美日在八十年代初幫金大中免死

Recently the NHK News reported the following:
韓国のキム・デジュン元大統領が３０年余り前に内乱陰謀罪で死刑判決を受けた際、日本政府が、キム氏に対して死刑が執行されないよう、韓国政府に圧力をかけていたことが明らかになりました。
これは、韓国の外交通商省が２１日に公開した外交文書の中で明らかになったものです。それによりますと、１９８０年５月に民主化を求める学生デモを軍が鎮圧した、いわゆる「光州事件」を巡り、当時の民主化運動のリーダーだったキム・デジュン氏がデモを首謀したとして、内乱陰謀罪で死刑判決を受けました。これについて、当時の鈴木総理大臣が、同じ年の１１月に、日本駐在の韓国のチェ・ギョンノク大使に会って「極刑が執行される事態となれば、韓国との協力関係は難しくなる」として、日韓関係にマイナスの影響を与えると伝えたということです。あわせて鈴木総理大臣は、仮に死刑が執行されれば、日本国内で韓国より北朝鮮との関係強化を求める世論が高まるという見方も伝えていたことが明らかになりました。また外交文書には、このころアメリカの下院議員９人も当時のチョン・ドゥファン大統領に書簡を送り、「キム氏が処刑されれば、アメリカと韓国との関係は破綻する」と警告したことも記録されています。キム氏に対する死刑判決は、１９８１年になって無期懲役に減刑され、その後、刑の執行が停止されましたが、外交文書の公開で、その背景に、日本やアメリカなどの働きかけがあったことが改めて浮き彫りになりました。
(試譯)
It was clarified that more than 30 years ago Japanese Government had been putting pressure on the South Korea government so that capital punishment was not carried out on the former President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea after Kim was given the death sentence for the crime of plotting the civil war.
This was clarified in the diplomatic document that the South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affair and Trade had opened to the public on the 21st. According to it, in May 1980 in a student-led demonstration the so-called "Gwangju Indicant" that was suppressed by the army, it was assumed that Kim Dae-jung was the leader of the democracy movement at that time and was taking the lead in plotting the demonstration that requested democratization; he received the death sentence for the crime of plotting the civil war. In the same year in November, it was said that Prime Minister Suzuki at that time met ambassador Tse Gyonnoku of South Korea who was residing in Japan to convey the message that "if the maximum penalty is carried out, cooperation with South Korea would turn into a difficult situation" because a minus influence would be given to the relations between Japan and South Korea. In addition, it was clarified that Prime Minister Suzuki had been telling the view that the public opinion in Japan that requested the strengthening of relations with North Korea then South Korea would arise if the capital punishment was carried out. Moreover, in the diplomatic document, it was also recorded that nine assembly members of the House of Representatives of the United States had sent a letter to president Chun Doo-hwan at that time to give a warning that "the relation between the United States and South Korea would fail if Kim is executed". The death sentence on Kim was commuted to life imprisonment in 1981; with the opening of the diplomatic document to the public as the background, it stood out that the change was due to the appeal from Japan and the United States.

In the early 1980s, the course of history in South Korea was changed by efforts of the US and Japan. Kim Dae-jung (1925-2009) less than 20 years later was given the chance to serve his country as the president, from 1998 to 2003.