Korean and Japanese leaders agree on need to improve relations in first bilateral talks

Diplomacy

Published: 22 Sep. 2022, 10:52

Korean and Japanese leaders agree on need to improve relations in first bilateral talks

President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands ahead of their bilateral meeting in New York on Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held their first bilateral talks in New York Wednesday and agreed on the need to improve relations between the two countries and shared concerns over Pyongyang.

The two leaders held "informal" undisclosed talks for 30 minutes on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly and exchanged views on areas of mutual interest, according to Yoon's presidential office, marking the first bilateral summit between the two countries' leaders since December 2019.

Their meeting is significant as it is seen as a first step toward mending bilateral ties frayed by historical disputes stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule over Korea and a trade spat from 2019.

"The two leaders shared the need to improve bilateral relations by resolving pending issues, and, to this end, they agreed to continue consultations and instructed diplomatic authorities to accelerate dialogue between them," said Lee Jae-myoung, deputy presidential spokesperson, in a statement.

The statement didn't specifically refer to the issue of compensation of forced labor victims during World War II, a sticky issue between the two countries that was brought up during their foreign ministers' talks in New York on Monday.

Since the talks were short, it was not expected the two leaders could have discussed a solution to the forced labor issue in depth.

The two leaders also shared "serious concerns" about North Korea's nuclear program, including the recent enactment of a new law allowing the use of pre-emptive nuclear strikes earlier this month and the possibility of a seventh nuclear test. They agreed to work closely together with the international community to respond to such concerns.

This marks Yoon's first one-on-one sit-down meeting with Kishida, though the two leaders had several encounters in late June, including a trilateral summit with the United States, at the NATO summit in Madrid.

The talks took place on the sidelines of a "Friends of the CTBT" event hosted by Kishida to increase support for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Yoon and Kishida also agreed to "cooperate with the international community in order to uphold universal values shared by both countries, such as liberal democracy, human rights and the rule of law," said the presidential office. They then agreed to "continue communication" between the two leaders.

The presidential office initially announced last week that Yoon is expected to hold bilateral summits with the leaders of Japan and the United States.

However, Japanese officials cast doubt on whether a bilateral summit will take place, leading to speculation that the talks could happen in a less formal format. Kishida reportedly was displeased at Korea's unilateral announcement of a summit.

"What is most important is that there was an agreement to continue communication between the leaders and to speed up the dialogue between diplomatic authorities," said a presidential official. "A first step was taken to achieve tangible results. Despite the fact that there are many disputes between Korea and Japan, it is meaningful that the two countries' leaders met after 2 years and 10 months and took the first step toward a solution."

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.

In a meeting held Monday in New York, Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi agreed on the need for continued dialogue and cooperation for the forced labor victims issue.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, right, talks with U.S. President Joe Biden, left, at the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York on Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Yoon also met briefly with U.S. President Joe Biden at a fundraising event for fighting infectious diseases later Wednesday afternoon.

Yoon, though not initially on the attendee list, was invited last-minute to the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference hosted by Biden, according to a presidential official.

Yoon and Biden had a 48-second conversation at the event. Yoon was seated in the front row of the event, also attended by the leaders of France, Canada and Japan.

Yoon asked Biden to address Korea's concerns over U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), according to the presidential office. They also discussed financial stability and U.S. extended deterrence.

The two leaders had been expected to hold a bilateral summit, but Biden's schedule in New York had been reduced due to his attendance at Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral in London on Monday and other domestic political events, according to a presidential official.

Yoon and Biden also chatted briefly at a reception hosted by King Charles III in London on Sunday.

Yoon held his first summit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and agreed to work to deepen their countries' bilateral relationship and cooperate on economic security issues, including global supply chains.

The Korea-Germany summit had not been previously included on Yoon's schedule in New York.

The two countries mark their 140th anniversary of relations next year.

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