Is this a serious South Korean diplomatic offensive or a perfectly innocent flirtation by Seoul in order to get Tokyo's attention? “To mend the relationship with Tokyo, it is imperative to have diplomatic negotiations,” South Korea’s conservative daily Chosun-ilbo’s editorial urged.

It’s difficult to make an objective judgment now given my position in the government, but the following is what has reportedly happened over the past seven days:

- On Nov. 10, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won came to Tokyo and met with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.