First Meeting Between South Korea and Japan Foreign Ministers... Close Cooperation on North Korea Provocations, Differences on Dokdo Issue

G20 Occasion Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers Meeting Held
"Close Korea-Japan Communication" Amid Signs of North Korea-Japan Summit
Minister Cho Protests Japan's 'Dokdo Day' Event

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol met with Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko on the morning of the 21st (local time) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the occasion of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and they are taking a commemorative photo. (Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

On the 21st (local time), the foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan met and agreed to jointly respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile development and military provocations. However, they continued to have conflicts over the Dokdo issue, and regarding the recent payment of the Hitachi Chosun deposit for forced labor victims, they only reaffirmed each other's positions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 22nd that Minister Cho Tae-yul held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the first face-to-face meeting between Minister Cho, who was appointed on the 10th of last month, and Foreign Minister Kamikawa.

The two ministers condemned North Korea's recent provocative rhetoric and military provocations that have heightened tensions. They agreed to continue efforts to bring North Korea back to the path of denuclearization through close cooperation between South Korea and Japan, as well as trilateral cooperation among South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

Regarding Japan-North Korea relations, South Korea and Japan also agreed to maintain close communication. Since last year, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has been actively promoting a North Korea-Japan summit to recover his approval ratings, and North Korea recently positively evaluated Prime Minister Kishida's visit to Pyongyang through a statement by Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, drawing attention to a potential meeting between Prime Minister Kishida and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. However, due to significant differences between Japan and North Korea on issues such as the Japanese abduction problem, the feasibility remains questionable.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "The two ministers agreed that South Korea and Japan should cooperate to contribute to resolving various North Korean human rights issues, including the abduction victims, detainees, and prisoners of war."

In particular, the two ministers also discussed a meeting between the heads of state of South Korea and Japan. Previously, the two countries had expressed the position that "there are no plans underway" for Prime Minister Kishida to visit Seoul to attend the official opening game of the U.S. Major League Baseball at Gocheok Dome next month and hold a summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol.

In this regard, Minister Cho stated that, following last year, this year as well, close communication and cooperation at all levels, including the heads of state, should continue to elevate bilateral relations to a higher level.

Additionally, the two ministers shared recent progress regarding the holding of the South Korea-Japan-China summit and agreed to work together for its prompt convening.

However, they showed a clear difference in position on the Dokdo issue. Minister Cho protested against Shimane Prefecture in Japan holding a 'Dokdo Day' event with the attendance of a high-ranking central government official, emphasizing that "Dokdo is clearly our inherent territory historically, geographically, and under international law."

They also discussed the issue on the 20th concerning Mr. Lee, a forced labor victim of Hitachi Chosun, who received 60 million won from the Seoul Central District Court after the company filed for a suspension of compulsory execution and deposited the amount.

The Japanese government protested this issue by summoning South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yoon Deok-min the previous day, stating that it was "based on a ruling that clearly violates Article 2 of the Korea-Japan Claims Agreement and imposes unfair disadvantages on Japanese companies."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "In this meeting, discussions regarding the recent payment of the Hitachi Chosun deposit were held only to reaffirm the positions of both sides." It appears that the South Korean government maintained this stance as it is promoting a third-party compensation plan in which a domestic foundation compensates for the forced labor issue.

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