First Meeting After Japan's Leadership Change... On the Occasion of the ASEAN Summit
President Yoon Suk-yeol is having a phone conversation with newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the afternoon of the 2nd at the office in the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is on a tour of three Southeast Asian countries, arrived in Laos, the final country on his itinerary, on the 9th (local time), and will hold his first summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit.
The presidential office announced that President Yoon is scheduled to have his first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Ishiba, who took office on the 1st, on the occasion of the ASEAN Summit held in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. As this is the first meeting following the change of power in Japan, both leaders are expected to focus on maintaining the improved flow of Korea-Japan relations.
President Yoon made a congratulatory call on the 2nd, the day after Prime Minister Ishiba took office, expressing mutual understanding on the need for unity among Korea, the U.S., and Japan. During the call, President Yoon congratulated Prime Minister Ishiba and said, "As Korea and Japan are important neighbors and partners who share values and interests, let us continue to communicate closely and enhance cooperation."
In response, Prime Minister Ishiba said, "I highly appreciate President Yoon's leadership in striving to develop bilateral relations," and added, "I hope to communicate closely and cooperate going forward."
However, since this meeting will take place on the sidelines of a multilateral conference rather than as a bilateral summit, it is expected to be more of a courtesy meeting rather than a discussion of specific issues.
According to a presidential office official, the two leaders will look back on the improved Korea-Japan relations over the past two years and discuss the direction for the development of Korea-Japan relations next year, which marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on the 8th that "Prime Minister Ishiba will continue 'shuttle diplomacy' and promote an early visit to Korea," and analyzed that "considering the severe security environment in East Asia, he will build a stable relationship with Korea as a security cooperation partner."
Earlier, at a press conference on the 1st, Prime Minister Ishiba said about relations with Korea, "Bilateral relations are extremely important," but added, "While it is important to build trust and strengthen friendship, it is also crucial to have serious discussions based on national interests and achieve results."
Meanwhile, the presidential office announced that during the ASEAN Summit, President Yoon plans to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Canada, Australia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.
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