Yoon and Kishida discuss North Korea, U.S.-Japan summit

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, listens to U.S. President Joe Biden speak during a joint press conference at the White House in Washington on April 10. [AFP/YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to strengthen bilateral ties and trilateral cooperation with the United States over a phone call Wednesday evening.

The two leaders held a 15-minute conversation in which Kishida explained the results of his state visit to Washington for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden last week, the presidential office said.

Yoon called to "contribute to peace and prosperity in the region" through closer cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo and trilaterally with Washington, amid deepening international instability, including on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region.

Kishida debriefed Yoon on the progress made in U.S.-Japan relations through his summit with Biden.

"We will continue to deepen cooperation with South Korea as a partner while responding to various issues in the international community based on solid cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan," Kishida was quoted as saying.

The leaders also shared opinions on the two countries' response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

They agreed to further develop bilateral relations through more informal communication between the two countries' leaders and diplomats this year "to continue the positive trend established between the two countries based on the solid relationship of trust built through seven summits last year," the presidential office said.

During a joint press conference with Biden in Washington on April 10, Kishida said he continues to be open to direct engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

"My policy is to aim for a summit meeting with North Korea to resolve various issues and will advise high-level consultation directly under my instruction," Kishida said.

The conversation comes after Yoon's conservative People Power Party (PPP) suffered a crushing defeat in the Korean general election one week ago.

Japanese media outlets reported that Kishida likely was making clear his intention to maintain a cooperative relationship with Yoon in light of the election loss.

Shuttle diplomacy between South Korea and Japan between the two countries' leaders was resumed last year after the two countries normalized bilateral ties soured by historical disputes and a trade spat through Yoon's visit to Tokyo for a summit with Kishida in March 2023.

Earlier Wednesday, Yoon discussed promoting bilateral cooperation in areas including defense, electric vehicles and infrastructure in a phone call with Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia’s president-elect.

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