Yoon and Kishida Hold Joint Press Conference Immediately After Korea-Japan Summit
NSC Economic Security Dialogue and Finance Ministers' Meeting Fully Launched
Restoration of Air Routes to Expand Exchanges Between Future Generations and Citizens
President Yoon Suk-yeol reaffirmed on the 7th during the Korea-Japan summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that the procedures to restore South Korea to Japan's export preferential treatment group A (formerly the White Country/Whitelist) would be steadily implemented. In particular, the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in the semiconductor supply chain by promoting collaboration between South Korean semiconductor manufacturers and Japanese related 소재·부품·장비 (materials, parts, and equipment) companies, based on the recovering atmosphere of economic cooperation.
President Yoon stated at a joint press conference held immediately after the Korea-Japan summit with Prime Minister Kishida at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon, "We confirmed that the procedures for restoring the whitelist are being steadily implemented."
Earlier, during President Yoon’s visit to Japan, an agreement was reached with Prime Minister Kishida at the Korea-Japan summit in March regarding the lifting of Japan’s export restrictions on South Korea and the restoration of the whitelist. Accordingly, the South Korean government withdrew its World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint related to past export restrictions, and the Japanese government is also taking steps to restore export-related measures.
Prime Minister Kishida also said in his opening remarks at the joint press conference, "Active dialogue between export control authorities has taken place, and as a result, the Japanese government is proceeding with the procedures to add South Korea to Group A."
President Yoon also explained, "I welcomed that the security dialogue between diplomatic and security authorities, the economic security dialogue between National Security Councils (NSC), and cooperation frameworks in the security economy field such as the finance ministers’ meeting, agreed upon at the summit in March, are now fully operational."
Prime Minister Kishida added, "On the 2nd, the finance ministers’ meeting was held in Incheon for the first time in seven years, and we agreed to resume financial dialogue."
The Korea-Japan finance ministers’ meeting is a channel where the heads of financial authorities from both countries, such as the South Korean Minister of Economy and Finance and the Japanese Minister of Finance, discuss economic cooperation measures. It had been suspended since August 2016 but was held again earlier this month.
They also explained achievements in cooperation for future generations and people-to-people exchanges. President Yoon said, "During my visit to Japan in March, the Korea-Japan Future Partnership Fund, which the Federation of Korean Industries and the Japan Business Federation agreed to establish, is in the final stages of preparation before its official launch. We both will continue to pay close attention and take necessary actions to expand exchanges among future generations of Korea and Japan."
He emphasized, "Prime Minister Kishida and I welcomed the rapid recovery of the scale of human exchanges between Korea and Japan, which has approached 2 million people in just three months this year. We share the recognition that exchanges among future generations are important for deepening mutual understanding and building friendship and trust between our peoples. At the government level, we agreed to discuss concrete measures to expand future generation exchanges centered on youth. Considering the significant increase in human exchanges between Korea and Japan, we also agreed to strive to restore air routes not only between metropolitan areas but also between regional areas to pre-COVID levels."
Prime Minister Kishida introduced, "Regarding exchanges between future generations of the two countries, we decided at this opportunity to fully resume face-to-face exchanges under the Korea-Genesis program and to double the number of participants compared to last year, which I shared with President Yoon."
Furthermore, the two leaders explained that discussions were held on joint research and research and development (R&D) cooperation in advanced science and technology fields such as space, quantum, artificial intelligence (AI), digital bio, and future materials during this summit.
Prime Minister Kishida mentioned, "Following the direction presented by the two leaders at the March summit, dialogue and cooperation between the two countries have begun to move vigorously over the past two months."
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