Moon-Kishida Summit Call, Possibly on the 15th... China, Russia, and UK Take Lower Priority

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The first phone call between President Moon Jae-in and newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is expected to take place as early as the 15th. Earlier, Japanese media reported that the call would happen the previous day, but the schedule appears to have been slightly delayed during the coordination process. If the call is successful, President Moon will become the seventh leader to speak with Prime Minister Kishida.

As of the 15th, South Korea and Japan are in the final stages of coordinating the schedule for the leaders' phone call. The timing is expected to be in the afternoon, but it could be delayed. This day marks the 12th day since Prime Minister Kishida took office. His predecessor, Prime Minister Suga, held a phone call with a foreign leader just nine days after taking office.

Unlike Prime Minister Suga, who spoke with the United States and Canada before South Korea, Prime Minister Kishida first held calls with Quad alliance countries such as the United States, Australia, and India, as well as leaders of the United Kingdom, China, and Russia. Japanese media have interpreted this as South Korea being placed in the second priority group rather than the first.

During the call, the two leaders are expected to discuss issues related to historical matters such as forced labor and comfort women, as well as ways to develop bilateral relations in a future-oriented manner.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.