Lee highlights Japan as 'important partner' on 60th anniversary of normalized ties

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Lee highlights Japan as 'important partner' on 60th anniversary of normalized ties

Published: 16 Jun. 2025, 18:31 Updated: 17 Jun. 2025, 19:01

SEO JI-EUN
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a congratulatory video message marking the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic normalization at a ceremony held Monday afternoon at the Lotte Hotel Seoul. [YONHAP]

Korean President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the progress made over the past 60 years in economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, calling Korea and Japan “important partners” in navigating today’s shifting international landscape during a commemorative event marking the 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between the two countries on Monday.

In a prerecorded video message delivered at the high-level reception hosted by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Lee called for continued cooperation, echoing the official slogan of the 60th anniversary, “Joining Hands for a Better Future.”

“In today’s rapidly changing international landscape, our two countries are important partners who must work together to find common responses," Lee said.

Mentioning his phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last week, he continued, "Starting with the upcoming Group of 7 (G7) Summit, I look forward to building trust and friendship with the Prime Minister.

"I believe today’s reception will serve as a milestone in opening a new chapter in Korea-Japan relations,” Lee said.

The event, held at Lotte Hotel Seoul and attended by many Korea-Japan diplomatic corps and business leaders, celebrated six decades since the signing of the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations between Korea and Japan, which normalized relations between the two countries after decades of colonial history from 1910 to 1945. The treaty was signed on June 22, 1965, and ratified with the exchange of instruments on Dec. 18 the same year.

Lee, who embarked on a trip to the G7 Summit in Canada, is expected to meet and hold bilateral talks with Ishiba during his trip.

Seoul's Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jin-a, who attended the event on behalf of the Korean government, stressed that progress in bilateral relations has been underpinned by trust and grassroots exchanges.

“We will continue to work toward a stable and future-oriented partnership,” she said.

Guests take part in a traditional Japanese kagami biraki ceremony, or breaking open of the lid of a sake barrel with wooden mallets to celebrate important milestones, during a reception marking the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic normalization at Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on June 16. [NEWS1]

From Japan, Ishiba's special adviser Akihisa Nagashima, as well as the Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima, represented Tokyo at the reception. Earlier in the day, he held a breakfast meeting with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, during which the two sides “discussed ways to advance the bilateral relations and agreed to maintain close communication going forward,” according to the presidential spokesperson.

While older generations in their 40s and 50s, who did not directly experience Japanese colonial rule but inherited its historical trauma from parents and grandparents, tend to view Japan critically due to unresolved historical issues, younger Koreans in their 20s and 30s are increasingly expressing a more favorable view of Japan.

The number of mutual visitors between the two countries exceeded 12 million last year, the highest in history, illustrating the deepening solidarity between the two peoples.

A corresponding reception will be held in Tokyo on June 19, hosted by the Korean Embassy in Japan, with Ishiba expected to attend alongside key figures from both countries.

Korea-Japan ties significantly deteriorated following the Korean Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that held Japanese companies liable for wartime forced labor during Japan’s colonial rule. But they began improving in 2023, when the now-ousted Yoon Suk Yeol administration proposed a compensation solution funded by domestic foundations.

Lee's election initially raised concerns that bilateral ties might sour again, given his past criticism of conservative administrations’ approach to Tokyo. However, he has since defined Japan as an “important partner for cooperation” and has pledged to separate historical disputes from future-oriented collaboration.

In a sign of that stance, Lee held his second official phone call as president with Ishiba on June 9, following his call with U.S. President Donald Trump. The two reaffirmed their commitment to trilateral cooperation with Washington during the conversation.

Lee also has not called for scrapping existing diplomatic agreements with Japan, leading analysts to expect no abrupt changes in the government’s approach to historical issues.

Given shared challenges — from the North Korean nuclear threat and intensifying U.S.-China rivalry to the Trump administration’s unilateralist policies — there is growing recognition that deeper Korea-Japan cooperation aligns with both countries’ national interests.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]