Yoon on Line Incident: "Separate from Korea-Japan Diplomatic Relations" Kishida: "Will Communicate Closely"

Yoon Mentioned First at Korea-Japan Bilateral Talks

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Korea-Japan summit held on the 26th at the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 26th regarding Line Yahoo, "I understand that the administrative guidance from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is not a demand for the domestic company Naver to sell its shares," and added, "I perceive this as a matter separate from Korea-Japan diplomatic relations."

On the same day, during a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Yongsan Presidential Office, President Yoon said, "It is necessary to manage this well going forward so that it does not become an unnecessary issue between the two countries," according to a senior official from the presidential office.

The official told reporters in the afternoon, "President Yoon brought up the Line Yahoo issue first in the bilateral meeting because it is currently a matter of interest."

In response, Prime Minister Kishida explained, "The administrative guidance is understood under the principle that there is no change to the existing stance of continuing to promote investment in Japan by foreign companies, including Korean companies," and added, "This administrative guidance from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is a request to review security governance in response to a serious security breach that has already occurred."

Prime Minister Kishida also said, "The Korean and Japanese governments have cooperated and communicated well on this issue from the early stages, and we plan to continue close communication going forward."