Try again...South Korea-Japan Reconciliation

My colleague and I went to Pusan to attend a closed-door meeting with Korean experts of Japan and diplomats. The ups and downs of the ROK-Japan relations are more a product of Korea's domestic politics than Japan's domestic politics, although Prime Minister's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine does play a trigger role in the downturns. The view that ROK is PERMANENTLY shifting towards China in regional geostrategic calibration is also exaggerated. Koreans are searching for ways to improve relations with Japan.
PM Abe just instructed FM Kishida to visit Korea. What will come out of this is yet unknown. Diplomacy between democratic countries is an art of domestic persuasion. Political leaders must carefully and skillfully craft agreements that satisfy domestic audience. The public is never up to the required competence level to directly manage sensitive diplomatic relations. The meeting was useful to learn about the difficulties Korean leaders face. Yes, they have made many mistakes, but some empathy is needed now, politician-to-politician. Have some drink together. Sing some karaoke together.
I cannot post the meeting photos, but some views from Pusan.
Thank you to the hosts.