Yoon and Kishida Meet for the First Time... Express Mutual Willingness to Improve Relations (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

(Madrid, Spain = Asia Economy reporters Baek Kyunghwan, Yoo Inho, Lee Gimin) President Yoon Suk-yeol met Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio for the first time on the 28th (local time) at a welcome gala dinner hosted by King Felipe VI of Spain.

The dinner was held to welcome the leaders attending the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit, which opened in Madrid. At this event, the two leaders expressed their willingness to improve relations by mentioning terms such as "future-oriented" and "healthier relationship."

The presidential office reported that President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida met at the dinner venue and had a conversation lasting about 3 to 4 minutes.

Prime Minister Kishida approached President Yoon first, greeted him, and congratulated him on his inauguration and the June 1 local elections victory. President Yoon responded by saying, "I also hope that Prime Minister Kishida will achieve good results in the House of Councillors election on the 10th of next month."

President Yoon then said, "My aides and I plan to promptly resolve pending issues between Korea and Japan and move forward in a future-oriented manner after the House of Councillors election."

Prime Minister Kishida replied, "Thank you," adding, "I am aware of President Yoon's efforts for Korea-Japan relations. Let us work together to develop Korea-Japan relations into a healthier relationship."

This meeting took place amid the effective collapse of Korea-Japan summit talks, including informal talks, in Madrid. Rather than a deliberate meeting, they chose a natural encounter. The two leaders also plan to continue their dialogue at the Korea-U.S.-Japan summit on the 29th.

Meanwhile, the government plans to take concrete actions to improve Korea-Japan relations. Next month, a public-private consultative body related to forced labor will be launched, and high-level meetings including the foreign ministers will be pursued.

In particular, the public-private consultative body, composed of the government, victims, and experts from academia, will discuss various measures to resolve the issue of compensation for forced labor during the Japanese colonial period, which is the biggest issue in Korea-Japan relations.

While the Korean government is considering a 'subrogation payment' plan, in which it pays compensation on behalf of Japanese companies and later claims reimbursement from Japan, it is also reported that the two countries are coordinating a plan to establish a fund of around 30 billion won to compensate about 300 victims.