The diplomatic authorities appeared to take care of the Korean people to return home safely at Seongnam Airport. First Vice Foreign Minister Jang Ho-jin welcomed South Koreans getting off the transport plane at Seoul Airport on the night of the 14th. On the runway of Seoul Airport, a Japanese official was also seen holding a hand sign that read, “Please speak to me, Japanese.”
The Japanese government thanked the Korean government for its quick response. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa spoke with Foreign Minister Park Jin for about 20 minutes on the phone on the 15th. Kamikawa expressed his respectful 謝意 to Minister Park, saying, “Japan will actively cooperate in the event of similar situations in the future,” adding, “Let’s cooperate closely.
However, it was pointed out that the Japanese government’s response was slow. The Japanese government sent a chartered plane to evacuate the Japanese. Only eight people were aboard the chartered flight, which took off from Tel Aviv airport on the evening of the 14th local time. Fuji News Network (FNN) said, “The passengers have to pay 30,000 yen (about 270,000 won) per person. It is compared to the aircraft sent by South Korea and other countries sending them to their countries for free, he reported. According to Kyodo News, about 1,200 Japanese are staying in Israel and Palestine.
Fifty-one Japanese arrived at Seoul Airport on the night of the 14th and moved to a hotel near Incheon Airport in two buses. The hotel was prepared by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, Osokin Psaki (35), who escaped with her husband and son on our transport plane, said she was “relieved” when she arrived in Korea. Osokin, who lived in central Israel, 25 kilometers north of Gaza, fled to his acquaintance’s house in Tel Aviv the next day when Hamas launched an attack on the 7th. He was anxious that the plane could be targeted even when boarding the Korean military’s transport plane. As the transport plane rose to a safe altitude, passengers clapped loudly on board with confidence.
In the article, Japanese netizens left comments such as “Korea that protects its people, Japan that doesn’t keep,” “Why doesn’t Japan’s transport plane go straight (to its home country) like Korea?” and “The Japanese government to Dubai for 30,000 yen, and the Korean government that transferred 51 Japanese to the suburban Seoul airport for free.” Other articles similarly criticize the Japanese government’s response and say thank you to Korea.
Some Japanese netizens attributed this to improved relations between Korea and Japan since the inauguration of the Yoon Suk Yeol government. A netizen wrote, “After the (Korean) president has changed, I often wonder what his antagonism has been,” adding, “There are still deep-rooted things such as Japanese Military Sexual Slavery issues, but it is what we can do now to help and recognize each other while accepting sad differences in history and ethnicity.”
KS CHOI
US ASIA JOURNAL
