President Lee Jae-myung Says "Many Areas for Cooperation" Ahead of Korea-Japan Summit

President Lee's NHK Interview on January 12
"Truly Important to Share Values and Aspirations"

President Lee Jae-myung is holding an informal brief meeting with Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan, at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit is being held on the 23rd (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On January 12, one day before the Korea-Japan summit, President Lee Jae-myung stated in an interview with NHK, "There are many areas where Korea and Japan can cooperate."

In the interview released through NHK that day, President Lee said, "Although we are competitors, there are so many areas where we can work together. I hope we can find more common ground to collaborate on."

President Lee also emphasized, "It is truly important that Korea and Japan share values and aspirations, and we need to complement each other's shortcomings."

Starting January 13, President Lee will visit Japan for a two-day, one-night trip and hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The summit will take place in Nara Prefecture, a small city in Japan that is both Prime Minister Takaichi's electoral district and her hometown, rather than in the capital, Tokyo.

In the interview, President Lee also mentioned that Korea's ban on seafood imports from eight prefectures, including Fukushima, after the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, is "an issue that needs to be resolved in the long term." He said, "Since we need to address the concerns and trust of the Korean people, it will be difficult to resolve in the short term," but added, "in order to gain cooperation for joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), this is also an important agenda item," expressing his willingness to negotiate.

Regarding Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks about her willingness to hold a summit with Kim Jong Un, Chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, President Lee said, "From the perspective of peace and stability in Northeast Asia, talks between North Korea and the United States, as well as between North Korea and Japan, are extremely important," and expressed his desire to play a role in creating such opportunities.