President Moon: "South Korea and Japan Need Early Restoration of Future-Oriented Relations"

President Moon Meets Japanese Ambassador to Korea "Korea and Japan, Closest Neighbors"... Kang Chang-il, New Ambassador to Japan, Presents Credentials, Urges Dialogue Efforts

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] President Moon Jae-in met with Koji Domita, the outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Korea, on the 14th and stated the need to promptly restore a future-oriented relationship between Korea and Japan.

Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for the Blue House, said in a written briefing that "President Moon met with Koji Domita, the outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Korea, for 30 minutes starting at 11 a.m. today," adding, "President Moon appreciated Ambassador Domita's efforts to manage Korea-Japan relations and resolve current issues during his approximately one year and two months tenure as Ambassador to Korea."

In particular, President Moon emphasized, "Korea and Japan need to promptly restore a constructive and future-oriented relationship."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon said, "Korea and Japan are the closest neighbors and the most important partners who must work together for peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia and the world," adding, "Communication, dialogue, and cooperative exchanges between the two countries must continue to develop." President Moon also asked Ambassador Domita to continue his efforts for the development of Korea-Japan relations and Korea-US-Japan cooperation after his appointment as Ambassador to the United States.

In response, Ambassador Domita expressed his reflections on his tenure and conveyed his gratitude to the President.

Meanwhile, at 11:30 a.m., President Moon presented credentials to Kang Chang-il, the newly appointed Ambassador to Japan. President Moon said, "I am pleased that an experienced Japan expert with political experience has been appointed as the new Ambassador to Japan," adding, "Although there are current difficulties, Korea and Japan are the closest neighbors sharing a long history and partners for cooperation in peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the world, so bilateral relations must develop in a future-oriented manner."

President Moon emphasized, "Even if problems arise from time to time, the entire bilateral relationship, which should develop in a future-oriented way, must not be hindered by those problems," adding, "Solutions should be found for those issues, and efforts for dialogue toward future-oriented development must continue separately."

President Moon urged, "Korea and Japan face common challenges not only in traditional fields but also in areas such as COVID-19, population decline, and balanced regional development, so please strive to ensure active exchanges and communication for related cooperation."

Spokesperson Kang said, "Amid the recent stagnation in Korea-Japan relations, I believe both countries have come to recognize the need for will and wisdom to resolve problems," adding, "As the new ambassador, I will do my best to ensure that dialogue and communication continue for resolving current issues and developing a future-oriented bilateral relationship."