[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] President Yoon Suk-yeol has decided to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit to be held in Madrid, Spain, on the 29th and 30th, the Asahi Shimbun reported on the 9th, citing multiple South Korean government officials.
According to the report, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is also considering attending the NATO summit. Asahi stated that South Korea intends to hold a South Korea-Japan summit during the NATO summit to give momentum to improving bilateral relations with Japan.
A senior official of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration expressed enthusiasm for the South Korea-Japan summit, saying, "We want to build trust between the leaders through a formal summit, not just standing talks," Asahi reported.
Foreign Minister Park Jin is in the final stages of coordinating a visit to Japan around mid-month to hold talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa. The day before, Minister Park met with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo in Seoul for discussions.
Asahi reported, "South Korea intends to confirm the strong will of both sides to improve relations at the foreign ministers' meeting and create an environment to realize the first summit between the leaders at the NATO summit."
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