A New Interpretation of Korea-Japan Relations: ‘Rights Revolution’ of Sex Slaves and Forced Laborers in the Courtroom

Abstract

Despite significant commonalities such as shared threat perceptions, democratic consolidation, and socioeconomic interdependence, Korea and Japan have failed to find a deeper level of reconciliation. To solve this puzzle, in this article I introduce and illuminate the features of an ‘ideational reconciliation process’, which captures the dynamics created by the main actors in the process people. Through this analytical framework I explain how and why Korea and Japan failed to achieve a deep level of reconciliation by analyzing the sophisticated features of a flawed ideational reconciliation and the ‘rights revolution’ brought about by the sex-slave victims and forced laborers’ transnational litigations. Contrary to the liberalist prediction of unconditional cooperation between Korea and Japan, this study foresees an era of new dynamics surrounding historical contentious issues in the Korea-Japan relationship.