Korea -- North and South -- are equally untrustworthy. Those who do not see this yet will see it down the line.
Stick with Japan. Japan has a stable mind. A stable way. A stable culture.
The proximate cause of the Korea-Japan "dispute" is Korean cultural weakness that magnifies, amplifies, fertilizes any paper cut into gangrene. The USA and Japan must be prepared to amputate South Korea. The day is coming.
Korea has an unstable mind and culture. Korean Lives Matter: they create drama from thin air. Drama Queen, meet Drama Korea.
Korea (North and South) is the proximate cause of the disputes between Koreans, Americans, Japanese. The proximate cause is a volatile and primitive Korean culture.
The ultimate cause of the disputes is China. Core China culture runs Korea as a barnyard animal.
The Chinese culture understands the mind of the Korean buffalo and leads it by the nose. The buffalo thinks its following its own nose and not the brass ring held by the Chinese cultural hand.
The core Chinese culture is intellectually/emotionally/otherwise Alpha to the Beta Korean culture. Korea thinks it is doing what it likes, not realizing the powerful Jedi mind tricks coming from China.
Korea senses weakness from Japan. Korean culture is abusive to anyone/culture they see as inferior or weak. Japan is regrowing its courage and power and Korea is too buffalo to realize that they and China are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy out of Japan. The USA must stick firmly with Japan. Japan is reliable. Korea is a dangerous pawn of the Chinese hand. We are cracking China.
The Chinese culture is a buffalo herder. They know how to calm or stampede mindless herds. Now they are stampeding the buffaloes against Japan, and next will be USA.
When we crack China (specifically CCP), Korea likely will go through another phase of Korean confusion when they realize that neither Japan nor USA are interested in their calls.
If you are an American CEO considering investing big resources into South Korea...hit pause.
The Korean herd will bog down in the mud created by their own piss and hooves, while China tosses carrots ahead and cracks a whip from behind.
Korea will turn on the United States.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=416&v=Jf_l3KnVdGQ