Regarding the story "Moon lashes Japan over wartime acts" in the March 2 edition, some people say that one of the most challenging jobs in the world is being president of South Korea, since he or she has to strike a balance between pro-business conservatives and passionate liberals.
Once they fail this laborious task, they are supposed to commit suicide or be thrown in jail. Moon Jae-in must know this, and he is now struggling to strike that all-important balance.
His speech seemed irrational and provocative to the Japanese public, to be sure, but Moon has no choice but to take such a posture.
Looking at history, when South Korea's presidents get weak, they always use anti-Japanese sentiment to shore up their approval rate.
We have to hope that Moon will manage his domestic issues so that both countries can strive for and achieve good diplomatic relations.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.