Ending a Feud Between Allies

Korea Chair Platform

* A version of this op-ed appears in print on November 15, 2013, in The International New York Times. © 2013 The New York Times Company

Last month Japanese officials once again visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which many Asians deplore as a symbol of Japan’s militaristic past. Soon afterward, South Korea celebrated a law passed in 1900 that claimed sovereignty over the Liancourt Rocks, a disputed outcropping in the waters between the countries.

Animosity between Japan and Korea is nothing new. But these latest events have taken relations to a new low and threaten American interests just as President Obama has embarked on a new effort to improve Washington’s position in the region.

The Korea Chair Platform is made possible by the generous support of Samsung Electronics America. The views expressed in the Platform do not necessarily reflect those of Samsung Electronics America or of CSIS.

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Victor Cha
Senior Vice President for Asia and Korea Chair

Karl Friedhoff