Lawmakers from Korea and Japan hold soccer game in Yokohama

Lawmakers from Korea and Japan hold soccer game in Yokohama. November. 09, 2015 08:26. bae2150@donga.com.

Korean and Japanese lawmakers have had a friendly soccer match to promote bilateral relations on Hiyoshi campus of Keio University in Yokohama on Friday.

The participants are 25 Korean lawmakers from the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians` Union and the Lawmakers` Soccer Association including Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung, and 37 Japanese lawmakers from the Soccer Diplomacy Promotion Lawmakers` Association.

This match was held five days after the Korea-Japan summit and proceeded in a friendly atmosphere.

Saenuri Party Chairman Kim asked the Korean lawmakers to go easy on Japan. "We came not to play soccer but politics. The result of today`s match will be reflected on the next official nomination," Kim jokingly proclaimed, making everyone laugh. He played as an "honorary goalkeeper" in the match.

The Korean team even sent the Japanese team their "love" with their arms forming a heart over their head, on Kim`s verbal cue, "We love you, Japanese lawmakers."

Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Tadamori Oshima remarked, "Let us deepen our friendship and understanding by playing fair." Kim and Oshima kicked off hand in hand.

During the two halves of 30 minutes, Korea won the game 4 to 3, adding one win to the record of five wins, one draw, and two losses. After the match, players went to each other`s bench for friendly conversations.

"We have agreed to invite China and North Korea to the soccer field for the peace in Northeast Asia," Saenuri Party Rep. Chung Byoung-gug, the chairman of the Lawmakers` Soccer Association, said after the game. "Korea and Japan used to have brisk diplomatic exchanges, but whenever political issues came up, already schedules events would have to be cancelled, and consequently bilateral relations have become weakened," the Saenuri chairman said. "When necessary, however, we should still see face to face to solve problems through dialogues. It works not only for Korean domestic politics but also Korea-Japan relations."

"Although we have some pending issues between Korea and Japan, the leaders of the two countries share the same idea that we should try to work together to tackle whatever problems we have and go forward into the future," Oshima stated.

Among the Japanese participants are lawmakers from both the ruling party (the Liberal Democratic Party) and the opposition parties including the Komeito Party, the Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Communist Party. Lawmaker Shindo Yoshitaka`s appearance in the game, having a good time with Korean lawmakers, was rather notable because he tried to enter Korea through Gimpo Airport in 2011 to visit Dokdo and claim that Korea`s easternmost islets belonged to Japan.