Possibility of Korea-Japan Summit Failure... Yoon "Nothing Decided Yet"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Regarding Japanese media reports that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is coordinating not to hold a South Korea-Japan summit, President Yoon stated on the 15th that "nothing has been finalized."

President Yoon Suk-yeol made this remark on the morning of the same day while heading to the Yongsan Presidential Office, in response to reporters' questions about whether a South Korea-Japan summit would be held during the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, at the end of this month.

President Yoon also said, "Well, it's a bit difficult to confirm before diplomatic matters are decided."

The South Korean and Japanese leaders are expected to have their first face-to-face meeting at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on the 29th and 30th of this month. President Yoon, who was invited, officially announced his attendance on the 10th, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is also likely to attend.

Since President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida took office last month and in October of last year respectively, this multilateral meeting presents an opportunity for their first face-to-face encounter, raising the possibility of a bilateral summit after two years and seven months.

However, the Sankei Shimbun reported on the same day, citing multiple Japanese government officials, that Japan is coordinating not to hold a South Korea-Japan summit.

The Japanese government is facing internal political circumstances ahead of the House of Councillors election scheduled for the 10th of next month.

Sankei reported that the Japanese government judged that the conditions for a summit were not met due to South Korea's failure to present a solution to the forced labor compensation issue from the Japanese colonial period and maritime surveys around Dokdo.

For Japan, with elections approaching, it is difficult to show flexibility on historical and territorial issues that have deepened conflicts between the two countries over the years. A person close to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told Sankei, "South Korea has a history of not keeping promises until now, and Japan will not take proactive steps."

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