Son Kyung-sik "Hope for Resumption of Special Entry Procedures for Korean and Japanese Businesspeople"

"Kishida Cabinet Launch - South Korea March Presidential Election... Hope for Restoration of Mutual Friendly Relations"

Kwon Kyung-sik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, is listening attentively to Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, during the 'Deputy Prime Minister-Economic Organization Heads Meeting' held on the 8th at the Chamber Lounge of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Sohn Kyung-shik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, said on the 24th, "The special entry procedures for businesspeople have greatly helped Korean and Japanese businesspeople, but the suspension due to the spread of COVID-19 variants has caused difficulties for businesspeople from both countries," adding, "As vaccination rates in both countries are increasing, I hope that free movement of vaccinated businesspeople between the two countries will resume."

Chairman Sohn made these remarks at a meeting with the chairpersons invited by the Japanese Ambassador to Korea held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul, saying, "The two countries are suffering mutual damage as diplomatic issues combined with the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a decline in trade, investment, and human exchanges."

He continued, "Thanks to recent policy efforts and expanded vaccination in various countries, there is hope to return to pre-COVID-19 life, but there are concerns about a slowdown in recovery momentum due to global inflation fears and disruptions in international supply chains."

Chairman Sohn added, "Fumio Kishida took office as the new Prime Minister in October, and Korea is also facing a presidential election in March next year," emphasizing, "Along with political changes in both countries, I hope that the restoration of friendly and amicable relations will lead to renewed cooperation to jointly address global issues such as raw material shortages, technological competition, and carbon neutrality."

He also said, "With the help of the Japanese Embassy, the largest private exchange event, the Korea-Japan Festival Hanmadang, was successfully held last September, and we hope that in-person events will be possible next year," adding, "The Korea Employers Federation plans to form an economic delegation to visit Japan to examine factors contributing to Japan’s stable labor-management relations and strengthen cooperation between the business communities of both countries as conditions permit."

Meanwhile, this meeting was held for the second time following last year. On the Korea Employers Federation side, Chairman Sohn and Samsung Electronics President Lee In-yong, along with other chairpersons, attended. From the Japanese Embassy in Korea, Ambassador Koichi Aiboshi and Economic Minister Kazumasa Takane participated, providing an opportunity to listen to bilateral issues and the difficulties faced by Korean companies.

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