Korean and Japanese businesspeople meet for KJEA

Business leaders of Korea and Japan on Monday held an annual conference to discuss economic cooperation in the areas of global value chains and the exchanges of young professionals in the post-pandemic era.

The 54th South Korea-Japan Business Conference, hosted by the Korea-Japan Economic Association (KJEA), was held virtually in Seoul and Tokyo under the theme of "Opening the New Stage in South Korea-Japan Economic Connections."

The event has been held every year since 1969 to help promote bilateral economic cooperation and ease the longstanding feud between the two countries stemming from the colonial past.

This year's conference was attended by some 260 business leaders from both countries. Kim Yoon, chairman of Samyang Holdings and head of KJEA, and Koo Ja-yeol, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, were among some 160 Korean businessmen.

Mikio Sasaki, chairman of the board of Mitsubishi Corp., and Akiyoshi Koji, chairman of Asahi Group Holdings, were among some 100 Japanese participants.

Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, who attended the event, thanked businesses from both countries for working to prop up trade and investment, and promised to support companies to "expand future-oriented economic and trade cooperation.

Yonhap