US Strongly Supports President Yoon's Statement That "Japan Is a Cooperation Partner"

On the 1st (local time), the U.S. Department of State stated that it "strongly supports this vision" regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol's designation of Japan as a "cooperative partner sharing values" in his March 1st Independence Movement Day commemorative speech.

Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said at a briefing that day in response to a question about President Yoon's commemorative speech, "President Yoon clearly articulated a vision for a more cooperative and forward-looking relationship with Japan based on the values shared by both South Korea and Japan."

Ned Price, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Spokesperson Price added, "We see cooperation with South Korea and Japan as very important in addressing the challenges of the 21st century."

He also said, "We applaud President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for their efforts over the past few months to improve bilateral relations," adding, "We have encouraged both South Korea and Japan to work together to resolve historical issues in a way that promotes healing and reconciliation."

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Japanese government also expressed its position regarding President Yoon's commemorative speech, stating that "South Korea is an important neighboring country."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular press conference that afternoon, "We are aware that President Yoon referred to Japan as a partner sharing universal values and cooperating on security, economy, and global agendas."

He added, "Based on the friendly and cooperative relationship built since the normalization of diplomatic relations, we will continue to communicate closely with the South Korean government to restore and further develop South Korea-Japan relations in a sound manner."

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