President Attends Korea-Japan Economic Event After 14 Years
Great Potential for Cooperation in Future Advanced New Industries
Emphasis on Exchange and Participation Roles of Future Generations
President Yoon Suk-yeol met with economic figures from Korea and Japan on the 17th and said, "The governments of both countries will spare no support to ensure that you can interact with peace of mind and create innovative business opportunities."
President Yoon attended the Korea-Japan Business Roundtable held at Keidanren in Tokyo, Japan, in the afternoon, stating, "I met with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to discuss various cooperation measures for the normalization of Korea-Japan relations and shared the intention to develop a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship."
This is the first time in 14 years that a Korean president has attended a Korea-Japan economic event since the 'Korea-Japan Economic Leaders Meeting' held during President Lee Myung-bak's visit to Japan in June 2009. However, the much-anticipated joint attendance of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio did not materialize. Representatives from Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, defendants in the forced labor compensation lawsuits, also did not attend.
President Yoon continued, "The two countries will jointly cooperate and respond to various global agendas such as supply chains, climate change, advanced science and technology, and economic security," emphasizing, "I believe there is great potential for cooperation between the two countries in future advanced new industries such as digital transformation, semiconductors, batteries, and electric vehicles."
He added, "Korean semiconductor manufacturers are closely linked with Japanese semiconductor material and equipment companies in the supply chain, and recently, Japanese automobile companies announced joint investment plans with Korean battery companies."
He also reiterated the importance of Korea-Japan cooperation. President Yoon said, "President Kim Dae-jung and Prime Minister Obuchi Keizo emphasized exchanges between the peoples of the two countries, especially the younger generation, through the 21st Century New Korea-Japan Partnership Joint Declaration," and urged, "For cooperation between the two countries to develop into a high-level cooperative relationship, exchanges and the participation and roles of future generations are very important."
President Yoon also expressed gratitude for the Korea Economic Federation and Keidanren coming together to establish the Korea-Japan Future Partnership Fund. He said, "If exchanges among future generations increase and mutual understanding and cooperation expand based on this fund, I am confident that the relationship between the two countries will become stronger," and added, "I ask for special support from the economic sector going forward."
At the Business Roundtable, on the Korean side, 12 economic figures attended, including Kim Byung-joon, acting chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), Kim Yoon, chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association, Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung, Choi Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, Koo Kwang-mo, chairman of LG Group, and other FKI chairpersons. On the Japanese side, 11 economic figures attended, including Tokura Masakazu, chairman of Keidanren, and Sasaki Mikio, chairman of the Japan-Korea Economic Association. Japanese companies represented included Sumitomo, Mitsui, Hitachi, Marubeni, Toray, Nomura Holdings, and Mitsubishi Corporation.
Meanwhile, after the event, when a reporter asked Chairman Lee Jae-yong how they are preparing for U.S. semiconductor subsidies and whether Korea and Japan can cooperate in response, he explained the importance of Korea-Japan cooperation by saying, "From experience, the more friends you have, the better, and the fewer enemies, the better."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
