Korean and Japanese first ladies make sweets, discuss cultural exchanges

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Korean and Japanese first ladies make sweets, discuss cultural exchanges

Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee, left, and Japanese first lady Yuko Kishida make traditional Japanese sweets at the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo Thursday. [YONHAP]

Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee, left, and Japanese first lady Yuko Kishida make traditional Japanese sweets at the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo Thursday. [YONHAP]

 
Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee had several opportunities to build a friendship with Japanese first lady Yuko Kishida as the leaders of the two countries held a bilateral summit in Tokyo Thursday.  
 
Kim held a meeting with Kishida at the prime minister's residence Thursday at the invitation of the Japanese first lady, said presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon in a statement Friday.  
 
The meeting between Kim and Kishida was the first in four months since they met at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last November.  
 
After taking a tour of the prime minister's residence led by Kishida, the first ladies made traditional Japanese sweets, or wagashi, together and drank matcha.  
 
Kishida spoke about her hometown of Hiroshima, according to Lee, and the two first ladies discussed various cultural exchanges.  
 
Kim gave Kishida traditional Korean confectionary such as yugwa, gwapyeon and tea.  
 
"I hope that the people of both countries will be able to have exchanges more closely as much as we shared our hearts today," Kim was quoted as saying to Kishida by Lee.  
 
Kishida replied that she hopes that the "relationship between the two countries will further mature through this visit to Japan."
 
The two first ladies agreed to do their best to "contribute to a stable relationship between the two countries," said Lee.  
 
President Yoon Suk Yeol after his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tasted the sweets made by the first ladies and said, "It's not too sweet, it's delicious."
 
President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and first lady Yuko Kishida have dinner at a restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo Thursday. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and first lady Yuko Kishida have dinner at a restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo Thursday. [YONHAP]

Later that evening, Yoon and Kishida, accompanied by the first ladies, had dinner at a sukiyaki restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo.  
 
Yoon and Kim arrived at the restaurant at around 7:40 p.m. and were greeted by Kishida and his wife at the entrance. The four took a commemorative photo together.
 
They were only accompanied by interpreters during the meal which spanned 90 minutes, in a more informal setting than Yoon and Kishida's summit talks and joint press conference earlier in the day aimed at normalizing bilateral ties.  
 
It is rare for the leaders to be accompanied by their wives for dinner during a working visit, according to the presidential office.  
 
The two leaders followed up with a second dinner at a nearby 128-year-old Western-style restaurant Rengatei, famous for its omurice. Yoon reportedly is a fan of omurice, a portmanteau of omelet and rice.  
 
Yoon and Kishida continued one-on-one talks over beer, seen as an opportunity to build trust between the two leaders.  
 
The two leaders spent nearly four hours together on Thursday. They tackled a range of issues including overcoming historical disputes stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, export restrictions, security cooperation and strengthening exchanges.  
 
This marked the first time a Korean president visited Tokyo for a bilateral summit in 12 years, as the two sides agreed to resume shuttle diplomacy between the two countries' leaders.  
 
On Friday, Yoon will meet with political figures and take part in a Korea-Japan business roundtable attended by leaders of major Korean conglomerates.  
 
Yoon is also scheduled to speak to students at Keio University in Tokyo before returning to Seoul later that day.  
 
President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida drink beer in Tokyo on Thursday after their summit. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida drink beer in Tokyo on Thursday after their summit. [YONHAP]


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