President Yoon: "Efforts for Substantial Improvement in Korea-Japan Relations"

Korea-Japan and Japan-Korea Cooperation Committee Hold 56th Joint Meeting
Yoon: "Korea-Japan Relations Show Clear Improvement After Years of Struggles"
Kishida: "Challenges from North Korea, China, Russia... Close Korea-US-Japan Cooperation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] President Yoon Suk-yeol stated, "We will continue government-level efforts to listen to the voices of the people who wish for the improvement of Korea-Japan relations and to lead to practical improvements in the relationship."

On the morning of the 17th, at the 56th Korea-Japan and Japan-Korea Cooperation Committee joint meeting held at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, President Yoon said through a congratulatory message read by Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, "Korea-Japan relations have been in the most difficult and deep distress over the past few years, but recently have shown a clear trend of improvement."

President Yoon Suk-yeol Photo by Yonhap News

He continued, "Since the Korea-Japan and Japan-Korea Cooperation Committee was established in 1969, shortly after the normalization of diplomatic relations when Korea-Japan relations were in their infancy, it has played a significant role at the forefront of civil dialogue and exchanges between the two countries, contributing to the development of a friendly cooperative relationship," and emphasized again, "The goal our predecessors aimed to achieve when establishing the committee was for the two countries, sharing values and interests, to deepen mutual understanding and cooperation to contribute to regional peace and prosperity, and that spirit remains valid today."

President Yoon also stressed, "Korea and Japan are the closest and most important neighbors requiring cooperation in all fields, including security and economy," adding, "In the rapidly changing international order and severe security environment, the two countries must continue solidarity for regional peace and prosperity by sharing the core values of liberal democracy and human rights."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also responded through a congratulatory message read by Koichi Aiboshi, Ambassador of Japan to Korea, stating, "Korea is an important neighbor with whom we must cooperate to address various challenges in the international community."

In particular, he mentioned the situation where the international order faces challenges from the three countries North Korea, China, and Russia, saying, "North Korea repeatedly provokes with unprecedented frequency and patterns, actively conducting nuclear and missile activities; Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine; and unilateral changes by force in the East China Sea and South China Sea," and emphasized, "The importance of close cooperation among Japan-Korea and Korea-US-Japan is beyond discussion."

Meanwhile, the Korea-Japan and Japan-Korea Cooperation Committee is a private organization established in 1969 to discuss cooperation measures between Korea and Japan across various fields such as politics and economy. This joint meeting is the first in four years since it was held in Tokyo in 2019.

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