March 2023, 67% of the respondents supported the
improvement of Korea-Japan relations while 31.3% answered
no need. However, about two months later, another opinion
poll by the Korean Hankookilbo and the Japanese Yomiuri
Shimbun in both countries simultaneously questioned the
evaluation: 80% of Japanese respondents positively evaluated
the bilateral relationship, while 47% of Korean respondents
answered positively and 49.5% answered negatively.
Furthermore, the Yonhap News Agency conducted an opinion
poll in the South Korea in early September 2023. One of the
questions was

184 Section III : South Korea-Japan-U.S. Cooperation: How to Deter Pyongyang and Dissuade Beijing