Presidential Office: "No Korea-Japan Summit Joint Declaration... Dinner Was Not Held Twice"

Joint Press Conference with Each Side Announcing Summit Results
Presidential Office: "Insufficient Time to Include Refined Phrases"
Possible Formation of Preparatory Committee for Future-Oriented Korea-Japan Initiatives
Considering Opportunity for Candid Discussions After Dinner

The Presidential Office announced regarding the upcoming Korea-Japan summit scheduled for the 16th with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that "the two leaders will not issue a joint declaration" and that "each will announce the results of the summit separately during a joint press conference." It was also stated that there will be no two dinners between the leaders, which had attracted attention as the "Omurice meeting."

A Presidential Office official met with reporters on the morning of the 15th at the briefing room in the Yongsan Presidential Office and said, "Since 2018, uncomfortable relations have intensified and various distrusts have increased. Given that this is the first meeting since then, there is not enough time to summarize positions and include refined wording," explaining the situation.

The official added, "This time, the Korea-Japan leaders will have an in-depth session and will sequentially announce the results of the summit in front of the media from both countries," and said, "They will emphasize what they want to highlight from their own country's perspective and inform their citizens, as well as share the contents agreed upon by both leaders."

He continued, "This exchange is a new start and is expected to continue," and elaborated, "A preparatory committee can be formed to discuss and prepare new initiatives or agreements that open a new future between Korea and Japan. Through this, the anticipated Korea-Japan joint declaration can be prepared more substantively and thoroughly and announced at the next opportunity."

Regarding Japanese media reports that Prime Minister Kishida might visit Korea this summer, the official responded, "Shuttle diplomacy involves ministers and key officials, including the leaders, coming and going as needed," and added, "We think we need to wait and see how Japan decides."

President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida are expected to discuss current issues such as compensation for forced labor victims during the Japanese colonial period, Japan's export restrictions against Korea, and the unstable General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit Japan on the 16th to hold a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding President Yoon's remarks in an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun published that day about a solution to the forced labor issue centered on third-party compensation, saying, "(Even if the administration changes) a solution that would not lead to the exercise of subrogation rights has been proposed," the official emphasized, "Such a thing will not happen under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration."

The official also mentioned, "The Reconciliation and Healing Foundation was dissolved after three years, and since then, it seems to have become a spark that made relations between the two countries more uncomfortable. What the Yoon Seok-yeol administration can do is to promptly and clearly implement the third-party compensation plan. And that is an act guaranteed within the framework of legal principles."

Additionally, the agenda is expected to include the resumption of 'shuttle diplomacy,' where the two leaders regularly visit each other's countries, and measures to revitalize exchanges.

The official also addressed reports about two dinners, stating that they are not true. He explained, "They cannot have dinner twice in the evening. At most, the two leaders and their spouses will have dinner together to foster friendship, human exchange, and intimacy," and added, "If possible, it seems they are considering giving the two leaders a little more time and space to have frank conversations."

He further added, "The Japanese side is preparing the summit schedule in a way that maximizes courtesy by honoring the other party's experiences and memories of Japan while adapting to our style."

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