[Column] One other Eulsa 12 months, one other blow to Korea’s sovereignty

By Lee Bon-young, senior economics author

This previous Monday, Nov. 17, marked the a hundred and twentieth anniversary of the signing of what’s recognized in Korea because the Eulsa Treaty, which made Korea a protectorate of Japan and set the stage for its colonization. On that day in 1905, the nobles of the Korean Empire who had vowed to guard their nation tucked their tails between their legs, one after the other, underneath coercion and within the face of obstinance and placation from Hirobumi Ito. 

Thus, essentially the most infamous treaty in all of Korean historical past was drawn up and signed, marking the start of the autumn of Korea. 4 months earlier, the Japanese acquired tacit approval to manipulate Korea within the confidential Taft-Katsura settlement. 

Within the sexagenary cycle utilized by many cultures in East Asia, 2025 is an “Eulsa 12 months” — the 12 months of the Wooden Snake, in zodiac phrases — simply as 1905 was. On Nov. 14, after a rocky negotiation cycle, the South Korean administration signed a memorandum of understanding on its tariff negotiations with the US. The Nationwide Meeting remains to be in a heated debate over whether or not the MOU about South Korea investing US$350 billion within the US requires the Nationwide Meeting’s ratification. 

The Folks Energy Occasion and the remainder of the opposition argue that for the reason that treaty “will burden the state or folks with an vital monetary obligation,” it requires the Nationwide Meeting’s ratification, as stipulated within the Structure. 

The Lee Jae Myung administration and the ruling Democratic Occasion argue that MOUs usually are not legally binding and due to this fact don’t require the legislature’s ratification. The administration additionally argues that ratifying the MOU would make it an official treaty, thereby shackling the administration to phrases that will stop it from renegotiating and maneuvering. 

If the settlement does evolve into an official treaty, both in identify or kind, it’s liable to be belittled because the “New Eulsa Treaty.” 

That is another excuse for the federal government to keep away from the time period “treaty” in any respect prices. Within the first part of tariff negotiations, the US demanded the authority to resolve when and the place the US$350 billion went. Some inside the administration reportedly reacted to it by calling it a second Eulsa Treaty.

The unique Eulsa Treaty, generally referred to in English because the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905, made the Korean Empire a protectorate underneath Imperial Japan, so the commerce MOU is certainly completely different in nature. 

Japan, 120 years in the past, was within the midst of swallowing up its neighboring international locations. Korean Empire nobles beat their chests within the morning about defending their nation, and within the night caught their tails between their legs. This time round, the Lee administration labored across the clock to make sure that Korea wouldn’t need to cave to the absurd calls for of the US. Many assess the deal as one during which the Lee administration put up a superb protection and not less than averted the worst-case state of affairs. 

However regardless of the way you spin it, Korea bought the brief finish of the stick. Our financial sovereignty has been broken. It’s tough to think about any fashionable case of 1 nation plundering one other nation this fashion. The strategies used boggle the thoughts. No matter occurred to “give and take” being the essential precept of negotiations and offers? US President Donald Trump refers to himself as a dealmaker, however what he’s providing us is just not honest compensation. 

With an enormous stick in a single hand and a small stick within the different, he says he’ll solely hit us with the small stick if we provide one thing in return. Now that he’s secured a deal, he’s taking a finger as a substitute of the arm and leg that he threatened to chop off. After imposing 25% tariffs for the primary time, he secured an enormous cost in trade for the kindness of reducing the tariff charge to fifteen%. Mobsters operating safety rackets and robbers are little doubt taking notes. 

South Korea’s civil code refers to acts that defy frequent sense and are opposite to good morals or sound moral value determinations — in different phrases, acts that contradict social norms — as “juristic acts opposite to social order,” and thereby declares them null and void. The code additionally refers to any unjust acts of exploiting somebody’s economically disadvantaged standing as “unfair juristic conduct.” 

Referring to the home civil code in response to a state of affairs in worldwide relations is pointless. Nevertheless, contemplating the severity of the circumstances, it’s not sufficient to easily console ourselves by saying, “We did the most effective we may.” We should face the info. 

The Lee administration claims that it secured a extra favorable settlement than Japan. But inside the international tariff warfare that Trump began, the one international locations that the US has arm-twisted into pledging direct money investments from the federal government are South Korea and Japan. If Japan’s phrases are extra unfavorable than South Korea’s, Japan is in final place and South Korea is subsequent to final. In a catastrophe, you can not console your self by saying another person has it worse than you; it doesn’t change the truth that you’re depressing. 

Wanting again, the Eulsa 12 months of 1965, the one which fell between 1905 and 2025, was one other yr of trials and tribulations for Korea. The method of the Park Chung-hee regime normalizing relations with Japan put South Korean society by way of the wringer. That’s the yr when South Korea started sending troops to battle within the Vietnam Warfare. Solely after 1000’s of younger males have been killed have been we in a position to escape from the jungle. 

1905, 1965, 2025 — all three years have been messy and concerned the US and Japan. South Korea has all the time been the sufferer. 

Whereas we should be sensible, we can not merely resign ourselves to a c’est la vie angle. That clouds our understanding of the actual drawback. 

“In negotiations that we didn’t ask for, our sole energy is the power to endure.” These phrases from President Lee Jae Myung within the press convention concerning the MOU sounded extra like a sigh than a press release. We should harness our rage now in order that our posterity doesn’t endure a bitter destiny within the subsequent Eulsa 12 months. 

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