Keynote Speech at the 57th Korea-Japan Business Meeting
"Korea-Japan Challenges Are Opportunities for Cooperation"
Asahi Chairman: "Cooperation Needed to Mitigate Risks"
Yoon Jinsik, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, stated at the "57th Korea-Japan Business Meeting" held at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul on the 27th, "The challenges faced by both countries are not only individual challenges, but also valuable opportunities to seek solutions through cooperation." He emphasized, "Cooperation between the two countries will not only have a positive effect in the economic sector, but can also gradually expand into discussions on a Korea-Japan Free Trade Agreement (FTA)."
On the 27th, businesspeople from both countries attending the "57th Korea-Japan Business Meeting" held at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, are taking a commemorative photo before the meeting begins. From the front row, left to right: Chairman Cho Hyunjun, President Park Seunghi, Chairman Shin Dongbin, Chairman Yoon Jinsik, Jung Ingyo, Director General for Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim Yoon, Chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association, Aso Yutaka, Vice Chairman of the Japan-Korea Economic Association, Ambassador Mizushima, Chairman Koji, Chairman Ueda, President Imizu, Chairman Naruse. 2025.05.27 Photo by Yoon Dongju
Chairman Yoon made these remarks as the keynote speaker at the meeting. He said, "Recent domestic and international circumstances have made the need for Korea-Japan cooperation even more urgent," and explained, "The strengthening of protectionism, the America-first policy of the second Trump administration in the United States, intensifying competition between the United States and China, tariff barriers, and export regulations are all causing tectonic shifts in the global order, presenting serious challenges to both countries."
He continued, "We are also facing similar internal structural challenges, just as we are facing external ones," and added, "The rapid aging of the population, the decline in the working-age population, and the climate crisis are all posing significant threats to the sustainability of both countries."
From Japan, Koji Akiyoshi, Chairman of Asahi Group Holdings and incoming Chairman of the Japan-Korea Economic Association, delivered a keynote speech. Chairman Koji also addressed the economic uncertainties caused by tariffs, pointing out, "If this situation of rising tariffs continues, both Korea and Japan, which lack energy and natural resources, could face very difficult circumstances."
He went on to say, "The risk of disruptions to the global supply system is also increasing," and suggested, "In order to mitigate these risks, Korea and Japan need to cooperate to proactively shape the international trade order and work together to expand the use of decarbonized energy."
On this day, Korean and Japanese businesspeople gathered in Seoul to explore new avenues for economic cooperation for the future, marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea-Japan Economic Association held the Korea-Japan Business Meeting in collaboration with the Japan-Korea Economic Association and the Japan-Korea Industrial Technology Cooperation Foundation. Under the theme "60th Anniversary of Korea-Japan Normalization of Diplomatic Relations: Broader and Deeper Korea-Japan Cooperation," the meeting, which continues until the 28th, was attended by over 300 business and government representatives from both countries.
The Korea-Japan Business Meeting is the leading private-sector economic conference between Korea and Japan. After the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1965, it was agreed in 1969 to hold the meeting annually to discuss economic cooperation. Since the first meeting in 1969, it has never been suspended, even amid political conflicts or the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been held alternately in both countries every year, contributing to economic growth and mutual development.
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