By Yoo Chang-yup

SEOUL — Special attention is being paid to the death of a South Korean student, who was hit by a commuter train while trying to save a drunken Japanese man who had fallen off a crowded subway platform in Tokyo. Many hope that the legacy of his life can help resolve lingering diplomatic issues between South Korea and Japan.

Lee Soo-hyon, a Korean University senior who studied Japanese in Tokyo, was killed on Jan. 26 while trying to lift the unconscious man from the track. Lee, the drunken man and Shiro Sekine, a 47-year-old cameraman from Yokohama, who was also trying to help, were all killed.

The 26-year-old Korean’s heroic actions and tragic death made front-page headlines in both Korea and Japan. Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori attended a funeral service held for him in Tokyo and said he hoped the death would serve as an example to Japan’s younger generation.

Acting on these sentiments, South Korean Foreign Minister Lee Joung-binn called his Japanese counterpart Yohei Kono on Feb. 14 and expressed his hope that Lee’s personal sacrifice could be helpful in deepening bilateral friendship and trust between the two countries.

His remarks drew attention since touchy issues have long kept the neighbors from developing sound ties. The most frequent disagreements are those over the granting of local suffrage to Japan’s large Korean population, the portrayal of Japanese colonial rule of Korea in school textbooks and conflicting sovereignty claims over a group of small islets in waters between the two nations.

"Lee’s death has affected bilateral diplomatic affairs," a Seoulite said Feb. 19. "We hope the death will be an important momentum toward resolving bilateral diplomatic obstacles."

Although Japan has not issued an official response to Foreign Minister Lee’s remarks, Lee was right to take the initiative and look for a solution to the issues, he said.

However, some diplomatic experts feel that although the death clearly provided the Japanese with an opportunity to reconsider their dealings with Koreans, it would not directly affect the resolution of tricky diplomatic issues.

While many papers brought up the fact that Lee’s grandfather had also died in Japan as a slave laborer who was brought over during World War II, other Japanese media warned that the grandson’s death should not be used for political purposes.

At any rate, the death could be addressed in the third Korea-Japan ministerial meeting in Japan, possibly next month. Both sides should address the yearlong diplomatic issues, they noted.

Most South Koreans hope Lee’s death also makes the co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup soccer finals by Japan and Korea more successful and meaningful.

In related developments, the Pusan chapter of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party issued a statement on Jan. 31, calling for his "heroic death" to be remembered in both countries’ textbooks as a tribute to his heroism.

Prior to the Minister Lee’s remarks, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori also said the student’s courageous death should be taught in Japanese schools.