The restoration of South Korea-Japan Relations will be at the forefront of the newly appointed Yoon administration’s foreign policy agenda. During his phone call with President Yoon, the U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of close security cooperation between South Korea, U.S. and Japan in response to North Korea’s nuclear provocation, while Prime Minister Kishida expressed hopes for the development of South Korea-Japan relations through a personal letter. However, the question remains as to how the two neighbors will repair deteriorated bilateral relations. Tokyo’s strengthening of its export controls and Seoul’s attempt to exit GSOMIA are both based on heated historical disputes over the reparation for Korean comfort women and forced labor victims. As such, significant gaps still exist in the resolution of bilateral relations. Moreover, to normalize South Korea-Japan relations, negative domestic opinion must be taken into account. If so, how can we overcome political constraint and move forward into the future?