Battle of pride?

Moon should reach out to Abe immediately

Seoul is considering taking "corresponding" measures against Tokyo's export restrictions, triggered by a South Korean court's ruling on forced labor during the colonial era.

President Moon Jaein plans to hold a meeting this week with chief executives of conglomerates, including Samsung, SK, Hyundai and LG, which are directly affected by the economic retaliation.

Cheong Wa Dae said it was discussing with companies comprehensive measures to brace for a trade war. on the government side, Seoul is preparing to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization and seek international cooperation to pressure Tokyo to rescind the export restrictions.

Emotional reactions from the public are making the situation more complicated. An online movement to boycott Japanese products is spreading rapidly ― there are even voices calling for a ban on travel to Japan, and to prevent Japanese-born entrepreneurs from working in Korea.

The government needs to come up with more tangible solutions rather than resorting to emotional measures that can lead to stronger retaliation by Japan. Similarly, Japan should realize that the trade war does not have a cause, and will be destructive to both nations.

Enterprises will bear the brunt of the economic retaliation, but this is basically a diplomatic conflict that should be resolved by the leaders of the two neighbors.

It is hard to deny that mutual distrust between President Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is aggravating the situation.

The best way for Moon and Abe is to meet as early as possible. South Korean Ambassador to Japan Nam Gwanpyo was right to tell the Tokyo newspaper on Wednesday that worsening Korea-Japan relations and Japan's export restrictions will ultimately have an adverse impact on the two economies.

As well as trying to bring about a Moon-Abe summit, Korean diplomats should mobilize all possible measures to prevent the situation from worsening further. Moon could ask U.S. President Donald Trump to act as a mediator, if necessary.

It seems that top-down diplomacy is the only way to solve the problem. Moon should talk to Abe as soon as possible.