First bilateral summit with Japan in years set for New York

Politics

Published: 15 Sep. 2022, 18:48 Updated: 15 Sep. 2022, 19:49

First bilateral summit with Japan in years set for New York

Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office (NSO), gives a briefing Thursday at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s seven-day tour from Sunday which will take him to London, New York, Toronto and Ottawa. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the presidential office said Thursday.

It will be the first summit between the leaders of Korea and Japan in nearly three years and could be a breakthrough in efforts to improve deteriorated bilateral ties.

Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office (NSO), confirmed in a briefing Thursday that Korea-U.S. and Korea-Japan summits will be held on the sidelines on the UN General Assembly session next week and that officials are in the "process of discussing the schedules."

Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden will hold their second summit in just four months following one in Seoul on May 21.

While Yoon and Kishida had several casual encounters on the sidelines of a NATO gathering in Madrid, Spain, in late June, they have yet to sit down for formal talks.

Yoon, Biden and Kishida held a trilateral summit in Madrid on June 29.

The last Korea-Japan summit was between President Moon Jae-in and the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in December 2019 in Chengdu, China, on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting with the Chinese premier.

The two countries relations have cratered over historical disputes stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule over Korea, namely the compensation of forced labor victims and wartime sexual slavery issue. A related trade spat began in July 2019.

Due to tight schedules, the bilateral summits with Kishida and Biden are expected to last around 30 minutes each, according to a senior presidential official.

Regarding the Korea-Japan summit, the official said, "The two sides readily agreed that it would be good to meet each other this time around," but added that the two sides have not set an agenda yet.

The official added that Seoul is "in the process of working on pending issues such as that of the forced labor compensation and privately, exchanging opinions with Japan."

On Sunday, Yoon, accompanied by first lady Kim Keon-hee, will embark on a seven-day trip that will take him to Britain, the United States and Canada, his second overseas visit since taking office in early May.

Yoon's first stop will be in London to attend the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II.

He is scheduled to attend a reception for foreign leaders hosted by King Charles III on Sunday and possibly visit a Korean War memorial to honor British troops that fought alongside South Koreans. On Monday, he will attend the state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Later Monday, he will head to New York and is scheduled to give his first address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

Yoon's UN address is expected to underscore his vision of expanding global solidarity with nations that respect freedom and share similar values, including protection of human rights and rule of law, to "promote peace and prosperity in the international community," said the senior presidential official.

He will speak on the intense competition among major countries over cutting-edge technologies and supply chains, added the official, and highlight concerns over global health following the pandemic, climate change, food security and an energy crisis.

"There will be countries that do not fully share the values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law," said the presidential official. "In that case, we will lay out an agenda that allows us to fully cooperate bilaterally in accordance with the principle of mutual respect and shared interests."

Yoon is not expected to expand on his "audacious initiative" first proposed last month to help North Korea's economy provided Pyongyang takes steps toward denuclearization.

In his UN speech, Yoon is expected to urge North Korea to denuclearize, while underscoring the need for protection from its nuclear threats and weapons of mass destruction.

"We will be patient and be open to take all possible measures to urge North Korea to make a decision," said the official.

Yoon is also expected to hold talks with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and meet with overseas Koreans in New York. There are 440,000 Koreans residing in New York, the largest community of compatriots in North America.

On Wednesday, Yoon will attend a reception hosted by Biden at the American Museum of Natural History. It is a tradition for the U.S. president to host a reception for foreign leaders attending the UN General Assembly.

The last leg of Yoon's trip is Canada, and the president will make a stop in Toronto, Canada's financial hub, on Thursday. He will speak with artificial intelligence experts at the University of Toronto and meet with Korean residents. Toronto is home to some 120,000 Koreans.

On Friday, Yoon will hold a summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa and discuss ways to deepen the bilateral strategic partnership, following up on their summit at the NATO gathering.

Korea and Canada will celebrate their 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties next year.

Canada is a key producer of minerals used in the production of electric vehicle batteries, and Korean officials say there is room for cooperation to establish stable supply chains for them.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]