The Effect of the Rise of Populism in South Korea on Its Governments Diplomatic Relations with Japan

As a former colony of Japan, South Koreas relationship with Japan has always been ambivalent. South Korea did form an alliance with Japan through the alliance with the United States and a geopolitical situation, but tension remained due to historical grievances between the two countries. In recent years, populist South Koreans have demanded the government take a harsher stance towards Japan when addressing historical problems as they look for genuine apologies from Japan, challenging the governments approach when engaging with Japan. This paper, through case analysis, explores how populism shaped the foreign policy of the Korean government. This paper finds that the publics sensitivity towards Japans historical issues, combined with the political structure of South Korea, played a huge role in shaping their administrations interactions with Japan and verified existing theories regarding populisms role in foreign policies in the specific case of the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute.