Yoon's delegation, Japanese PM agree to seek better ties

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sun, December 3, 2023 | 19:19

Foreign Affairs

Yoon's delegation, Japanese PM agree to seek better ties

Posted : 2022-04-26 16:12

Updated : 2022-04-27 15:58

Deputy National Assembly Speaker Chung Jin-suk, fourth from left, who heads President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's delegation for policy consultations with Japan, delivers a personal letter from Yoon to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, fourth from right, during their meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Tuesday. Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's delegation and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed, Tuesday, that Korea and Japan should make diplomatic efforts to repair their soured bilateral ties, according to the head of the delegation.

However, the delegation didn't invite Kishida in person to attend Yoon's May 10 inauguration ceremony, saying that the ball is in the prime minister's court to decide whether he will be present.

The seven-member delegation, led by National Assembly Vice Speaker Rep. Chung Jin-suk, flew to Tokyo on a five-day trip, Sunday, and paid a courtesy call to the Japanese leader at his office.

"We concurred that the two countries should work hard for the development of future-oriented relations and mutual interest, while they are standing on the start line," Chung told reporters following the 25-minute meeting.

"We had a good conversation."

Chung also said the delegation had delivered Yoon's personal letter to Kishida, who accepted it with gratitude.

According to Chung, Yoon's stance on Korea-Japan ties is that the two sides should face up to history and pursue future-oriented relations, based on the Kim Dae-jung―Keizo Obuchi joint declaration, and such a message may have been included.

The declaration signed between the two former heads of state in 1998 was an initiative to soothe worsening ties by attempting to institutionalize a framework for cooperation on historical reconciliation and other pending bilateral matters.

So as to restore the deadlocked relations, Chung said that mutual trust should be built first.

"To that end, we relayed our view on the need to expand and revitalize people-to-people exchanges which had been suspended due to COVID-19 and other reasons ... and Prime Minister Kishida shared that view," he said.

According to Japan's Kyodo News, Kishida also stressed the urgent need to mend fences with Korea.

"We have no time to spare in improving Japan-South Korea relations," he said, adding that the two sides need to resolve the issues lying between them.

Upon Yoon's decision to dispatch the delegates, speculation has been rising that they may ask Kishida to attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony.

However, Chung said Kishida was not invited to the ceremony, adding that whether a state leader will attend is up to the Japanese government.

During the meeting, they also touched on thorny issues such as sex slavery and forced labor, which have been major sticking points in the bilateral ties.

During his election campaign, Yoon called for a future-oriented approach to thorny issues between the two sides.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin also said that the delegation would inform Kishida of Yoon's strong determination to improve the strained bilateral ties if their meeting is arranged.

"I hope that the meeting will create momentum for Korea and Japan to restore their relationship based on coexistence and trust," he told reporters.

Park, a four-term lawmaker, stressed that improvements in Korea-Japan ties will greatly advance trilateral cooperation that also includes the United States.

"The Joe Biden administration is vastly interested in three-way cooperation," he added.

Bilateral relations between the neighboring countries have remained at a historic low due to wartime history issues that have extended to the economic arena.

Following Korea's Supreme Court ruling ordering Japanese companies to compensate surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor, the Japanese government has been imposing tighter export curbs on three materials to Korea used to make smartphone chips and displays since July 2019. On Monday, the delegation met with Japan's Trade Minister Koichi Hagiuda and discussed the issue.

The minister nominee also agreed that these will be the most urgent issues in the Yoon administration's diplomacy with Japan, hoping that they will be resolved through open-minded talks between the two countries.

ksw@koreatimes.co.kr